Alchemy

<p ><b>Alchemy</b>&nbsp;is an influential philosophical tradition whose practitioners have, from antiquity, claimed it to be the precursor to profound powers. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied but historically have typically included one or more of the following goals: the creation of the fabled&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosopher%27s_stone" title="Philosopher's stone" >philosopher's stone</a>; the ability to transmute&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Base_metal" title="Base metal" >base metals</a>&nbsp;into the&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noble_metal" title="Noble metal" >noble metals</a>&nbsp;(gold or silver); and development of an&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elixir_of_life" title="Elixir of life" >elixir of life</a>, which would confer youth and longevity.

Though alchemy played a significant role in the development of early modern science,<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference" ><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alchemy#cite_note-1" >[1]</a></sup>&nbsp;it differs significantly from modern science in its inclusion of&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermeticism" title="Hermeticism" >Hermetic</a>&nbsp;principles and practices related to&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mythology" title="Mythology" >mythology</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_(paranormal)" title="Magic (paranormal)" >magic</a>,<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion" title="Religion" >religion</a>, and&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirituality" title="Spirituality" >spirituality</a>. It is recognized as a&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protoscience" title="Protoscience" >protoscience</a>&nbsp;that contributed to the development of modern&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemistry" title="Chemistry" >chemistry</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicine" title="Medicine" >medicine</a>. Alchemists developed a structure of basic laboratory techniques, theory, terminology, and experimental method, some of which are still in use today. However, alchemists predated modern foundations of chemistry, such as&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_skepticism" title="Scientific skepticism" >scientific skepticism</a>,&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_theory" title="Atomic theory" >atomic theory</a>, the modern understanding of a&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_element" title="Chemical element" >chemical element</a>&nbsp;and a&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_substance" title="Chemical substance" >chemical substance</a>, the&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Periodic_table" title="Periodic table" >periodic table</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conservation_of_mass" title="Conservation of mass" >conservation of mass</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoichiometry" title="Stoichiometry" >stoichiometry</a>. Instead, they believed in&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_element" title="Four element" class="mw-redirect" >four elements</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phlogiston" title="Phlogiston" class="mw-redirect" >phlogiston</a>, and cryptic symbolism and mysticism was an integral part of alchemical work.</p>

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