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What is Alchemy?

Alchemy is a mysterious combination of science, art, religion and philosophy. It can be considered both the precursor and an impediment to modern day metallurgy and chemistry. The principal goal of this esoteric practice was to transmute base metals into gold with the Philosopher’s Stone, with could be created with a secret process called the //opus magnum// (the Great Work); however, in a more general sense, alchemists sought to discover the truths and origins of the natural world by observing properties of materials (particularly metal solids) and how they change.

// History & Background // o The earliest alchemistic texts appeared in ancient cultures in the East and were later translated into Greek and Latin o Alchemy thrived in medieval Europe— it was considered to be an art that combined practical science with mystical and spiritual components o The European discovery of mineral acids (sulphuric, nitric and hydrochloric) in the 13th century inspired alchemists because they were very strong solvents - A mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acid called //aqua regia// could dissolve even gold // Processes // o Ancient techniques such as mining, smelting and smithery were used in alchemy o The goal of alchemists was to convert a metal into a purer form Processes associated with alchemy include: o // Transmutation: // The general process of altering base metals into more valuable metals o // Coagulation/ // // Flocculation: // Purification of a liquid, such as by curdling - In a modern sense, this process describes the phenomenon where colloid particles fall out of suspension to form clumps o // Amalgamation: // Combination of two materials into one (an amalgam) - In mining, this process is used to obtain desirable metals from ores by combining it with mercury o // Corrosion: // The wearing away of a metal by an acid or alkali - This is now known to involve oxidation (loss of electrons), which is anelectrochemical process o In the //Rosarium philosophorum// (c.1505) Arnau de Vilanova wrote, “To dissolve is to make the gross subtle; to purify is to  make the dark bright…” - Alchemists are famous for having conducted many qualitative experiments - They were more interested in observable properties, as opposed to theory // Ideas, Materials and Tools // o The alchemical theory of elements is based on the ideas of Aristotle - Elements were classified into four groups (earth, air, fire and water) and had unique properties, such as dry and moist o Metals were seen as particularly close to the ‘human realm’; there were seven known metals: silver, mercury, copper, gold, iron, tin and lead - These metals, with the exception of mercury, had many similar properties - This led alchemists to believe that all metals were composed of the same substances in different proportions o Laboratory equipment included tongs, bellows, earthenware crucibles, glass vessels, jars to preserve substances, a mortar and pestle - They were equipped to perform many chemical processes including distillation and extraction // Legacy // - One trick was to create an alloy of silver and gold and dip it in nitric acid so that the silver on the surface dissolved; thus the coin would appear to turn into gold
 * Alchemists are famous for having conducted numerous empirical experiments
 * In the 14th and 15th centuries, ‘alchemic swindlers’ pretended to create gold to profit from the high demand for this valuable material
 * The clear separation between alchemy and chemistry did not occur until the 18th century
 * Many scientists, including Isaac Newton, Robert Boyle and Tyco Brahe, delved into alchemy

Aromatico, A. (2000). //Alchemy: The great secret (Abrams Discoveries)//. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc..
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Cobb, C., & Goldwhite, H. (2002). //Creations of fire: Chemistry's lively history from alchemy to// // the atomic age //. New York: Perseus Books Group.

Corrosion. (2010). In //Encyclopædia Britannica//. Retrieved November 04, 2010, from 

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