Chemistry, as the science of substances and their transformations, originated in ancient Egypt. And not in vain, because Egypt was an advanced country in the ancient world, whose priests were the first chemical scientists. They kept many unsolved chemical secrets. The term “chemistry” itself, according to the French scientist M. Bertlot, comes from the word “Huma” or “Hemi” – the black art. In ancient times, chemistry was considered a “divine” science.

In 641, Egypt was invaded by the Arabs, who adopted some chemical secrets from the priests. The Arab caliphs began to patronize the sciences and in the VIII – IX centuries the first Arab chemists appeared. They transformed the name “chemistry” into “alchemy,” which Europeans borrowed from them. Therefore, in the period from 300 to 1600, this term was used in Europe.

During the period of feudal fragmentation, luxury goods were imported to Europe, which could be purchased for gold. Therefore, there was a need for this monetary equivalent. In Europe, there were few natural sources of this mineral, so all alchemists’ research was aimed at finding the so-called “philosopher’s stone” that turns any metal into gold. In the process of searching for it, many new chemicals were discovered, and gunpowder was invented. It was the invention of gunpowder that marked a new stage in the development of chemistry as a science.

The main alchemists and reformers of the next stage of chemistry development, the Renaissance, were Agricola and Paracelsus. The latter believed that all diseases of the body occur due to a lack of chemical and mineral compounds. Thanks to him, a new impetus began in the development of chemistry, which made many scientists turn their attention to this science. Its widespread practical application began.

By the seventeenth century, the existing alchemical theory began to slow down the development of science in general. In 1661, Robert Boyle spoke out against the prevailing system, but did not propose his own. A new general theory was proposed by Stahl in 1700, related to combustion reactions: all bodies that can burn have a special substance, “phlogiston,” which is released from these bodies when they burn. The new phlogiston theory combined the knowledge that had been accumulated so far and put forward a number of problems that required scientific research. Thanks to this theory, many gases, various metals, and other substances were discovered. Thus, it freed science from the outdated ideas of alchemists.

We can safely say that chemistry, as an exact science, was born during the period of dominance of the phlogiston theory: in the middle of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. During this period, scientists such as Joseph Priestley, Mikhail Lomonosov, Antoine Laurent Lavoisier, Joseph Louis Proust, Carl Wilhelm Scheele, Claude Louis Bertholle, Humphrey Davy, John Dalton, and Michael Faraday worked for the benefit of chemistry. They formed many of the laws of chemistry.

In the nineteenth century, mathematical and physical methods began to be incorporated into chemistry. Scientists discovered that its development depended on the level of related disciplines (especially the physical and mathematical cycle).