ABSTRACT
However, Democritus’ ideas were ignored in favour of the ‘four elements’ theory, supported by more eminent Greek philosophers such as Aristotle and Plato. This idea – that matter is made up of differing proportions of the elements earth, fire, air and water, and that matter could be transmuted from one form to another – formed the basis of alchemy. The pursuit of alchemy and the search for the magical ‘philosopher’s stone’ that would transform base metals into gold were ultimately a dead end in our developing understanding of the nature of matter, although many eminent scientists, including Newton, became fascinated with its study.
