The Inorganic Chemist: Exploring Chemistry, Its Discoveries, and Its History

The Scientific Importance of Diwali: When Tradition Meets Science Every year, millions of homes across India glow with the gentle light of earthen lamps. Streets are decorated with colourful rangolis, families gather to celebrate, and the darkness of an autumn evening is transformed into a spectacle of light. Diwali, or Deepavali, is among India's most cherished festivals. Traditionally associated with the victory of light over darkness, knowledge over ignorance and good over evil, it carries profound religious, philosophical and cultural significance. But Diwali also offers something fascinating to the scientifically curious mind. Behind its familiar practices lie interesting connections with astronomy, the chemistry of combustion, the physics of light, mathematical patterns, environmental science and human psychology. Does this mean every Diwali tradition was originally designed for a scientific purpose? Not necessarily. Historical traditions often emerge from intertwined religio...

The Iron Pillar of Delhi: Metallurgy or Materials Science? Imagine leaving an ordinary piece of iron outdoors for several years. Rain, moisture and atmospheric oxygen gradually attack its surface. Reddish-brown rust begins to appear. Given enough time and suitable conditions, corrosion can seriously weaken the metal.  Now imagine an iron structure standing outdoors for approximately 1,600 years, exposed to changing seasons, heat, rain and atmospheric moisture. Remarkably, it remains standing. This is the story of the Iron Pillar of Delhi, one of the most fascinating examples of India's ancient metallurgical heritage. Located in the Qutub complex at Mehrauli, the pillar has attracted the attention of historians, archaeologists, metallurgists and corrosion scientists for generations. But is it really rustproof?  And if not, what explains its extraordinary survival? A Monument from the Gupta Age The Delhi Iron Pillar is generally dated to the fourth–fifth century CE and is associ...

  IKS GURU: Bringing Indian Knowledge Traditions into Everyday Learning By Prof. Rajeev Singh What might a traditional furnace teach a chemistry student? How could the preparation of a pigment become a lesson in materials science? Where should a curious learner begin when a Sanskrit term, an old text or a familiar practice opens up an unfamiliar world of knowledge? These are questions that belong naturally on The Inorganic Chemist. Studying chemistry involves understanding substances and reactions, and it also invites us to ask how people learned to work with materials. A classroom discussion can become richer when students investigate the observations, tools and skills behind a process. It was this wish to make such enquiry more approachable that led me to establish IKS GURU, available at www.iksguru.in . The idea was simple: give learners an accessible place to begin exploring Indian knowledge traditions, ask questions in their own words and discover directions for further study....

Iron, Steel and Fire: The Chemistry of India's Metallurgical Heritage How ancient Indian metalworkers mastered fire, transformed ores into metals, and developed materials thatl fascinated the world. Imagine standing beside a furnace somewhere in the Indian subcontinent, many centuries ago. The air is thick with smoke. Charcoal glows inside a clay furnace. A metalworker carefully controls the flow of air using bellows. Inside, a remarkable transformation is taking place. A reddish-brown rock, seemingly ordinary and lifeless, is gradually yielding something extraordinary....Iron!! The metalworker does not know about electrons, oxidation states or crystal structures. There is no thermometer to measure the furnace temperature and no spectrometer to examine the product. Yet the process is far from random. The worker understands which ore to select, how much charcoal to use, how to maintain the fire and when to remove the metal. This knowledge has been accumulated through observation, ex...

  The Lady with the Madagascar Periwinkle – Dr. Asima Chatterjee Remembering Dr. Asima Chatterjee on her birth anniversary, 23 September - a pioneering chemist who explored the medicinal promise of plants and inspired generations of women in science. Her life reminds us that extraordinary science can begin with curiosity about an ordinary flower. Sharing my article, “The Lady with the Madagascar Periwinkle – Dr. Asima Chatterjee,” in tribute to her enduring legacy. The Lady with the Madagascar Periwinkle – Dr. Asima Chatterjee

Inside the Indian Laboratory Before the Laboratory What comes to mind when you hear the word laboratory ? Perhaps a scientist in a white coat. Rows of glass bottles. Test tubes and beakers. A fume hood. Electronic balances, spectrometers and computers. Now remove all of them. Remove electricity. Remove modern glassware. Remove the thermometer. Remove even the periodic table. What remains? A furnace glowing with fire. A crucible buried among hot coals. A mortar in which minerals are being ground. A vessel connected to another vessel so that vapours can be collected. A substance is heated until it disappears from one place and deposits somewhere else. Could this also be called a laboratory? The history of Indian material practices suggests that we should at least consider the possibility. Premodern Indian traditions associated with metallurgy, medicine, Rasaśāstra, mineral processing, dyes and other technologies developed specialised apparatus and carefully described operations for tran...

What exactly is Rasaśāstra? The Sanskrit word rasa carries several meanings depending upon its context. Within the Rasaśāstra literature, it became particularly associated with mercury (pārada), although the field eventually encompassed a much broader range of minerals, metals, and other substances. Over centuries, an extensive literature developed around the preparation and processing of these materials. Important texts associated with this tradition include: - Rasārṇava - Rasahṛdaya or Rasahṛdayatantra - Rasaratnasamuccaya - Rasaprakāśasudhākara These works belong to different periods and intellectual contexts, and therefore should not be treated as a single uniform textbook. Collectively, however, they provide valuable evidence for historical Indian practices involving substances, apparatus and material transformations. Mercury: the extraordinary metal :  No substance is more closely associated with Rasaśāstra than mercury. Even to a modern observer, mercury is remarkable. It is...