How was robert boyle’s understanding of matter different from the alchemists’ ideas? boyle believed matter is composed on tiny particles while the alchemists thought matter could be transformed into another substance. the alchemists studied the different effects of temperature and pressure on matter while boyle focused on ways to make gold. the alchemists understood the difference between matter and a chemical compound while boyle did not recognize this difference. boyle believed matter could be transformed into another substance while the alchemists viewed this as not possible.