Gebers Contribution to the World of Chemistry - Research Paper Example

? Jabir ibn hayyan Abu Musa Jabir Ibn Hayyan, also known as Geber, was born in 721 c. in Tus, Persia and died in 815 c. in Kufa, Iraq. He was a well-known alchemist and is also known as the father of chemistry. BACKGROUND Jabir was the son of Hayyan-al-Azdi, a pharmacist and was born during the Umayyad caliphate. His father was against the Umayyad regime and was sent by the revolting Abbasid clan to Tus, Iran, to gather support against the Umayyad. But Hayyan-al-Azdi was caught and executed over there, causing Jabir’s family to shift to Yemen. Most of Jabir’s childhood was spent in Yemen, where he became a disciple of Imam Jafer al-Sadiq, who was one of the reasons why Jabir got inclined towards alchemy. After Jabir completed his education, he started practicing medicine under the patronage of Caliph Haroun Al-Rashid. Some historians say that it was his loyalty to the caliph that led to his death once the caliph was dethroned. Geber’s contribution to the world of chemistry The contribution of Islamic scholars to the world of chemistry is recognized throughout the world. While keeping the basic Aristotelian principles in mind and using the core framework of Greek alchemy, they tried to transfigure various metals to form gold and produce elixir. Not only that, they managed to make discoveries, which were of great use to the modern day realm of chemistry. And one of these great alchemists was Jabir Ibn Hayyan. Jabir was a deeply religious man. He attributed all his successes and discoveries to the will of God. He strongly believed that without God’s will he could attain nothing , and that one must completely give one self over to God , before one can delve into the depths of chemistry. In one of his books, the book of stones, he is said to have prescribed a series of lengthy and intricate prayers which one must offer before starting even thinking of stepping into the field of alchemy and chemistry (Aslam). Jabir Ibn hayyan strongly believed in conducting experiments and observing things practically rather than making theories. Before Jabir’s experimental evidences and proofs, all chemistry consisted of was theoretical work and discussions. Jabir also believed in working slowly, following the course of nature and not hurrying onto forming conclusions (Haunty) Some of the modern day equipment used in lab experiments and industries such as the pipette, retort and test tubes is said to have been invented by Geber about a thousand years ago. One of the most basic theories of chemistry or the founding blocks of chemistry, the theory of sub-atomic particles such as atoms, discovered my Dalton in 1844, have been found in Geber’s research. He discussed that elements, that are too small for the naked eye to see on its own, combine together in a series of different chemical reactions. He is said to have refined the use of many chemical experiments used in the modern day lab, such as crystallization, distillation and sublimation. One of this greatest inventions include, the alembic, which made the process of distillation, simple yet methodical. Jabir laid great stress on accuracy and precision, and all his works are an example of the extent of exactness he used to follow. "He who performs not practical work nor makes experiments will never attain the least degree of mastery." "I recommend you to act slowly and with precaution, not to hurry, but to follow the example of nature." (hayyan) With the aid of these processes, he was able to isolate and identify carious types of acid. Such as: Hydrochloric acid, by heating sodium chloride(salt) and sulphuric acid, Nitric acid, by heating saltpeter with sulphuric acid, Concentrated acetic acid, from vinegar, Isolated citric acid from lemon and tartaric acid from wine residue, But the chemical, which turned out to be a major milestone behind Jabir’s success, was the super acid or aqua regia that could be used to dissolve gold. Aqua regia is formed via the chemical reaction of hydrochloric and nitric acid. This substance helped people extract and purify metals, especially gold, in the centuries that were to follow. Jabir believed that the basic elements of all other metals were mercury and sulphur and by breaking down insignificant metals to these two elements and recombining those in the right amounts would lead to the formation of gold. He also believed that adding a substance called ‘elixir’ to gold would not change the metal’s properties, but instead would form a liquid that could bestow immortality. The philosopher’s stone or the elixir of life have been accredited to Jabir, and have baffled the minds of many chemists that came after him. Jabir’s work was written in a highly cryptic code, so that only the experts of alchemy could decipher the meaning and it was a hard task to distinguish between the metaphorical meaning of his work and the actual meaning. His writings and scripts were very difficult to understand, and some say that’s how the word ‘gibberish’ came into being, in the western world. The discovery of nineteen elements or substances is said to be attributed to Jabir Ibn Hayyan. He divided these elements into three categories: Substances that sublime (vaporize on heating) such as camphor, ammonium chloride, etc. Metallic elements, such as copper, iron, gold, etc. Non-metallic elements, such as charcoal and rocks. His criterion for dividing these elements were their physical and chemical properties and this became the basis of the structure of the modern day periodic table. And this is how the chemists of today classify elements. According to his educator, Jafer Al-sadik’s wishes, he invented a paper that was fire-proof, i.e. could resist fire and a type of ink that was legible at night. He also, invented a chemical that prevented rusting, when applied to an iron surface, and when added to a fabric, made it water resistant. (Isma?il R. Al-Faruqi) His vast knowledge helped improve and develop many chemical processes that are widely used all around the world today. Such as, the