Chemistry Vs. Alchemy

Chemistry and alchemy are two very different things, however confusion remains due to the fact that alchemy was a predecessor to chemistry and it influenced its practice. Chemistry is the study of matter's molecular structure and how matter changes and creates bonds on the level of individual atoms. Alchemy's roots are in medieval history and was the study of converting one material to another. Typically alchemists attempted to transmute metal to gold or concoct an elixir of eternal life. Alchemy is often used in a magical or fantasy context to indicate the combining of ingredients to make magical potions. Chemistry is regarded as scientific fact and plays an important role in the study of physics. In comparison, modern chemistry was established from the study alchemy, but today most alchemical theories have been discarded as non-scientific.