Newton and Alchemy

As anyone remotely interested in the history of science knows, Sir Isaac Newton was one of the most celebrated contributors to the development of physics due to his work on gravity, optics and mathematics. Students of the gold market will also be aware that as Master of the Royal Mint – a position he held from 1699 until his death in 1727 – Newton was responsible for putting Great Britain on the path to the Gold Standard.

What is somewhat less well known is that Newton was also a practitioner of the ancient art (or science) of alchemy. It appears that he was motivated, as were many other alchemists, by the search for the philosopher’s stone, which could turn base metals into gold.

Newton (and also his executor) considered his alchemy writings as unsuitable for publication, partly because the study of alchemy was considered heretical at the time. It was only in 1936 that his activities in this area came to light when a substantial batch of his unpublished papers were auctioned at Sotheby’s in London. Interestingly, some of these were purchased by another famous commentator on the gold market John Maynard Keynes who noted that Newton, in addition to being one of the first scientists of the Enlightenment, was also one of the last “Magicians”.

The book Newton the Alchemist by William Newman is related to a comprehensive study of Newton’s alchemical work. This study is supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation and is largely carried out at the University of Indiana. For more information, see the website www.chymistry.org.