The Alchemy of Al-Razi : a translation of the "Book of Secrets"

Over A Thousand Years Ago, The Persian Physician And Chemist Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn Zakariya Al-razi Presented His Students With A Book Of Alchemy Instructions Called The Kitab Al-asrar Or Book Of Secrets. For Over Seven Hundred Years This Systematic Text On Managing Chemicals, Equipment, And Procedures Was Copied And Imitated Throughout Europe. Using Historian Julius Ruska's Authoritative German Translation, This Book Presents Al-razi's Book Of Secrets In English For The First Time And Analyzes It From The Perspective Of A Modern Scientific Laboratory. The Kitab Al-asrar Offers A View Into The Understanding Of Chemistry And Procedure Organization In The Tenth-century Islamic World. Yet A Careful Reading Yields Even More Than That. As A Laboratory Manual, It Gives Intriguing Clues Into Persian Culture Under The Abbasid Caliphate: The Relationship Of Teacher And Student; Attitudes Toward Safety, Labor, And Quantification; Tools And Logical Problem-solving; Commerce And The Availability Of Luxury Goods; And The Value Of The Written Word. This Is The Kitab Al-asrar. TITLE PAGE 2 Copyright 3 About the Author 4 About the cover photograph 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 6 PREFACE 10 INTRODUCTION The Laboratory and the Book 13 Sources and Structure 16 Alchemy and Chemistry 20 THE KITĀB AL-ASRĀR IN HISTORY 24 The Durability of the Practical Laboratory Manual 25 Abū Bakr Muhammad ibn Zakarīyā al-Rāzī: Also Known as Rhazes 28 The Kitāb al-Asrār: The Secret is Out 37 INSIDE THE KITĀB AL-ASRĀR 47 The Laboratory’s Role in Transition 47 Sine Qua Non: The Hidden Assumptions 48 Physical Requirements: Chemicals and Equipment 56 Operational Requirements: Clear, Realistic, and Safe Procedures 63 Verification Requirements: The Key to Reproducibility 69 Time and Temperature 70 Weights and Measures 73 End Points 76 CONCLUSION THE TRANSLATION OF THE KITĀB AL-ASRĀR 79 KITĀB AL-ASRĀR: OUTLINE 86 THE BOOK SECRET OF SECRETS 88 BIBLIOGRAPHY 226 Primary Sources 226 Secondary Sources 229