The Last Sorcerers: The Path from Alchemy to the Periodic Table

by Richard Morris

They started with earth, air, fire, and water. From these basics, they sought to understand the essential ingredients of the world. Those who could see further, those who understood that the four were just the beginning, were the last sorcerers ? and the world's first chemists. What we now call chemistry began in the fiery cauldrons of mystics and sorcerers seeking not to make a better world through science, but rather to make themselves richer through magic formulas and con games. But among these early magicians, frauds, and con artists were a few far-seeing "alchemists" who, through rigorous experimentation, transformed mysticism into science. By the 18th century the building blocks of nature, the elements of which all matter is composed, were on the verge of being discovery. Initially, it was not easy to determine whether a substance really was an element. Was water just water, plain and simple? Or could it be the sum of other (unknown and maybe unknowable) parts? And if water was made up of other substances, how could it be broken down into discreet, fundamental, and measurable components? Scientific historians generally credit the great 18th century French chemist Antoine Lavoisier with addressing these fundamental questions and ultimately modernizing the field of chemistry. Through his meticulous and precise work this chaotic new field of scientific inquiry was given order. Exacting by nature, Lavoisier painstakingly set about performing experiments that would provide lasting and verifiable proofs of various chemical theories. Unfortunately, the outspoken Lavoisier eventually lost his head in the Terror, but others would follow his lead, carefully examining, measuring, and recording their findings. As the field slowly progressed, another pioneer was to emerged almost 100 years later. Dimitri Mendeleev, an eccentric genius who cut his flowing hair and beard but once a year, sought to answer the most pressing questions that remained to Why did some elements have properties that resembled those of others? Were there certain natural groups of elements? And, if so, how many, and what elements fit into them? It was Mendeleev who finally addressed all these issues when he constructed the first Periodic Table in the late 1800s. But between and after Lavoisier and Mendeleev were a host of other colorful, brilliant scientists who made their mark on the field of chemistry. Depicting the lively careers of these scientists and their contributions while carefully deconstructing the history and the science, author Richard Morris skillfully brings it all to life. Hailed by Kirkus Reviews as a "clear and lively writer with a penchant for down-to-earth examples" Morris's gift for explanation ? and pure entertainment ? is abundantly obvious. Taking a cue from the great chemists themselves, Morris has brewed up a potent combination of the alluringly obscure and the historically momentous, spiked with just the right dose of quirky and ribald detail to deliver a magical brew of history, science, and personalities.

Genres: Science, History, Nonfiction, Chemistry, History Of Science, Biography, Popular Science

294 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2003

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Reviews

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Last Sorcerers by Richard Morris goes into great detail about the history of how the most vital discoveries in chemistry came to be. He delves into the lives of prominent scientists and how their discoveries came to be. Despite the intriguing material, the writing itself lacks any zest. Morris drones on like he's writing a textbook. This absence of entertainment in his work is the reason why this book did not score higher. There are also a few notable grammar errors towards the end of the book that make up no real problem, but may still irk any audience member that picks up on these types of things. The science itself it also very fascinating, and Morris does an excellent job at explaining things in a uncomplicated and passionate manner. But it is more rare than it should that he goes into the scientific aspects. He talks more about unnecessary facts to do with the scientist and their life than the reason their discovery for chemistry was significant. For that reason mainly, I cannot give more than three stars.

[Brad Trefz · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well written, breezy account of the history of chemistry, it is definitely not an academic work (no notes) and leaves much out. A good introduction or concise review of the topic's highlights, it is not definitive. Morris also generally avoids noting where their are debates/questions among historians for the sake of the narrative, which can be deceptive. Several very important parts of the history (especially around the develpment of organic chemistry and thd German chemical industry before and during WWI) get very short shrift. There are more thorough accounts, certainly more technical ones. However, few are as engaging or relatable as Morris's. For a non-specialist or those of the general public looking for a concise history of chemistry, this is not the worst, and may be among the best. As a survey of the history of chemistry, on the other hand, it's too concise and non-scholarly to really count. It is the history/literary equivalent of a 45-min TV documentary.

[Jonas Gehrlein · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe this book deserves two or more stars but there are some parts that are really dislike. Particularly that the author damns people for past chemists having different beliefs than the current consensus and if someone believes in alchemy or non- atomist chemistry they are credulous. In the start of the book the author says that he does not want to go into detail with experiments and theory as other people has described the scientific parts betten than he can do. This he does keeps for most of the book but when it comes to the modern physics he decides to devote a chapter to in a lot of detail to describe it in a high level of detail which it perhaps deserves

[Trevor Kroger · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mostly serviceable history of the transition from alchemy to chemistry. Paracelsus and Lavoisier are here - though not really Newton, despite the last quarter of the book given over to those 20th Century physicists who gave us quantum mechanics and nuclear weapons. And the brilliance of Boyle and Mendeleev are nicely illustrated. But it's largely a disappointment, if you're really interested in how the medieval mind evolved into the modern. The Devil's Doctor , a whole biography of Paracelsus, is much better in that regard.

