Alchemy, possibly derived from the Arabic word al-kimia (الخيمياء), is both a philosophy and an ancient practice focused on the attempt to change base metals into gold, investigating the preparation of the "elixir of longevity", and achieving ultimate wisdom, involving the improvement of the alchemist as well as the making of several substances described as possessing unusual properties.[1] The practical aspect of alchemy generated the basics of modern inorganic chemistry, namely concerning procedures, equipment and the identification and use of many current substances.
Alchemy has been practiced in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), India, Persia (modern Iran), China, Japan, Korea, the classical Greco-Roman world, the medieval Islamic world, and then medieval Europe up to the 20th century, in a complex network of schools and philosophical systems spanning at least 2,500 years. The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Alchemy:
References
- ^ alchemy: Definition from Answers.com. Retrieved 2010-01-22.
External links
- Etymology of "alchemy"
- Hidden Symbolism of Alchemy and the Occult Arts by Herbert Silberer
- The Alchemy website - Alchemy from a metaphysical perspective.
- The al-kemi.org website - Alchemy from a spiritual/philosophical perspective.
- Society for the History of Alchemy and Chemistry
- Alchemy images
- Dictionary of the History of Ideas: Alchemy
- Antiquity, Vol. 77 (2003) - "A 16th century lab in a 21st century lab".
- The Story of Alchemy and the Beginnings of Chemistry, Muir, M. M. Pattison (1913)
- "Transforming the Alchemists", New York Times, August 1, 2006. Historical revisionism and alchemy.
- Electronic library with hundreds of alchemical books (15th- and 20th century) and 160 original manuscripts.
- The Chymistry of Isaac Newton - A scholarly site devoted to the alchemical, or chymical, writings of Isaac Newton.
- Rex Research - Numerous online alchemical texts.