Contributions to Science
Islam, Muslims and Chemistry
Chemistry in General

It is a branch of physical science and the study of the
composition, structure, properties and change of matter

It is known as the ‘central science’ as it bridges the other
branches of science like geology, physics and biology
Alchemy or Chemistry?

Alchemy is a corrupt translation of the
Arabic word ‘kemi-yaá’ preceded by the
article ‘Al’

Chemistry refers to a modern science
whereas alchemy means the amateur, the
occult, the second or third rate

Alchemy belongs to the Muslims;
chemistry, of course, does not
The Golden Age – Chemistry

The following are some of the key
chemical discoveries in The Golden Age:
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Distillation Apparatus – For purification
The words ‘alcohol’, ‘elixir’ and ‘alembic’ – Arab Origin
Soda and Potash
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Distilled water and purified distilled alcohol
- Purified distilled alcohol
- Perfumery
- Many more chemical substances and apparatus
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Jabir Ibn Hayyan
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The first and most influential Muslim
chemist was Jabir Ibn Hayyan, who is
considered by many to be the ‘father of
chemistry’ for introducing:
The experimental method
- Apparatus such as the alembic, still, and retort
- Chemical processes such as liquefaction, purification,
oxidization and evaporation
- Purification by crystallization
- Filtration
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Pure distillation
Jafaar Al-Sadiq
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Jabir's teacher, Jaafar Al-Sadiq, did not
agree with Aristotle's theory of the four
classical elements

He discovered that each one is made up
of different chemical elements:

“I wonder how a man like Aristotle could
say that in the world there are only four
elements: Earth, Water, Fire, and Air. The
Earth is not an element. It contains many
elements. Each metal, which is in the
earth, is an element.”

Jafaar developed a particle theory, which
he described as follows:
“The universe was born out of a tiny particle,
which had two opposite poles.That particle
produced an atom. In this way matter came
into being.Then the matter diversified.This
diversification was caused by the density or
rarity of the atoms.”
Al-Razi

Al-Razi was the first Muslim chemist to:
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Distill petroleum
Invent kerosene and kerosene lamps
Invent soap bars and modern recipes for soap
Produce antiseptics
Develop numerous chemical processes such
as sublimation
◦ Dry distillation
◦ Calcination (Al-tashwiya)
The invention of chemical
processes

Jabir ibn Hayyan and Ahmad Ibn Imad Al-Din
invented the following chemical processes in the
8th century:
◦ Pure distillation (Al-taqtir) which could fully purify
chemical substances with the alembic
◦ Filtration (Al-tarshih)
◦ Purification by crystallization (Al-tabalwur)
◦ Liquefaction, purification, oxidization, and evaporation
(tabkhir)
Laboratory Apparatus
Alembic – Jabir Ibn Hayyan
Refrigerated Coil – Ibn Sina
Laboratory Apparatus

Muslim chemists and engineers invented the
cucurbit and allude, and the equipment needed for
melting metals such as furnaces and crucibles

Al-Razi described the following tools that were
invented by him and his Muslim predecessors:
Khalid ibn Yazid, Jaber bin Hayyan and Al-Kindi - For melting
substances (li-tadhwib):
Hearth and bellows, crucible (bawtaqa), tongs (masik aq
kalbatan), scissors (miqta), hammer (mukassir), file (mibrad)
Laboratory Apparatus

Al-Razi also described the following tools that were invented
by him and his Muslim predecessors for the preparation of
drugs (li-tadbir al-aqaqir):
Cucurbit and still with evacuation tube (qar aq anbiq dhukhatm), receiving matras (qabila), blind still (without
evacuation tube) (al-anbiq al-ama), Alembic al-inbiq, aludel (aluthal), goblets (qadah), flasks (qarura or quwarir), rosewater
flasks (ma wariyya), cauldron (marjal aw tanjir), earthenware
pots varnished on the inside with their lids (qudur aq tanjir),
water bath or sand bath (qadr), oven (al-tannur in Arabic,
athanor in Latin), small cylindirical oven for heating aludel
(mustawqid), funnels, sieves, filters, etc…
Hearth and Bellows
Distilled and purified water
 Arab
chemists were the first to produce
distilled water and purified water, used for
water supply systems and for long
journeys across deserts where the
supplies were uncertain
 In
the 10th century, Abu Mansur
Muwaffaq of Herat wrote The foundations
of the true properties of Remedies, where
he described 585 drugs. He also described
the distillation of sea-water for drinking
Chemical Substances – Acids
 The only acid known to the ancients was vinegar. Using new
equipment such as the alembic and processes such as pure
distillation
 Jaber bin Hayyan was the first to discover and isolate a variety of
new acids, such as nitric acid, Hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid
 Acetic acid was also first concentrated from vinegar through
distillation by Jaber bin Hayyan in the 8th century. He is also
credited with the discovery of citric acid (the sour component
of lemons and other unripe fruits) and tartaric acid (from winemaking residues)
Chemical Elements

