Another 3000 years BC the word "chemistry" appeared. This fact is undeniable, evidence of this are cuneiform tablets found during excavations of the remains of the ancient cities of Egypt and Asia Minor. The origin of the word "chemistry" is difficult to establish. Researchers have devoted a lot of time and effort to this issue.
Distant past
As early as the 4th century AD, the alchemist Zosima from the city of Panopolis of Ancient Greece believed that the word "chemistry" came from the word "hemes", which is the shortened name of Hermes Trismegistus. This ancient Greek character received knowledge in the form of the so-called "divine revelation", he was the legendary sage of his time.
According to ancient tradition, the soldiers of the great emperor Alexander of Macedon discovered the grave of a famous sage, on which they managed to decipher the inscription. This record revealed to them the secret of obtaining the “philosopher's stone”. According to ancient researchers, with the help of it it was possible to turn any metal into gold. Of course, science has proved that according to the proposed recommendation of an ancient scientist, no “philosophical” stone is obtained.
Historical assumptions
Some researchers believe that the origin of the word "chemistry" is associated with the ancient Greek language and means the art of smelting metals, including gold. The Byzantine lexicographer, who lived in the X-XI century AD, believed that this word implies the preparation of silver and gold. In ancient Chinese, the word "gold" sounded in tune: "chemical-kim." The inhabitants of ancient Egypt, or, as they were called, “Chemie”, were outstanding chemists of their time, and often the origin of the word “chemistry” is associated with the name of this country. Since those times, the recipe for the preparation of perfumes and pharmaceuticals has been preserved. Therefore, the history of the origin of the word "chemistry" is rooted in Ancient Egypt, and the concept itself is identical to the expression "Egyptian science."
The first "universities"
We continue our short story about the origin of the word "chemistry". In the III century BC, the first Academy of Sciences was founded in the city of Alexandria (Ancient Egypt). "Holy art", as they used to say about chemistry, a separate building was built, which was called the temple of Serapis. In the future, we come up with the concept of "alchemy", which was introduced by the Arabs. It was they who added the prefix to the concept of "chemistry" introduced by the Egyptians. Many alchemists for thousands of years with enviable persistence fought over the secret of obtaining gold from simple metals. Be it the secret of the “philosopher's stone” or the secret of the “alkagest,” which in ancient times was considered a universal solvent. The recipe for these mysterious substances has never been known to anyone. Gradually, from century to century, alchemy began to acquire the very structure of modern chemistry. The philosopher, a doctor who lived in Tajikistan, Abu Ali al-Hussein, better known as Avicenna, already knew how to get nitric, sulfuric and hydrochloric acids, potassium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide. As a field of human activity, alchemy ceased to be relevant at the beginning of the 18th century.
The origin of the word "chemistry" in our time is associated with the late Latin word Chimia. It is identical to the English word chemistry, German chemie and French chimie.