Monday, January 22, 2007

   history of alchemy!
In the history of science, alchemy refers to both an early form of the investigation of nature and an early philosophical and spiritual discipline, both combining elements of chemistry, metallurgy, physics, medicine, astrology, semiotics, mysticism, spiritualism, and art. Alchemy has been practiced in Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Persia, India, and China, in Classical Greece and Rome, in Muslim civilization, and then in Europe up to the 19th century—in a complex network of schools and philosophical systems spanning at least 2500 years.

Western alchemy has always been closely connected with Hermeticism, a philosophical and spiritual system that traces its roots to Hermes Trismegistus, a syncretic Egyptian-Greek deity and legendary alchemist. These two disciplines influenced the birth of Rosicrucianism, an important esoteric movement of the seventeenth century. In the course of the early modern period, mainstream alchemy evolved into modern chemistry.

Today, alchemy refers to a basic three step process: Analysis, [understanding the structure and properties of the thing that is about to be transmutated], Deconstruction/Decomposion [breaking down the substance into its rudimentery properties], and Reconstruction/Recomposion [rebuilding it in a different form, or with different properties]. The discipline is of interest mainly to historians of science and philosophy, and for its mystic, esoteric, and artistic aspects. Nevertheless, alchemy was one of the main precursors of modern sciences, and many substances and processes of ancient alchemy continue to be the mainstay of modern chemical and metallurgical industries.

Although alchemy takes on many forms, in pop culture it is most often cited in stories, films, shows, and games as the process used to change lead (or other elements) into gold.

[edit] Chinese alchemy
Whereas Western alchemy eventually centered on the transmutation of base metals into noble ones, Chinese alchemy had a more obvious connection to medicine. The philosopher's stone of European alchemists can be compared to the Grand Elixir of Immortality sought by Chinese alchemists. However, in the hermetic view, these two goals were not unconnected, and the philosopher's stone was often equated with the universal panacea; therefore, the two traditions may have had more in common than it initially appears

The philosopher's stone, in Latin lapis philosophorum, is a legendary substance that supposedly could turn inexpensive metals such as lead into gold ("chrysopoeia") and/or create an elixir that would make humans younger, thus delaying death. It was a longtime "holy grail" of Western alchemy. In the view of spiritual alchemy, making the philosopher's stone would bring enlightenment upon the maker and conclude the Great Work. It is also known by several other names, such as the 'Golden Wedding Garment', the 'Soul body', the 'Astral body' and the 'Living Stone', spoken of in some of the ancient philosophies as the 'Diamond Soul'

Transmutation is the conversion of one object into another. Transmutation of chemical elements occurs through nuclear reactions. This is called nuclear transmutation. Natural transmutation is when radioactive elements spontaneously decay over a long period of time and transform into other more stable elements. Artificial transmutation occurs in machinery that has enough energy to cause changes in nuclear structure of the elements. The machines that can cause artificial transmutation include the particle accelerator and tokamak reactor

In alchemy, it is believed that such transformations can be accomplished in table-top experiments and some researchers say they have found evidence of transmutation of elements in biological processes (see Kervran). These theories are regarded as pseudoscience by virtually all modern scientists.

Modern nuclear experiments have successfully transmuted lead into gold. The great expense of the procedure, however, far exceeds any financial gain[3]. In many ways it would be easier to convert gold into lead by nuclear means. By leaving gold in a high flux nuclear reactor for a long time then some lead could be generated.

197Au + n --> 198Au (half life 2.7 days) --> 198Hg + n --> 199Hg + n --> 200Hg --> + n --> 201Hg --> + n --> 202Hg + n --> + n --> 203Hg (half life 47 days) --> 203Tl + n --> 204Tl (half life 3.8 years) --> 204Pb (half life 1.4 x 1017 years)



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