Outline of alchemy

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to alchemy:

Alchemy – A philosophical tradition recognized as protoscience, that includes the application of Hermetic principles, and practices related to mythology, religion, and spirituality.

Branches

Alchemy and chemistry in medieval Islam
Chinese Alchemy
- Neidan
- Processing (Chinese materia medica)
Iatrochemistry
- Spagyric
New Age
Psychoanalysis
- Analytical psychology
  - Individuation
- Metacognition
Rasayana

Influences

Influences upon alchemy – alchemy developed dependent on a number of influences and experienced regional and period-specific variations:

Related fields

Concepts

Mandala from the Musaeum Hermeticum incorporating the septenary, four elements, tria prima, and hieros gamos

Alchemical elements – Primarily the four Classical elements of:
- Fire (classical element)
- Water (classical element)
- Earth (classical element)
- Air (classical element)
- For variations see: Wu Xing • Mahābhūta • Five elements (Japanese philosophy)
Alchemy in art and entertainment
Alkahest
Anima mundi
Chrysopoeia
Filius philosophorum
Takwin
- Homunculus
Philosopher's stone
Prima materia
- Yliaster
Septenary of the seven metals and Classical planets in Western alchemy
- Lead • tin • copper • iron • mercury • silver • gold
- Saturn • Jupiter • Venus • Mars • Mercury • Moon • Sun
Tria Prima (three primes)
- Salt • mercury • sulfur
- Body • soul • spirit
Unity of opposites or coincidentia oppositorum
- Hieros Gamos
- Rebis

Processes

Magnum opus – great work of alchemy consisting of:

Nigredo
Albedo
Citrinitas (sometimes excluded)
Rubedo

Alchemists also engaged in practical and symbolic processes including:

Symbolism

Mandala illustrating key alchemical concepts, symbols, and processes. From Spiegel der Kunst und Natur.

Alchemical symbol –

1. Glyphs

2. Imagery

3. Visual Symbolism

Scientific connections

Alchemical apparatus. (Carlo Lancillotti, 1681.)

Substances of the alchemists

phosphorus • sulfur (sulphur) • arsenic • antimony
vitriol • quartz • cinnabar • pyrites • orpiment • galena
magnesia • lime • potash • natron • saltpetre • kohl
ammonia • ammonium chloride • alcohol • camphor
sulfuric acid (sulphuric acid) • hydrochloric acid • nitric acid • acetic acid • formic acid • citric acid • tartaric acid
aqua regia • gunpowder
blue vitriol • green vitriol • vinegar • salt

more...

Apparatus

Stills

Vessels

Heating devices

Alchemy organizations

Alchemical texts

Alchemists

Hermes Trismegistus – traditionally credited as the author of the Hermetica and legendary founder of Western alchemy. (Maier, 1617)

The most influential names in the history of alchemy include:

Hermes Trismegistus – by tradition, the founder of Western alchemy; many alchemical works were attributed to him.
Wei Boyang – authored the earliest known book on theoretical alchemy in China.
Pseudo-Democritus – anonymous author of the oldest extant works of Greco-Egyptian alchemy.
Zosimos of Panopolis – influential Greco-Egyptian alchemist.
Khālid ibn Yazīd – credited with introducing alchemy to the Islamic world.
Pseudo-Apollonius of Tyana – earliest known source of the sulfur-mercury theory of metals and the Emerald Tablet.
Jābir ibn Hayyān – notable for the theory of the balance (ʿilm al-mīzān), the theory of artificial generation (ʿilm al-takwīn), and a general emphasis on experimental science.
- Pseudo-Geber – later Latin alchemist who wrote the influential Summa perfectionis.
Roger Bacon – staunch proponent of the use of alchemy.
Paracelsus – developer of iatrochemistry.
Robert Boyle – alchemist critical of Paracelsus, credited as the father of modern chemistry.
Mary Anne Atwood – key figure in the occult revival of alchemy.
Carl Jung – merged alchemy and psychoanalytic thought.