making of metals such as steel, using gold to engrave letters, preventing objects from rusting, dyeing fabrics and making them water-proof, analyzing various chemical substances and discerning their characteristics, for example implementing the use of manganese oxide in the making of glass to counteract the green coloration caused by Iron,and noting that heating alcohol to its boiling point releases a vapor that is flammable, paving the way to the discovery of ethanol by alchemists such as Al-Razi and Al-kindi. Also he refined the process of preserving and tanning leather. Jabir Ibn Hayyan is also said to have discovered one of the most basic chemical reactions, the popular acid and base reaction: Acid + Base salt + water Even though Jabir’s attitude towards life and chemistry itself was completely spiritual he made no attempts to distinguish between the core theories of Islamic alchemy from other disciplines, and would actually take inspiration from other non-Islamic sources, which include the Greek concepts of balance and perfection. Other contributions Apart from Jabir’s contributions to chemistry, he was also involved in other branches of science, such as medicine, astronomy, physics and other sciences. He also wrote a number of books regarding these subjects. He characterized the Aristotelian elements according to four properties: moistness, hotness, coldness, and dryness. Fire, hot and dry Earth, cold and dry Water, moist and cold Air , warm and moist. More than 3000 writings and articles can be attributed to Jabir in hayyan. This collection of his works is called corpus Jabirianum or the jabirian corpus, out of which about 500 labels were recovered by Paul Kraus. This corpus consists of books not only on alchemy but on other sciences as well. His collection consisted of all the developments and discoveries he made, and the descriptions of the methods that he applied. The subject matter of his writing encompasses a wide variety of topics, ranging from astronomy, biology, geometry to magic and grammar. It is because of this wide scope that Paul was led to believe that these articles were not the work of a single author, but an amalgamation of different scholars, and it could be possible to finish these in less than 100 years. These writings include one hundred and twelve books that were dedicated to the caliph Harun al-Rashid, which include an ancient piece of writing, the emerald tablet, which contains the regular basis of alchemy and the methods applied in practical chemistry. This tablet was translated from Arabic to various languages such as Latin, and was widely popular among European alchemists. Seventy books, some of which were translated to Latin and other languages, including the Kitab al-zuhra(book of Venus) and the Kitab al-Ahjar(book of stones). The book of stones is one of his most famous works, which deals with the ontological aspects of language and is concerned with the nature of being, of the science of balance. (Haq, Names, Natures and Things: The Alchemist Jabir Ibn Hayyan and His Kitab Al-Ahjar (Book of Stones)) Apart from these, there were ten books on rectification which contained descriptions of various alchemists such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle. And there were books on balance which included his famous “theory of balance in nature”. A few books such as the one on chemical composition have been used as text books throughout various European universities and colleges. He also introduced a number of popular specialized terms, such as ‘alkali’. The Geber problem As stated above, a lot of the historians such as Paul Kraus were led to question the true identity of Jabir Ibn Hayyan. The question of Geber’s identity is popularly called the Geber problem. Whether Geber existed or not, whether he is a reality or just an idea which developed over centuries, whether his works belonged solely to him or were a combination of various other authors. Such are the questions faced by various scholars and historians who follow up on his work and they are still baffled by them. There are many questions yet to be answered. The translations of his works into Latin led to the formation of a famous controversy, the pseudo-Geber. He is said to be a European alchemist, who took up the name of Geber just to gain popularity. There is also great confusion regarding other translated works of Jabir, whether they are actual translations or works of other Western alchemists. There are a lot of people who do not believe that Jabir existed. And according to Paul Kraus, even I f he did exist, only one text, the kitab al-Rahma al_kabir, could be attributed to him, the rest were probably written by Ismaili sages. (Haq, Abu ‘AbdAllah/Abu Musa Jabir ibn Hayyan al-Sufi al-Azdi/Al-Tusi, fl. 2nd/8th century? ) Regardless , the Muslim world and other parts of the world continue to believe that the father of chemistry did exist. And he was definitely one of the greatest minds born on this earth. It cannot be stressed enough that his work is renowned throughout the world and has been translated into a multitude of language. If it were not for his techniques, methods and discoveries, chemistry itself would be at a standstill and modern day chemistry would not be what it is today. But it is sad to see that, even though this man changed the path of chemistry and other sciences, he is not well-known among our generation today. People complete their masters in chemistry but know nothing about this great alchemist. Works Cited Aslam, Syed. "Muslim Scientists and Thinkers: Abu Musa Jabir bin Hayyan." (2007). Haq, Syed Nomanul. "Abu ‘AbdAllah/Abu Musa Jabir ibn Hayyan al-Sufi al-Azdi/Al-Tusi, fl. 2nd/8th century? ." (2001). —. Names, Natures and Things: The Alchemist Jabir Ibn Hayyan and His Kitab Al-Ahjar (Book of Stones). Springer, 1995, 1995. Haunty. "Abu Musa Jabir ibn Hayyan Al-Azdi (Geber)78." (2011). Isma?il R. Al-Faruqi, Lois Ibsen Al Faruqi. Cultural atlas of Islam. Macmillan, 1986. Shuttleworth, Martyn. "ISLAMIC ALCHEMY - THE HISTORY OF CHEMISTRY." ( (2010)). Read More