Alchemy III-Turning Lead into Gold

The elusive(sukar difahami) and secretive(rahsia/sulit) study of Alchemy (the science of turning base metal elements into rare and sought after gold) dates back for centuries upon centuries. In present day scientific practices there are now several forms of Alchemy.

Islamic Alchemy dating back as far as 109 A.D.Well-known Muslim alchemists are Jabir ibn Haiyyan (commonly known as ''Geber'' in Europe and ''Geberus '' in Latin),Al-Kindi (al-Kindus)and Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakariyya al-Razi( ''Razhes'' in Latin/Rasis).After the fall of the Roman Empire, the focus of alchemical development moved to the Islamic World.

Much more is known about Islamic alchemy because it was better documented: indeed, most of the earlier writings that have come down through the years were preserved as Arabic translations.The word alchemy itself was derived from the Arabic word الكيمياء al-kimia. The Islamic world was a melting pot for alchemy. Platonic and Aristotelian thought, which had already been somewhat appropriated into hermetical science, continued to be assimilated during the late 7th and early 8th centuries.

Jabir ibn Haiyyan introduced a new approach to alchemy, based on scientific methodology and controlled experimentation in the laboratory, in contrast to the ancient Greek and Egyptian alchemists whose works were often allegorical(kiasan) and unintelligible, with very little concern for laboratory work. Jabir is thus "considered by many to be the 'father of chemistry' ", albeit others reserve that title for Robert Boyle or Antoine Lavoisier.The ultimate achievement of Jabir is ''Takwin' which'refers to the creation of synthetic life in the laboratory, up to and including human life. Whether Jabir meant this goal to be interpreted literally is unknown.

Alchemical theories faced criticism from a variety of practical Muslim chemists, including Ja'far al-Sadiq, Alkindus, Abū al-Rayhān al-Bīrūnī, Avicenna and Ibn Khaldun. In particular, they wrote refutations against the idea of the transmutation of metals.
Jabir's books strongly influenced the medieval European alchemists and justified their search for the philosopher's stone.

Jabir's alchemical investigations ostensibly(kononnya) revolved around the ultimate goal of takwin — the artificial creation of life. The Book of Stones includes several recipes for creating creatures such as scorpions, snakes, and even humans in a laboratory environment, which are subject to the control of their creator. What Jabir meant by these recipes is today unknown.

Then there is Indian Alchemy which first began somewhere around the third or fourth century B.C. Indian alchemy consists of several different subgroups which are Spiritual Alchemy and Tantric Alchemy just to name a few. Chinese Alchemy is another form of this elusive and secretive art known as alchemy that began around the time of the Tang period(dinasti). Sometimes the Tang period is defined as the “golden age” of external alchemy that went through a transition to internal Alchemy. The shift from external alchemy to the internal alchemy requires further, in depth studies to be further evaluated.

Thousands and thousands of years ago, dating as far back as the medieval times(zaman pertengahan), scientists such as the illustrious natural philosopher Sir Isaac Newton and the famous American scientist Glen Seaborg practiced a very ancient, but highly secretive form of science that was known as alchemy (not to be confused with chemistry).

Alchemy is known as the science of turning base metals (such as lead) into highly sought after gold. It was not until around the year 1980 that Glen Seaborg transformed thousands of atoms of lead into precious gold at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory.

Mr. Glen Seaborg had discovered that by changing the atomic number in the element lead you would actually cause the lead itself to turn into this highly sought after and coveted(didambakan) substance known as gold. Although Mr.Glen Seaborg’s technique (using nuclear physics) was successful, Glen Seaborg soon discovered that the process he was using was entirely too expensive and impractical to be of use to turn lead into gold for routine manufacturing purposes and the gain of wealth.

Mr. Glen Seaborg was appointed a professor of chemistry in the year 1946 at the University of California and five years later he received the reward of the Nobel Prize for his discovery of plutonium. He later continued researching about transuranic elements and helped name nobelium(1957),fermium(1953),berkelium(1949),mendelevium(1955),einsteinium(1952), and californium(1950).