21st Annual Dibner Library Lecture

21st Annual Dibner Library Lecture

Nancy E. Gwinn, Director, Smithsonian Libraries

Cordially invites you to attend the 21st Dibner Library Lecture
 

Alchemy on the Cutting Edge:

Theoretical Innovations and the Pursuit of Transmutation

Featuring Lawrence M. Principe

Warner Bros. Theater
National Museum of American History
14th & Constitution Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20001

Thursday, December 11, 2014
5:00 p.m.

with reception to follow

Please RSVP at 202-633-7263 or SILRSVP@si.edu

Event is free and open to the public
 

It is widely believed that chemistry and alchemy parted company around the end of the 17th century. Chemistry became a modern science, alchemy withered away as a false pursuit. The historical reality is, however, very different. The separation of transmutational pursuits from “acceptable” chemistry was complex, having little to do with scientific developments. Recent archival discoveries show that prominent chemists continued to pursue transmutation until at least the 1760s. Even in the 19th century, new chemical ideas sparked more than one reconciliation between alchemy and chemistry. This lecture explores the resilience of transmutational aspirations and their adaptability to new chemical theories.