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450 BCE
The four elements are discovered
A Greek scholar named Empedocles proposed that matter was composed of four different elements these included earth, air, fire and water. -
400 BCE
The theory of adams
Another Greek named Democritus suggested that matter was made out of little tiny particles that couldn't be broken down anymore. he called these particles atoms after the Greek word atomos, in greek this word means indivisible. therefore by his theory, all elements were composed of these tiny particles or atoms. -
350 BCE
Aristole the Greek philosopher
Aristotle was an ancient Greek philosopher that believed in the 4 element model despite the newer atomic model. Because of his popularity, people accepted the four-element model for nearly 2000 more years. -
Period: 500 to
Alchemy
During this period there were many alchemists who believed that they could make more expensive metals from less expensive ones and that metals grew like plants. -
Robert Boyle
Robert Boyle was an English scientist who did not believe in the current 4 element model and came up with a new modern definition for element: "I mean by element, simple unmitigated bodies." Boyle also believed that air was not n element but a mixture.