Alchemy

[CoolNard]

they must be pretty valuable and sell alot O_O

[SamuraiAlchemistNinja]

Probably. I'll have to do some investingating into it, and I'll report back, kay? I gotta go!!

[SamuraiAlchemistNinja]

Now that I have my research sitting next to me, I can name a few more alchemists:
Now, Thales is the one who asked the question of "What is the universe made of?" He was from Miletus, and he is considered to be the first Greek "philosopher."
Here are some others throughout the ages:
Pythagoras-Greek philosopher
Anaximander- a pupil of Thales. Believed the universe was made of an unknown substance he called "apeiron."
Anaximenes-yournger pupil of Thales.
Heraclitus-believed fire represented the universe.
Empedocles- member of Pythagoras' school; believed earth, air, fire, & water made up the universe.
Airstotle-used Empedocles' theory to say each had its own place (ie earth=ground, air=sky, etc) He also believed there was a fifth element he called "quintessence."
Bolos Democritus- 2nd century metal worker, used Egyptian theories mixed with greek theories.

And that's all for today, students, lol.

[Vesperd]

yes, interesting.. but has anyone succesfully transmuted anything? Alchemicly

[SamuraiAlchemistNinja]

Originally Posted by Vesperd

yes, interesting.. but has anyone succesfully transmuted anything? Alchemicly

The answer to your question is YES. There have been many sucessful transmutations...temporary, yes, but definetely successful. Here's an example:

Here is the formula for turning lead into gold (Yes, lead (Pb) is at the "end" and gold (Au) is at the "beginning" but...aw, forget it, it's the formula let's leave it at that for now) *Note that Hg=Mercury and Tl=Thallium
198Au + n--> 198Au(half life 2.7 days)--> 198Hg + n--> 198Hg + n--> 200Hg--> + n--> 201Hg--> + n--> 202Hg + n--> + n--> 203Hg(half life 47 days)--> 203Tl + n--> 204Tl(half life 3.8 years)-->204Pb(half life 1.4x1017 years)
If you've worked with chemistry, this may seem very easy, but the "n" factor deals with nuclear high flux reactors, or anything affecting the outcome of the transmutation. This formula yeilds gold from lead by means of a nuclear reactor, but "chemists" (as they are called today) are still searching for a different possibility for the "n" factor. And as you can see, there are only the unstable isotopes used in this formula; that's the catch old alchemists left out. Using only isotopes of the element, and not a mixture of isotopes and "pure" elements.

[Kanji_The_Wanderer]

Wow, I didn't think such a thing was possible. Turning Lead into Gold? That would be very fun to see.

Maybe I'll pick up one of these books sometimes for some informative reading.

[Rikku777]

Originally Posted by SamuraiAlchemistNinja

The answer to your question is YES. There have been many sucessful transmutations...temporary, yes, but definetely successful. Here's an example:

Here is the formula for turning lead into gold (Yes, lead (Pb) is at the "end" and gold (Au) is at the "beginning" but...aw, forget it, it's the formula let's leave it at that for now) *Note that Hg=Mercury and Tl=Thallium
198Au + n 198Au(half life 2.7 days) 198Hg + n 198Hg + n 200Hg + n 201Hg + n 202Hg + n + n 203Hg(half life 47 days) 203Tl + n 204Tl(half life 3.8 years)204Pb(half life 1.4x1017 years)
If you've worked with chemistry, this may seem very easy, but the "n" factor deals with nuclear high flux reacors, or anything affecting the outcome of the transmutation. This formula yeilds gold from lead by means of a nuclear reactor, but "chemists" (as they are called today) are still searching for a different possibility for the "n" factor.

Yeah, I learnt about Alchemy in science class. My mom thinks it is evil but since I learnt about it in school, she is fine with it now! lol Anyway, I get the equation. Thanks!!!!!

[SamuraiAlchemistNinja]

Sorry...I fixed it up a little better...check back: I fixed the yeild signs and the isotope subscripts. Pain in the frikken neck, typing up formulas...but there you go!
Ask me some questions, I'll see if I can answer them.

[Rikku777]

Ok, so I know some alchemist's were 'persecuted' or what ever you want to call it. I think they had code names for each other or their elements. Can you tell me some???

[SamuraiAlchemistNinja]

Well, mostly they were just code symbols for the elements. That's where "transmutation circles" came into play. The circles themselves had absolutely NOTHING to do with the outcome of the transmutation; they were merely a sort of coded formula, would be the best way to describe it. So, if you saw a beaker sitting on top of one of these circles, if you were an alchemist, you could identify the substance and 90% reproduce it. However, if you weren't an alchemist (or were a solitary practitioner) you would look at is as merely scratches by a madman.
There are old Latin terms for the elements, though. Did I answer your question or was I just rambling?