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  1. en.wikipedia.org › wiki › AlchemyAlchemy - Wikipedia

    Alchemy (from Arabic: al-kīmiyā; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, khumeía) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practised in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe.

    • Outline

      The following outline is provided as an overview of and...

  2. Esta é uma página de desambiguação que lista os artigos que podem ser associados a um ou vários títulos. Se uma ligação interna o conduziu até aqui, sugerimos que a corrija para apontá-la diretamente ao artigo adequado. Alchemy pode referir-se a: Alchemy: Dire Straits Live. Alchemy (Adobe) Alchemy (álbum), álbum de Yngwie Malmsteen. Veja também.

    • Overview
    • Nature and significance

    Alchemy was a form of speculative thought that, among other aims, tried to transform base metals such as lead or copper into silver or gold. It also sought to discover cures for diseases and a way of extending life.

    What are the metals of alchemy?

    Gold, silver, copper, lead, iron, and tin are the metals of alchemy. Mercury and sulfur were also crucial to alchemy.

    Which is the oldest known Chinese text on alchemy?

    The oldest known Chinese alchemical treatise is the Chou-i ts’an t’ung ch’i (“Commentary on the I Ching”). It is mainly an apocryphal interpretation of the I Ching, an ancient classic, relating alchemy to the mystical mathematics of the 64 hexagrams (six-line figures used for divination).

    alchemy, a form of speculative thought that, among other aims, tried to transform base metals such as lead or copper into silver or gold and to discover a cure for disease and a way of extending life.

    That both astrology and alchemy may be regarded as fundamental aspects of thought is indicated by their apparent universality. It is notable, however, that the evidence is not equally substantial in all times and places. Evidence from ancient Middle America (Aztecs, Mayans) is still almost nonexistent; evidence from India is tenuous and from ancient China, Greece, and Islamic lands is only relatively more plentiful. A single manuscript of some 80,000 words is the principal source for the history of Greek alchemy. Chinese alchemy is largely recorded in about 100 “books” that are part of the Taoist canon. Neither Indian nor Islamic alchemy has ever been collected, and scholars are thus dependent for their knowledge of the subject on occasional allusions in works of natural philosophy and medicine, plus a few specifically alchemical works.

    Nor is it really clear what alchemy was (or is). The word is a European one, derived from Arabic, but the origin of the root word, chem, is uncertain. Words similar to it have been found in most ancient languages, with different meanings, but conceivably somehow related to alchemy. In fact, the Greeks, Chinese, and Indians usually referred to what Westerners call alchemy as “The Art,” or by terms denoting change or transmutation.

  3. Alchemy is the pseudoscience of trying to change base metals into gold. It was practiced in much of the ancient world, from China and India to Greece, and later in Europe. Learn about its origins, methods, and role in history from Britannica's article.