Jabir
Ibn Haiyan, the alchemist Geber of the Middie Ages, is generally known
as the father of chemistry. Abu Musa Jabir Ibn Hayyan, sometimes
called al-Harrani and al-Sufi, was the son of the druggist (Attar).
The precise date of his birth is the subject of some discussion, but
it is established that he practiced medicine and alchemy in Kufa
around 776 C.E. He is reported to have studied under Imam Ja'far Sadiq
and the Ummayed prince Khalid Ibn Yazid. In his early days, he
practiced medicine and was under the patronage of the Barmaki Vizir
during the Abbssid Caliphate of Haroon al-Rashid. He shared some of
the effects of the downfall of the Barmakis and was placed under house
arrest in Kufa, where he died in 803 C.E.
Jabir's major contribution was in the field of chemistry. He
introduced experimental investigation into alchemy, which rapidly
changed its character into modern chemistry. On the ruins of his
well-known laboratory remained after centuries, but his fame rests on
over 100 monumental treatises, of which 22 relate to chemistry and
alchemy. His contribution of fundamental importance to chemistry
includes perfection of scientific techniques such as crystallization,
distillation, calcinations, sublimation and evaporation and
development of several instruments for the same. The fact of early
development of chemistry as a distinct branch of science by the Arabs,
instead of the earlier vague ideas, is well-established and the very
name chemistry is derived from the Arabic word al-Kimya, which was
studied and developed extensively by the Muslim scientists.
Perhaps Jabir's major practical achievement was the discovery of
mineral and others acids, which he prepared for the first time in his
alembic (Anbique). Apart from several contributions of basic nature to
alchemy, involving largely the preparation of new com- pounds and
development of chemical methods, he also developed a number of applied
chemical processes, thus becoming a pioneer in the field of applied
science. His achievements in this field include preparation of various
metals, development of steel, dyeing of cloth and tanning of leather,
varnishing of water-proof cloth, use of manganese dioxide in
glass-making, prevention of rusting, lettering in gold, identification
of paints, greases, etc. During the course of these practical
endeavors, he also developed aqua regia to dissolve gold. The alembic
is his great invention, which made easy and systematic the process of
distillation. Jabir laid great stress on experimentation and accuracy
in his work.
Based
on their properties, he has described three distinct types of
substances. First, spirits i.e. those which vaporize on heating, like
camphor, arsenic and ammonium chloride; secondly, metals, for example,
gold, silver, lead, copper, iron, and thirdly, the category of
compounds which can be converted into powders. He thus paved the way
for such later classification as metals, non-metals and volatile
substances.
Although known as an alchemist, he did not seem to have seriously
pursued the preparation of noble metals as an alchemist; instead he
devoted his effort to the development of basic chemical methods and
study of mechanisms of chemical reactions in them- selves and thus
helped evolve chemistry as a science from the legends of alchemy. He
emphasized that, in chemical reactions, definite quantities of various
substances are involved and thus can be said to have paved the way for
the law of constant proportions.
A
large number of books are included in his corpus. Apart from
chemistry, he also contributed to other sciences such as medicine and
astronomy. His books on chemistry, including his Kitab-al-Kimya, and
Kitab al-Sab'een were translated into Latin and various European
languages. These translations were popular in Europe for several
centuries and have influenced the evolution of modern chemistry.
Several technical terms devised by Jabir, such as alkali, are today
found in various European languages and have become part of scientific
vocabulary. Only a few of his books have been edited and published,
while several others preserved in Arabic have yet to be annotated and
published.
Doubts have been expressed as to whether all the voluminous work
included in the corpus is his own contribution or it contains later
commentaries/additions by his followers. According to Sarton, the true
worth of his work would only be known when all his books have been
edited and published. His religious views and philosophical concepts
embodied in the corpus have been criticized but, apart from the
question of their authenticity, it is to be emphasized that the major
contribution of Jabir lies in the field of chemistry and not in
religion. His various breakthroughs e.g., preparation of acids for the
first time, notably nitric, hydrochloric, citric and tartaric acids,
and emphasis on systematic experimentation are outstanding and it is
on the basis of such work that he can justly be regarded as the father
of modern chemistry. In the words of Max Mayerhaff, the development of
chemistry in Europe can be traced directly to Jabir Ibn Haiyan.
