2012 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

Newton's Opticks and Alchemy

Research Project

Project/Area Number	21500979
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	一般
Research Field	Sociology/History of science and technology
Research Institution	Aichi Prefectural University
Principal Investigator	OHNO Makoto 愛知県立大学, 外国語学部, 教授 (60233227)
Project Period (FY)	2009 – 2012
Keywords	ニュートン『光学』 / ニュートンの錬金術 / 光学と錬金術 / 粒子の大きさと色彩
Research Abstract	The trace of Newton's alchemical research remains in his Opticks (1704). It can be found not only the Book III, Part I, Quary 31 often quoted, but also the Book II, Part III, Propositions 7 and 10. These show that Newton was trying to estimate the sizes of particles from the color of bodies, his optical research connected closely with his alchemical one. Since the Book I and Book II of Opticks were based on his "Optical lecture" and some articles in the 1670s, the relationship between the optics and the alchemy of Newton had started in late 1660s. As a result of examining Newton's Add.MS.3975, it turned out that Robert Boyle had had overwhelming influence on the Newton's alchemical experiments.

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