[Luke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was fascinating. I love to read about breakthroughs and strokes of genius. If you’ve taken a few chemistry courses and like history, this book was really cool seeing the historical context applied to the stuff you learned. It would have been amazing to be a fly on the wall in the studio when Brian Wilson was finishing up “Pet Sounds,” but also just being in a lab/office of any or these chemists when they finally got their theories to start sticking.

[Sofie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I randomly stumbled upon this book in the shelves of my university library while trying to find something useful for my master's thesis (in chemical engineering). This book wasn't highly relevant, so I decided to wait until I had completed my thesis before reading it. Maybe I was saturated with chemistry and factual literature at that point, because I found this book a bit boring and difficult to get through. The path from alchemy to what we now call chemistry is explained well enough, but it is written as a textbook and jumps from one topic to another without straight-forward connections. The science itself was very fascinating, but the lack of entertainment is why this only gets three stars.

[Clark Hays · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alchemy: from Icy Noctiluca to Hidden Space-time Dimensions

There’s something about alchemy. The thought of all those tortured souls laboring over their smoky crucibles to transmute lead to gold, mystically purifying their souls in the process, is romantic but easily dismissed as misguided metaphysical nonsense. But this book shows how early alchemists actually paved the way — and in fact, provided the impetus — for the evolution of science, pursuing knowledge and deeper understanding of the natural world and building a framework of rigorous, repeatable experimental testing. The author carefully tracks this progression from the waning days of the Western alchemists to the emergence of string theory, with a special focus on the periodic table and discovery of elements.

The historical research that went into the book was exceptional, and I was impressed by the depth of knowledge required to tackle such complex topics, but it got a little crowded at the end as he tried to cram too much about quantum physics and string theory into the remaining thin sliver of the book (perhaps unconsciously mimicking the hidden dimensions of these later theories).

Loved this line: According to Empedocles (a Greek philosopher and proto-scientist), “the elements were combined by love and separated by strife.” And here’s a little something I learned: “…eunuchs almost never go bald.” Make of that what you will.

All in all, a good read that brings to life an interesting, magical undercurrent in science.

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm giving this book only two stars for a couple of reasons. First, though, to give some perspective on my background going into this book, I've got a degree in chemistry and am working on a PhD in engineering. So I can't speak to how accessible this may be to the average reader. All I know is that it requires less knowledge than I have.

There were several things that made me question the scholarship in the book. Two were perhaps innocent typos, but the only refererence to a chemical formula was HCL (rather than the correct HCl) and one of the dates given was inconsistent on the same page. There are also only a handful of footnotes, no specific references, and a bibliography that is hopelessly incomplete. The stories are also scattered, often switching from one character to another and then back again, with no clear idea of where the chapter is going.

I learned a bunch from this book about different characters involved in scientific discoveries, but would not recommend it to a scientist interested in the subject. There are better books on related topics.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, I feel smart. This book, written into mini biographies from Paracelsus to Niels Bohr, Robert Boyle, John Dalton, Antoine Lavoisier, and of course Mendeleev, is perfect for someone interested in science yet completely incapable of doing it. I love reading about ancient alchemists and their crazy antics, and Morris includes just the right amount of history, science, anecdotes, and humor. I read a book that mentions quarks. So, this makes up for the copious amount of vampire novels I consume. I am a real adult now.

[Pancha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great survey of the shift from alchemy to chemistry, and includes some particle physics at the end. There is an appendix of the periodical table with brief descriptions of each element, who discovered it, and when. Morris also includes an annotated bibliography with suggestions for further reading geared towards a casual science reader rather than a scientist.

[Bev · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book seemed to be written by a story-telling, but scatterbrained, professor. It wasn't scholarly by any means -- a thin volume, it jumped from one vignette to another, describing the transition from alchemy to chemistry in a conversational tone. It was okay, but ultimately not enough to hold my attention.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. It was accessible, and I never pass up a chance to learn some science history. It's not as well written as Napoleon's Buttons though, and the occasional use of the first person annoyed me a bit.

[Dennis · Rating 3 out of 5]

History of chemistry book. Not as easy of a read. I would probably not recommend this to the non science group.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book on how chemistry came to be today. It goes back through the ages to help the reader understand how chemistry came to be.

[Heather · Rating 2 out of 5]

so disappointing. with such intriguing subject matter i was expecting more than a middle-school reading level survey of chemists and physicists.

[Andrea Hickman Walker · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to enjoy this book, but it just wasn't compelling enough to hold my interest. I have other books on the subject in my to-read list, so hopefully those will meet my needs better.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written account of the history of the understanding of the elements.

[Astra · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only read up to Boyle (about four chapters in) because it was really very boring.

[Serge · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book every chemistry student should have read.