Can a Study of Attempts by Alchemists to Turn Base Metal Into Gold Help You Achieve Goals?
Alchemy has been described as a unique mixture of science, religion and philosophy combined with elements of mysticism. The ancient Alchemists were serious medieval scientists with an extensive knowledge of chemistry. Not only were they familiar with every chemical process available at the time, they made every effort to improve their expertise in this field. They continued to experiment with a great variety of new chemical processes. As a result they were the first chemists in the Middle Ages to produce hydrochloric and nitric acid, potash, and sodium carbonate. They were also responsible for identifying the elements antimony, arsenic and bismuth. What distinguished the ancient alchemists from other scientists at the time, was their with their burning – almost obsessive – desire to discover secret transmuting agents and chemical processes that would enable them to transform inferior base metals such as lead and iron into gold. In striving to achieve this objective they were motivated
