Article: Alchemy: secret chemistry? Could it be that the secrecy and mystery that has surrounded alchemy conceal lasting contributions to human understanding, or simply serve to shroud the esoteric and ultimately worthless activity of a group of dabbling, eccentric fools?(News Feature)

The origins of alchemy are lost in the mists of time. But many of us would believe that alchemists were, for the most part wizened, white-haired wizards diligently pouring over bubbling pots in sinister laboratories, while reciting gobbledygook formulae ... each with a vainglorious desire to concoct an elixir to prolong our earthly span, change base metal into gold and generally unlock the universe's most elusive mysteries.

A dictionary definition of alchemy largely backs up this view, with devotees of the art using a mixture of mysticism, astrology, practical chemistry and quackery to discover the 'transmutative power', symbolised in the philosopher's stone that ...

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