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However, out of all this secrecy came several contributions to modern-day chemistry. Early acids and bases were discovered. Glassware for running chemical reactions was developed. Alchemy helped improve the study of metallurgy and the extraction of metals from ores. More systematic approaches to research were being developed, although the idea of orderly scientific experimentation had not become well-established yet. But the groundwork was laid to the development of chemistry as a foundational science.