Isaac Newton Once Obsessed with the Idea of Turning Lead into Gold, A Manuscript Reveals
According to practitioners back in the day, they believed that it is possible for one metal to be transformed into another. The final objective was to find out a way that could turn lead into gold and a mystic substance, "Philosopher's Stone," was capable of doing that.
Recent discovery of a manuscript written by Newton reveals how fascinated he was with the magical pseudoscience. This document has been held on for decades as a private collection was bought this year by Chemical Heritage Foundation explains how one can make key ingredient required for Philosopher's Stone. This is just one of the many documents that were crafted by a brilliant English physicist who established the law of gravitation.
"Newton was intensely interested in alchemy almost his whole life," said James Voelkel, curator of rare books at the foundation's Othmer Library of Chemical History. "These alchemical manuscripts consist of about a million words he wrote in his own hands."
It is believed that alchemy, also known as "chymistry," in 17th century England had Newton engrossed for many years. After his death, many of his manuscripts were kept safe by the family until it was finally auctioned in 1936 by Sotheby's. There were many private collectors at that time who bought his manuscripts and were considered as "not fit to be printed" when he died in 1727. These papers then made it into Cambridge by way of donation, except for a few like the one that was held by Chemical Heritage Foundation.
It was long after Newton's death when definition of modern day chemical element was developed. However, at the time of Newton, many thought that metals were made of multiple compounds, containing mercuric or sulfuric principle. It was believed that if one of these principles were altered, it could change the metal. By that logic, alchemy didn't seem so outlandish.
"What's a little bit more crazy is the notion that there's this Philosophers' Stone that allows you to do this operation automatically," Voelkel said. "Heat up, molten a bunch of lead, toss the Philosophers' Stone into it, and transmute automatically."
