That general conception is now both widening and becoming more definite.

To-day, chemists see a way opening before them which they reasonably hope will lead them to a finer, a more far-reaching, a more suggestive, at once a more complex and a simpler conception of material changes than any of those which have guided them in the past.
INDEX Air, ancient views regarding, 129.
-- -- views of Mayow and Rey regarding, 129.
Alchemical account of changes contrasted with chemical account, 169.
-- -- agent, the, 64.
-- -- allegories, examples of, 41, 97.
-- -- classification, 59.
-- -- doctrine of body, soul, and spirit of things, 48.
-- -- doctrine of transmutation, 47, 74, 123, 170.
-- -- language, 36, 96, 101, 102.
-- -- quest of the One Thing, modern form of, 179.
-- -- signs, 105.
-- -- theory, general sketch of, 26.
Alchemists, character of, according to Paracelsus, 25.
-- -- made many discoveries, 87.
-- -- sketches of lives of some, 115.
-- -- their use of fanciful analogies, 31.
Alchemy, beginnings of, 23.
-- -- change of, to chemistry, 126.
-- -- contrasted with chemistry, 202.
-- -- general remarks on, 123.
-- -- lent itself to imposture, 106.
-- -- object of, 9, 26, 32, 105.
-- -- probable origin of word, 25.
-- -- quotations to illustrate aims and methods of, 11-14.
Alembic, 92.
Apparatus and operations of alchemists, 90.
Art, the sacred, 122.
Atom, meaning given to word by Dalton, 173.
Atomic theory of Greeks, 16.
-- -- additions made to, by Dalton, 21.
-- -- as described by Lucretius, 19.
Atomic weight, 174.
Atoms and electrons, 190, 198.
Bacon's remarks on alchemy, 95.
Balsamo, Joseph, 110.
Basil Valentine, his description of the three principles, 51.
-- -- his description of the four elements, 49.
-- -- some of his discoveries, 88.
Becquerel, his discovery of radiation of uranium, 181.
Body, soul, and spirit of things, alchemical doctrine of, 48.
Boyle, on calcination, 128.
-- -- on combustion, 141.
-- -- on elements, 161.
-- -- on the "hermetick philosophers," 95.
-- -- on the language of the alchemists, 55.
-- -- on the natural state of bodies, 43.
Cagliostro, 110.
Calcination, 129, 132, 135, 140, 142, 151, 155.
Chaucer's _Canon's Yeoman's Tale_, 107.
Chemical conception of material changes, 177.
Chemistry, aim of, 9, 26, 160.
-- -- change from alchemy to, 126.
-- -- methods of, 10.
-- -- probable origin of word, 24.
Classification, alchemical methods of, 59.
Colours, Lucretius' explanation of differences between, 18.
Combustion, 141.
Compounds, chemical conception of, 171.
Conservation of mass, 164.
Curie, her discovery of radium, 182.
Dalton's additions to the Greek atomic theory, 21, 172.
Democritus, his saying about atoms, 15.
Dephlogisticated air, 147.
Destruction, thought by alchemists to precede restoration, 65, 127.
Electrons, 187-189, 197, 198.
Elements, alchemical, contrasted with chemical, 165; radio-active substances contrasted with, 190-192.
-- -- the alchemical, 49, 54, 60.
-- -- the chemical, 61, 62, 161.
-- -- use of word, by phlogisteans, 133.
Essence, the alchemical, 32, 35, 49, 58, 72.
Fire, different meanings of the word, 53.
Gates, the alchemical, 69.
Gold, considered by alchemists to be the most perfect metal, 40, 45.
Greek thinkers, their atomic theory, 15.
Hermes Trismegistus, 37.
Kathode rays, 188.
Language of alchemy, 96.
-- -- purposely made misleading, 36.
Lavoisier on calcination, 153, 155.
-- -- his use of word _element_, 194.
-- -- his use of word _principle_, 163, _note_.
-- -- on object of chemistry, 160.
-- -- on oxygen, 155.
-- -- on systems in science, 163.
-- -- on the principle of acidity, 59, 155.
-- -- on the reactions of metals with acids, 158.
-- -- on the transmutation of water to earth, 152.
Lockyer, on spectra of elements, 181.
Lucretius, his theory of nature, 16.
Magic, characteristics of, 23, 24.
Material changes, Greek theory of, 15.
Metals, alchemical connexion between, and plants, 34.
-- -- compared by alchemists with vegetables, 33.
-- -- mortification of, 65.
-- -- seed of, 34.
-- -- their desire to become gold, 40.
-- -- transmutation of, 33, 39, 46.
Natural state of bodies, 39, 43.
Oxygen, 144, 145.
Paracelsus, his description of alchemists, 25.
-- -- his distinction between natural and artificial mortification, 65.
-- -- sketch of life of, 117.
Pelican, 92.
Perfection, alchemical teaching regarding, 27, 40.
Phlogistic theory, 133, 139.
Phlogiston, 126, 130, 137.
Priestley, his discovery of oxygen, 144.
Principles, the alchemical, 49, 51, 54, 60, 133.
-- -- Lavoisier's use of the word, 163, _note_.
Radio-active substances, are they elements?
191, 194, 195; properties of, 185-187.
Radio-activity, characteristics of, 183, 184; of radium, 186; of thorium, 193; of uranium, 193.
Radium, emanation of, 187; heat from, 186; rays from, 186.
Ramsay, on transmutation of elements, 199.
Regimens, the alchemical, 72.
Sacred art, the, 122.
Scientific theories, general characters of, 21, 150.
Seed, alchemical doctrine of, 56.
Seeds of metals, 34.
Simplicity, asserted by alchemists to be the mark of nature, 28, 38.
-- -- is not necessarily the mark of verity, 138.
Solids, liquids, and gases, atomic explanation of, 19.
Stahl, his phlogistic theory, 130.
Stone, the philosopher's, 32, 35, 49, 58, 72.
Thorium, radio-activity of, 183, 193.
Transmutation, alchemical doctrine of, 47, 74, 123.
-- -- character of him who would attempt, 63.
-- -- of metals, 33, 39, 46, 74.
-- -- of metals into gold, alchemical account of, 75.
-- -- of water to earth, 151.
Transmutations, apparent examples of, 82.
Uranium, radio-activity of, 183, 192; relation of, to radium, 192, 193.
Vegetables compared with metals by alchemists, 33.
Water contains hydrogen and oxygen, examination of this phrase, 167.
Water, different meanings of the word, 53, 167.
***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STORY OF ALCHEMY AND THE BEGINNINGS OF CHEMISTRY*** ******* This file should be named 14218.txt or 14218.zip ******* This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/1/4/2/1/14218 Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will be renamed.
Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without permission and without paying copyright royalties.

Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm concept and trademark.

Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission.

If you do not charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the rules is very easy.