Question

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1. What was the idea of ancient scholars about the four essential elements?
2. What were the principal goals of alchemists?
3. Why did every medicine fighting ageing contain gold?
4. when and where did alchemy appear?
5. What do you know about R. Boyle?
6. What is A. Lavoisier famous for?
7. . What is the contribution of J. Dalton to the development of chemistry?

Answer 1

1)The idea that these four elements – earth, water, air, and fire – made up all matter was the cornerstone of philosophy, science, and medicine for two thousand years. 
2)The main goals of the alchemists were the transmutation of base metals into gold and the attainment of the "Philosopher's Stone," a substance that would bring perfection to life.
4)Alchemy covers several philosophical traditions spanning some four millennia and three continents. These traditions' general penchant for cryptic and symbolic language makes it hard to trace their mutual influences and "genetic" relationships. One can distinguish at least three major strands, which appear to be largely independent, at least in their earlier stages: Chinese alchemy, centered in China and its zone of cultural influence; Indian alchemy, centered on the Indian subcontinent; and Western alchemy, which occurred around the Mediterranean and whose center has shifted over the millennia from Greco-Roman Egypt, to the Islamic world, and finally medieval Europe. Chinese alchemy was closely connected to Taoism and Indian alchemy with the Dharmic faiths, whereas Western alchemy developed its own philosophical system that was largely independent of, but influenced by, various Western religions. It is still an open question whether these three strands share a common origin, or to what extent they influenced each other. 
5)Robert William Boyle (25 January 1627 – 31 December 1691) was an Anglo-Irish natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, and inventor. Boyle is largely regarded today as the first modern chemist, and therefore one of the founders of modern chemistry, and one of the pioneers of modern experimental scientific method. 
6)He is widely considered in popular literature as the father of modern
chemistry".
7)He made several remarkable meteorological observations in his first published work
John Dalton published the first ever paper on colour blindness