In the scientifi c community alchemy has not traditionally enjoyed much respect; in fact since the Middle Ages it has been associated with charlatans, swindlers and adventurers attempting to trick trusting people in order to gain money and property by easy means. Unfortunately, such lack of trust has prevented and even today often prevents serious historical research into this type of knowledge or phenomenon, which is an integral part not only of European culture. Only gradually in the second half of the twentieth century did works start to appear pointing to the historical importance of alchemy, and the study of alchemy (e.g. historical, sociological and philosophical, etc.) started to establish itself in academia.