(The word perfection in the titles refers to the perfection of metals—the attempt by alchemists to convert base metals such as lead into gold.) Geber's work is unusual in that, unlike the authors of other works on alchemy of the time, he does not merely present the ideas of previous scholars. Instead, he apparently had considerable firsthand experience in working with chemicals and performing his own experiments. In his books, he describes basic chemical procedures such as filtration and distillation (a process in which a liquid is converted to a gas and then condensed back to a liquid). Geber gives instructions for preparing certain compounds, and his writing attempts to teach these methods to others. Compared to the writing of earlier medieval alchemists, his work is fairly clear and less cloaked in mystery. At least partly as a result, his books were widely read among the alchemists of the next two centuries.
Geber's most important contribution to science, however, was his work with acids. Acids are an important class of compounds. According to one definition, an acid is any substance that increases the concentration of hydrogen ions when it is dissolved in water.
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