Can some one explain the history of what alchemist did and were?

Question

i know they tired to change lead to gold (impossible) and were always looking for the philosaphers stone. can u explain what the stone did. were they really looking for it. or is it just a story. what other stuff did they do and what history is on it. i cant find a whole lot on the internet because all that comes up is full metal alchemist c**p which is a cartoon

Answer 1

They were the original chemists. They named and found uses for plants, fungus and animal parts. Most solutions from Alchemists were quite successful but when the Church came to power, it claimed alchemy was witchcraft and it resulted in most forms of alchemy to be destroyed along with the uses and recipes for potions.

Answer 2

I typed on the Yahoo engine "historical alchemy" and the results seem more to what you are refering.



As to transmutation, it is not in the realm of what is currently possible, but nuclear physists can create heavy atoms that do not appear on the known reference chart.    Today's science fiction is oft tommorrows discovery.

Ancient Sumer and Akkad had star charts that were scoffed at until we "discovered" telescopes strong enought to scout the far heavens.

In a more metaphysical sense the Philosopher's stone sometimes was an element to prolong the short lives of seekers.    What use is a hoard of Gold with only a few years to spend it?

Alchemy kept scientific curiosity alive for the eventual codification and acceptance of certain theories to build a generally agreed upon art called Science.  Hope that helps.

Answer 3

a simple quick source

Answer 4

Well what I know is that People used to beleive that alchemist's could transform anything into something else.

They also beleived that they could bring back the dead by sacrificing an equal amount of life.

The best-known goals of the alchemists were the transmutation of common metals into gold (called chrysopoeia) or silver (less well known is plant alchemy, or "spagyric"); the creation of a "panacea ," or the elixir of life, a remedy that supposedly would cure all diseases and prolong life indefinitely; and the discovery of a universal solvent.[2] Although these were not the only uses for the science, they were the ones most documented and well known. Starting with the Middle Ages, European alchemists invested much effort on the search for the "philosopher's stone", a legendary substance that was believed to be an essential ingredient for either or both of those goals. The philosopher's stone was believed to mystically amplify the user's knowledge of alchemy so much that anything was attainable. Alchemists enjoyed prestige and support through the centuries, though not for their pursuit of those goals, nor the mystic and philosophical speculation that dominates their literature. Rather it came from their mundane contributions to the "chemical" industries of the day—ore testing and refining, metalworking, production of gunpowder, ink, dyes, paints, cosmetics, leather tanning, ceramics, glass manufacture, preparation of extracts, liquors, and so on (it seems that the preparation of aqua vitae, the "water of life", was a fairly popular "experiment" among European alchemists).

Answer 5

Alchemists were the Medieval chemists... that is all I know on the subject.