Jabir Ibn Hayyan

By Jawad Zaidi

Important Facts

• Birth: 721 AD in Kurshan ,Iran• Died: 815 AD. in Kufa,Iraq• Known in the West as Geber• Student of Imam Jaffer sadiq(A.S.)• Known for his breakthroughs in Alchemy

and his contributions to chemistry.

Life and Education

Family based in Yemen and moved to Iraq . And then to Iran.

When the Abbasids took power his family moved back to Kufa.

In Kufa he became a student of Imam Jaffer Sadiq (A.S.).

Shortly after this he started his career in Alchemy.

Career and contributions to Alchemy.

• During his career Jabir Ibn Hayyan wrote over a hundred treaties on various subjects. And the majority of them were on alchemy.

• In the subject of alchemy he wrote about the fundamental chemical processes in Alchemy like crystallization, distillation, calcination, sublimation and definite quantities of various substances in reactions.

Inventions and Discoveries

• His inventions include • The Alembic -made distillation easy, safe,

and efficient.• Hydrochloric acid- Highly corrosive acid,

Which is used today to maintenance steel and produce organic and inorganic compounds.

• Agua regia- Hydrochloric and nitric acid, used to dissolve the noble metals and clean special lab equipment.

Cont………..

• He also discovered boiling alcohol releases a flammable gas. This helped Al Razi to discover Ethanol.

Ethanol atomic model

Influence on Chemistry

• The subject that Jabir Ibn Hayyan influenced the most is chemistry which replaced Alchemy. His advanced ideas of experimentation , theory's of portions and his observation of reactions paved the way for chemistry to become a science rather than a concept of Alchemy.

• His books were translated to Latin during the Middle ages and became the standard text and references for European Alchemist and their students.

• In the words of Max Mayerhaff, the development of chemistry in Europe can be traced directly to Jabir.

Ideas and concepts stolen from Jabir Ibn Hayyan.

• 740s A.D.?Jabir Ibn Hayyan thoeryzed that a given pure substance is always made up of the same elements with the same proportions.(law of constant proportions)

• However in the 1790s European scientists called this their own and then later on in the early 1800s John Dalton based his atomic theory off these laws.

Cont…..

• Jabir ibn Hayyans classification of matter, Laws of chemical substances and his emphasis on the importance of accuracy in measurement were all stolen rewarded and incorporated into European Scientists ideas.

Conclusion.

• Jabir Ibn Hayyan was an excellent scientist who was ahead of his European counterparts in the areas of Alchemy. Although he is not credited for all his contributions to Alchemy. His Ideas and discoveries paved the path for Chemistry and in turn most of modern science.

Thank you for your time.Any Questions.