Abu Bakr al-Razi (Rhazes) · Science

From Alchemy to Chemistry: The Book of Secrets

In the <em>Kitab al-Asrar</em> (<em>Book of Secrets</em>), al-Razi stripped alchemy of its mysticism and turned it into a teachable craft: a plain classification of substances, a catalogue of apparatus, and step-by-step laboratory procedures anyone could follow.

What you'll be able to recall

You learned that al-Razi&rsquo;s Kitab al-Asrar classified substances (mineral, vegetable, animal - with minerals divided into spirits, bodies/metals, stones, vitriols, boraxes, and salts), catalogued laboratory apparatus and operations like distillation and calcination, and presented all of it as clear, repeatable pr…

Leads to Robert Boyle.

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