The science of chemistry is as old as civilization . It grew and flourished in all the early civilizations of the world . The Egyptians , the Greeks , the Romans and the Muslims contributed much to the science of chemistry. The word Chemistry is derived from Kheem which is the ancient name of Egypt and the word Kheem was probably given to chemistry due to the black colour of the soil of Egypt . The science of Khemia flourished in the early civilizations of Egypt and Greece . The Arabs named it Al - Kimiya in their own language and in the English , it became Alchemy.
The basic purpose of chemistry is to know about the matter , its properties and the chemical changes , which take place in it . (“Effectiveness of Educational Technology in Teaching ...”) In this regard , man kept on learning about many things in the universe . These natural and gradual findings and discoveries added much to the knowledge of chemistry . For example , when man burnt the wood for the first time to produce fire , he discovered combustion . From this action , man also learnt that wood can burn but stone can not . Man not only learnt to use silver , copper and gold during the evolutionary stages of the early human civilization but also discovered method of extraction of iron , mercury and tin from their ores . Glass was also made in that period . It became possible to obtain medicines , oils , and dyeing materials from the plants . It is true that man was ignorant of the principles of science but he did have some practical experience of some metals and chemical compounds . (“Role of Instructional Technology in Enhancing Students ...”) Therefore , it can rightly be said that the beginning of the science of chemistry is the beginning of the human civilization.
According to the early history of chemistry , since 500 BC , the Greeks played leading role in the development of chemistry . The Greeks , unfortunately , took science as a theoretical subject and did not like to test the truth of their ideas through experiments . (“Effectiveness of Educational Technology in Teaching ...”) They only introduced the concept of elements , atoms , shapes of atoms and chemical combination . (“Chemistry and its Branches - Blogger”) They were of the view that all things in the world are made from four elements i.e. air , water , earth and fire. According to them , one thing matter could be changed into another if these four elements were used in different proportions. The theories and thoughts of the Greek philosophers prevailed upon science for a longer time . (“Effectiveness of Educational Technology in Teaching ...”) But , chemistry could hardly flourished because they had no approach to experiments which is the basic demand for the science of chemistry.
The Roman, too, rendered great contribution to chemistry and
developed chemical arts . They advanced metallurgy and the enameling of pottery
but they hardly flourished theoretical knowledge . (“Effectiveness of
Educational Technology in Teaching ...”)
