The Multifaceted Central Science

As a chemist, I should briefly discuss what my field of science is. Here 1 also reflect on its historical development and scope, which help to put in perspective the broad background on which our contemporary chemistry was built, and where my own work fits in. 

There is an ever-increasing number of further subdivisions, or what I would call hyphenated branches of chemistry or chemically related sciences. Whether chemical-physics or chemical-biology is more meaningful than physical chemistry or biological chemistry may depend on the point of view one wants to look from. 

It was in the great school of Alexandria that these separate paths came together and eventually led to the alchemy and iatrochemistry of future generations and, eventually, the chemistry of modern science. 

This is not the place to discuss the frequently reviewed historical and philosophical aspects of alchemy, but it is worthwhile to recall some rather late adherence to the precepts of alchemy by giants of the human intellectual endeavor. Johann Wolfgang Goethe is best known for his poetry and literature as the author of Faust. Tie himself, however, considered some of his major achievements to be in science. His interests were varied but also related to chemistry. He developed an early interest in alchemy, which, however, he overcame in later life. Goethe s classic character Faust reflects his fascination with the alchemist s effort to produce gold but eventually recognizes its futility and failure. 

Newton, one of the greatest physicists of all time, is said to have spent more time on his alchemist efforts and experimentation than on his physical studies. Was this only scientific fascination, or had his 

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