Democritus Democratus is credited for being one of the earliest known pioneers of Atomic Theory, living around 460 B.C. The scientist thought up a revolutionary and puzzling question: If a leaf were to be ripped in half again and again, could it (in theory) come down to a component so small that it could no longer be split? This question lead Democratus to the idea of an atom, which represented the tiniest, most basic building …
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showed last 75 words of 657 total
…Alchemy was looked down upon by 17th century chemists and was viewed as a joke. Instead of conducting practical chemical experiments, it was seen as following a spiritual matter. Though Alchemists were not successful in creating a potion of immortality, or transforming lead to gold, they did have some success. They discovered 8 new elements on the periodic table as well as distillation, crystallization, and many other standard practices that are used in conducting experiments today.