[The Royal Chemistry Laboratory (1694-1700)].

One of the most interesting events of the trasformation of science in Spain toward the end of the XVII century was the foundation of the Royal Chemistry Laboratory. This institution, brillantly promoted by the physician Dionisio de Cardona, was condemned to failure from the very beginning, due to the opposition of the Protomedicato and the royal apothecaries in the service of King Charles II. The period studied here, between 1693 and 1700, comprises two different phases: an initial stage (1693-1697) characterized by the struggle between novatores and traditionalists, which ended in triumph for the latter; and a second stage (1697-1700) completely separate from the initial measures, in which the influence of alchemy was marked. This stage can be considered compatible with the series of spells and superstitions that characterized the court of Charles II.