Several chemical elements were first discovered
by Jaber bin Hayyan:
◦ Arsenic, antimony and bismuth. He was also the first
to classify sulfur (‘the stone which burns’ that
characterized the principle of combustibility) and
mercury (which contained the idealized principle of
metallic properties) as 'elements'
◦ Lead and tin were also first purified and clearly
differentiated from one another by Arabic alchemists
Derivative and Synthesized
Substances

In the 10th century Al-Razi wrote that he and his Muslim
predecessors Khalid ibn Yazid, Jaber bin Hayyan and Al-Kindi,
invented the following derivative and artificial chemical substances:

Lead(II) oxide (PbO), red lead (Pb3O4), tin(II) oxide (Isfidaj), copper
acetate (Zaniar), copper(II) oxide (CuO), lead sulfide, zinc oxide,
bismuth oxide, antimony oxide, iron rust, iron acetate, Daws (a
constituent of steel), Borax, Amalgam, cinnabar (HgS), arsenic
trioxide (As2O3), alkali (al-Qili), sodium hydroxide (caustic soda),
and Qalimiya (anything that separates from metals during their
purification)
Natural Substances

Al Razi also classified the natural chemical substances that were
discovered by him and his Muslim predecessors mainly Khalid
ibn Yazid, Jaber bin Hayyan , Al-Kindi and Al-Tamimi as follows:
 Four spirits: mercury, sal ammoniac, arsenic, sulfur
 Seven fusible metals: gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, lead,
mercury
 Thirteen stones: marqashisha, maghnisiya, daws, tutiya, lapis
lazuli, malachite green, turquoise, hematite, arsenic oxide, lead
sulfide, talq (mica and asbestos), gypsum, glass
 Six vitriols: black vitriol, alum, qalqand, qalqadis,
qalqatar, suri
 Seven borates: borax, bread borax, natron, nitrate,
sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate, sodium borate
 Thirteen salts: lead(II) acetate (sweet), magnesium
sulfate (bitter), andarani salt, tabarzad, potassium
nitrate, naphthenate, black salt (Indian), salt of egg,
alkali (al-qali), salt of urine, calcium hydroxide
(slaked lime), salt of oak ashes, natrun, Camphor
Other Chemical Substances

Through their experiments with various chemical
compounds, Arabic chemists first produced many
other chemical substances, including:
 Arsenic, alkali, alkali salt, rice vinegar, boraxes, potassium nitrate,
sulfur and purified sal ammoniac by Jaber bin Hayyan
 Aqua regia, alum, sal ammoniac, stones, sulfur, salts, and spirits of
mercury, by by Jaber bin Hayyan
 Sal nitrum and vitriol by Al-Razi
 Ethanol, sulfuric acid, ammonia, mercury, camphor,
pomades, and syrups
 Lead carbonatic, arsenic, and antimony
 Nitric and sulfuric acids, alkali, the salts of
mercury, antimony, and bismuth
 Jaber bin Hayyan was also the first to classify all
seven classical metals: gold, silver, tin, lead,
mercury, iron and copper
Oil and petroleum products

From the 8th century the streets of Baghdad were the first to be paved with tar, derived
from petroleum through destructive distillation

Muslim chemists were the first to produce petrol from crude oil, using the process of
distillation

Kerosene was produced from the distillation of petroleum and was first described by Al-
Razi in the 9th century. In his Kitab al-Asrar (Book of Secrets), he described two methods
for the production of kerosene. One method involved using clay as an absorbent, while the
other method involved using ammonium chloride (sal ammoniac). He also described the
first kerosene lamps (naffatah) used for heating and lighting in his Kitab Al-Asrar (Book of
Secrets). These were used in the oil lamp industry

Essential oils were first produced by Ibn Sina in the early 11th century, using steam
distillation, for use in aromatherapy and the perfumery industries
More common products

Plated mail was invented by Jaber bin Hayyan in ‘The Book of the
Hidden Pearl’ for use in armors (jawasin), helmets (bid) and shields
(daraq)

Rosewater was first produced by Muslim chemists through the
distillation of roses, for use in the drinking and perfumery industries

Various chemicals were added to cotton fabrics during the dyeing
process among the most famous processes was used by the Hausa
Textile Merchants in Kano they mixed the color Indigo with
potassium, ash and hot water to produce a deep blue dye
References
www.google.com
www.wikipedia.com
www.in-islam.com
www.irfi.org/articles2/articles_2701_2750
/Muslim%20Contribution%20to%20Chemi
stry.HTM
 http://books.google.ae
 www.qu.edu.qa
 http://historysinnovations.blogspot.ae/201
2/03/ibn-sina-and-first-refrigeratedcoil.html
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