AlchemyThe science by which the chemical philosophers of medieval times attempted to transmute the vilest metals into gold or silver. There are considerable differences of opinion as to the etymology of the word, but it appears to derive from the Arabic al = the and kimya = chemistry, which in turn derives from the late Greek chemica = chemistry, from chumeia = a mixture. , or cheein, “pour” or “mix”, Aryan root ghu, to pour, hence the word “spout”. Mr. A. Wallis Budge, in his "Egyptian Magic," states, however, that it is possible that it derives from the Egyptian word khemeia, that is, "the preparation of black ore," or "powder," which was considered as the active principle in the transmutation of metals. To this name, the Arabs appended the article “al”, thus giving al-khemeia, or alchemy. with their transmutation, employing quicksilver in the process of separating gold and silver from the native matrix. The resulting oxide was believed to possess marvelous powers, and it was believed that the individualities of the various metals resided in it and that their various substances were incorporated therein. This black powder was mystically identified with the subterranean form of the god Osiris and was therefore credited with magical properties. This is how the belief that magical powers existed in flows and alloys developed in Egypt. It is likely that such a belief existed throughout Europe in relation to the bronze-working castes of its various races. But it was probably in Byzantium, in the 4th century, that alchemical science received an embryonic form. There is no doubt that Egyptian tradition, filtered through Alexandrian Hellenic sources, was the foundation on which the nascent science was built, and this is confirmed by the fact that this art was attributed to Hermes Trismegistus and believed to be contained in its entirety in his work. works.The Arabs, after their conquest of Egypt in the seventh century, continued the research of the Alexandrian school and, thanks to their help, the art was introduced to Morocco and thus in the eighth century to Spain, where it prospered extremely . Indeed, Spain from the 9th to the 11th century became the repository of alchemical science, and the colleges of Seville, Cordoba and Granada were the centers from which this science spread throughout Europe...