DISCOVER Magazine. Science, Technology and The Future
Current Issue
Subscribe Today »
  • Renew
  • Give a Gift
  • Archives
  • Customer Service
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Newsletter
  • Health & Medicine
  • Mind & Brain
  • Technology
  • Space
  • Human Origins
  • Living World
  • Environment
  • Physics & Math
  • Video
  • Photos
  • Podcast
  • RSS
Visual Science
« The Deaths Within the Death of the Aral Sea
The Right Hardware for a Soft Martian Landing »

Garage Alchemy Is Not for the Weak of Stomach

Professor William Newman isn't afraid of what the neighbors think. Here we have Professor Newman holding a beaker of concentrated nitric acid (aqua fortis) dissolving copper into a green solution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At his left foot is a large glass bottle of nitrogen dioxide in the process of combining with water vapor to form more nitric acid, according to the recipe supplied by Isaac Newton. Newman is historian of science at Indiana University who has recreated 17th Century laboratory conditions and experiments, including a homemade replica of <a href="http://webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/newton/about.do">Isaac Newton's</a> laboratory furnace in his backyard. Newman's research shows that alchemists were not just tinkering blindly--they produced "A solid body of repeated and repeatable observations of laboratory results." <p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://www.adamkrausephoto.com">Adam Krause</a> photographed Newman for the July/August issue of Discover: "The shoot made for an intense few hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The chemical reaction Professor Newman performed was incredibly strong; coupled with the garage's bad ventilation, it made both the professor and myself light-headed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In order to keep our senses intact we both held our breath for the 20 seconds it took to take the photos and then rushed outside to fresh air."</p> <p class="MsoNormal"> </p><p>A modern retort purchased from a chemical apparatus supplier in India. Retorts are no longer commonly used in the United States.</p> <p> </p><p>Another retort from an Indian chemical apparatus supplier.</p> <p> </p><p>A modern replica of Isaac Newton's "chymical" furnace in front of William Newman's garage in Indiana. To the left is a gas bottle containing nitrogen dioxide, a bag of blacksmithing coal, and a bag of charcoal.</p> <p> </p>
Share

July 9th, 2010 by Rebecca Horne in Ideas | 6 comments | RSS feed | Trackback >

6 Responses to “Garage Alchemy Is Not for the Weak of Stomach”

  1. 1.   Tweets that mention Garage Alchemy Is Not for the Weak of Stomach | Visual Science | Discover Magazine -- Topsy.com Says:
    July 9th, 2010 at 1:01 pm

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Ron Simon, World Amazing Things. World Amazing Things said: Garage Alchemy Is Not for the Weak of Stomach | Visual Science: The browser you are currently using does not suppo… http://bit.ly/cmmGJw [...]

  2. 2.   SEO hosting Says:
    August 1st, 2010 at 3:05 am

    A very interesting read and a great post alltogether. Would you mind if I posted the same article on my blog (with a reference to your website)?

  3. 3.   Chad Mearns Says:
    November 20th, 2010 at 1:31 am

    Wonderful points you’ve made here with this particular posting. I appreciate your stance and I shall be certain to check back here.

  4. 4.   Isaac Newton, World’s Most Famous Alchemist | Theoretical Physics Says:
    December 29th, 2010 at 3:20 pm

    [...] 29th, 2010 | Physics |  Tagged Alchemist, Famous, Isaac, Most, Newton, World's See the slideshow of Professor William Newman’s recreated alchemy lab.Lawrence Principe was sorting through a collection of old chemistry books at the Chemical Heritage [...]

  5. 5.   lindamller Says:
    January 3rd, 2011 at 2:12 pm

    I’m glad to this day that my late husband’s Hermetic studies didn’t reach the laboratory stage.

  6. 6.   The Art of Darkness » Blog Archive » James and the Giant Link Dump Says:
    January 18th, 2011 at 8:19 pm

    [...] Garage Alchemy Is Not for the Weak of Stomach – Teaser post for an upcoming Discover article about a science historian who is recreating the work of alchemists. He’s also co-authored a book on the subject. [...]

Leave a Reply





    • About the Blog

      Rebecca Horne is the photo director for DISCOVER, scouring the known world for the most striking and surprising images at the overlap of science and art.

      Visual Science showcases photography, video, and art that catches her attention, and also gives readers a behind-the-scenes peek of the making of DISCOVER.

      To contact Rebecca, leave a comment or shoot an email to rhorne [at] discovermagzine [dot] com.

      The RSS feed for Visual Science is here RSS.

    • RSS Recent Posts

      • Patterns of Paper Pollution
      • High Winds, High Altitude, High Ambition
      • Is That a Rain Forest in Your Gas Tank?
      • NASA’s Shiny New Eye on the Sky
      • Behind the Scenes at the Museum of Unnatural History
    • rss facebook newsletters twitter


    • Kalmbach Publishing Co.

    Copyright © 2012, Kalmbach Publishing Co.

    Privacy - Terms - Reader Services - Subscribe Today - Advertise - About Us