Studies in al-kimyaʾ

Auteurs

• Aḥmad Yūsuf al- Ḥasan

Paramètres

• Chimie
• Sciences naturelles

En savoir plus sur le livre

This book explores eight significant issues in the history of Latin and Arabic alchemy and chemistry, which are often accepted without solid evidence and are largely based on conjecture. The essays draw from extensive research into Arabic manuscripts and Latin literature, yielding challenging results that establish the Arabic origin of the Summa Perfectionis and other Latin works attributed to Geber. This evidence refutes prevailing assumptions about supposed Latin authors. The book highlights the Arabic original of the Liber de compositione alchimiae, the first alchemical treatise in the West, and reveals for the first time Jabir's recipes for glass coloring and other chemical industrial processes. Additionally, it discusses potassium nitrate and nitric acid in both Arabic and Latin sources, demonstrating their known existence prior to the 13th century. It also addresses the use of explosive gunpowder and portable cannons as documented in 13th-century Arabic military texts. Another essay examines the distillation of wine and alcohol dating back to the eighth century, while the final piece focuses on the composition of Damascus steel.

Achat du livre

• Année de publication: 2009