The history of the atomic theory. This essay discusses Aristotle, Democritus and Alchemy.

Democritus Democratus is credited for being one of the earliest known pioneers of Atomic Theory, living around 460 B.C. The scientist thought up a revolutionary and puzzling question: If a leaf were to be ripped in half again and again, could it (in theory) come down to a component so small that it could no longer be split? This question lead Democratus to the idea of an atom, which represented the tiniest, most basic building …

…Alchemy was looked down upon by 17th century chemists and was viewed as a joke. Instead of conducting practical chemical experiments, it was seen as following a spiritual matter. Though Alchemists were not successful in creating a potion of immortality, or transforming lead to gold, they did have some success. They discovered 8 new elements on the periodic table as well as distillation, crystallization, and many other standard practices that are used in conducting experiments today.