About
Why is an understanding of the history of alchemy key to an appreciation of the history of chemistry? With us to answer this question is Kit Chapman. Kit is a science journalist and academic at Falmouth University. He was an editor for Chemistry World and is widely published in journals and news outlets such as Nature and The New Scientist. Kit is the author of the 2019 book Superheavy: Making and Breaking the Periodic Table and the 2022 book Racing Green: How Motorsport Science Can Save the World. Today we discuss his latest book, The Age of Alchemy: The Secret History of Chemistry from Ancient Magic to Modern Science, published by Greystone Books, and the recipient of the 2026 Royal Society Trivedi Science Book Prize.