Al-Jaldaki grew up loving science, and devoted himself to reading all the chemistry books he could find, and read them critically. He was fascinated by Jabir ibn Hayyan, to the point that he called him "the Imam". He collected 42 works from his books that he studied and discussed. He also read Al-Razi and other scientists, and made many comments and many explanations of some theories and mysterious issues in chemistry. He is famous for his concern for the authenticity of transmission, so his works are considered of high value to historians of science. In addition, his collection of the works of the predecessors in chemistry, his preservation of them, and his analysis of their content preserved much of the heritage that was lost from them. He was also fond of the natural sciences and plants, and was keen to delve into their topics and read the most important books on these sciences. He did not leave a book on chemistry without reading and commenting on it. He was known for his generosity, piety, spreading knowledge, and caring for seekers of knowledge. He would open his home to students of knowledge, and would open his heart to anyone who asked him for questions or clarification on issues of chemistry or other branches of knowledge. Al-Jaldaki was distinguished by his writing in a style that was difficult to understand. Some people sometimes accuse him of being a style that is closer to
talisman for the average reader, but this does not fault him because he was writing for specialists in the field of chemistry.
Manouchehr Taslimi mentioned in his doctoral thesis from the
University of London in 1954 that Al-Jaldaki spent seventeen years on his scientific travels. He laid the basic building block for the creation of the "
Law of definite Proportions" in chemical union, and explained it in detail, which
Kepler,
Galileo, and
Newton later relied on in their studies. It is the law that
Joseph Proust, who was born five centuries after Al-Jaldaki, falsely claimed for himself. Al-Jaldaki developed a chemical method for separating
gold from
silver by
nitric acid, a method still used today. He gave a detailed description of the method of prevention and necessary precautions against the danger of inhaling gases resulting from chemical reactions, and thus he was the first to think of inventing and using
respirators in chemistry laboratories. His contributions extended to the in-depth study of
alkalis and
acids, which enabled him to make some improvements to the method of
soap making that was known at the time. He explained the currently used
distillation method, such as filter papers, distillation under a water bath, and double distillation. He was the first to say that the substance gives its own color when burned. He also researched various fields, in addition to chemistry and botany, such as mechanics, acoustics, and air and water waves. He made comments, explanations, and corrections to many chemistry books written by his predecessors, Western scientists. Al-Jaldaki was aware of the electronic structure of the atom, as he compared it to the
Solar System in his famous poetry and wrote many scientific books that were circulated in many libraries around the world, but most of them are still in manuscript form.
Omar Rida Kahhala says in his book العلوم البحتة في العصور الإسلامية
Pure Sciences in Islamic Ages:"...However, Al-Jaldaki is considered one of the greatest scholars knowledgeable about the history of chemistry and what was written about it before him. He was fond of collecting chemical works and interpreting them, and it was his habit to quote entire paragraphs from famous people who preceded him, such as Jabir bin Hayyan and Abu Bakr Al-Razi. Thus, he performed a great service for the history of chemistry in Islam, as he recorded in his relatively recent books what had disappeared and been lost from the books of his predecessors. His works were the best source for knowledge of chemistry and chemists in Islam.Al-Jaldaki was one of the scientists who believed that base metals could be transformed into precious metals, by making elixirs. Therefore, he collected the most famous Arabic works on this science that appeared in the East and West of the Islamic world, and studied and explained them. Ahmad Shawkat Al-Shatti says about him in his book مجموعة أبحاث عن تاريخ العلوم الطبيعة في الحضارة الإسلامية
A Collection of Research on the History of the Natural Sciences in Islamic Civilization:"Al-Jaldaki is one of the famous scientists in chemistry, not only among Western and Muslim scientists, but also among chemists in general."
Eric John Holmyard says about him in his book Makers of Chemistry:"Al-Jaldaki is truly considered one of the scientists who have a great role in the science of chemistry. Al-Jaldaki was very interested in reading what was written about the science of chemistry, so he took from his readings and analysis a way to build a scientific path in the science of chemistry. This is what is called the literature of Egyptian and Islamic chemistry. Al-Jaldaki carried out experiments in the field of chemistry, and although most of his work is analytical, he is one of the scientists to whom modern scientists owe a great deal."Al-Jaldaki has important opinions in chemistry, including: that chemical substances do not interact with each other except in certain proportions, and this was the basis for the law of definite proportions in chemical reactions. He also reached the possibility of separating gold from silver by nitric acid, which dissolves the silver, leaving pure gold. He was interested in studying the properties of mercury, because he believed that all stones had their origin in mercury. Eric John Holmyard mentions in his book
Chemistry to the Time of Dalton:"Al-Jaldaki concluded with complete aplomb that substances do not interact with each other except in fixed proportions and weights."Abdul Razzaq Nofal adds in his book "المسلمون والعلم الحديث
Muslims and Modern Science":"Five centuries after Al-Jaladaki's death, the scientist Joseph Proust announced the law of definite proportions in the chemical union, and its meaning is the same as Al-Jaldaki's theory." == Books ==