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banana500 · 2013-03-26 18:55:40

This topic is sort of about alchemy in general.
Discuss media involving alchemy, alchemical texts, alchemical anything.

(if you don't know what alchemy is: it's a pseudoscience with the goal of transmuting, or converting, base metals into pure gold. Other goals for alchemy are turning the key to the secret of eternal life, through the elixir of life)

It's a really interesting subject, even though it isn't real.

owetre18 · 2013-03-26 18:59:05

That last statement. You better remove it right now.

There is a way!

banana500 · 2013-03-26 19:00:31

Well it could be.

777w · 2013-03-26 19:05:58

the goals of alchemy are pretty much impossible but alchemy was the basis for chemistry so thats cool

Hyperbola · 2013-03-26 19:21:12

777w wrote:
the goals of alchemy are pretty much impossible but alchemy was the basis for chemistry so thats cool

This. Even though it isn't real, without it we wouldn't have many things today.

You know how they tried to change cheap metals like tin (or whatever it was) into gold? It's possible now, with nuclear reactions big_smile The only problem is it costs millions of dollars (or was it billions?) to transmute a very small amount tongue

PonyoPenguin · 2013-03-27 19:35:56

Fullmetal Alchemist is all I know about alchemy.

soupoftomato · 2013-03-27 19:55:26

Hyperbola wrote:
777w wrote:
the goals of alchemy are pretty much impossible but alchemy was the basis for chemistry so thats cool
You know how they tried to change cheap metals like tin (or whatever it was) into gold? It's possible now, with nuclear reactions The only problem is it costs millions of dollars (or was it billions?) to transmute a very small amount

Is it still alchemy if it actually makes some sense, though?

banana500 · 2013-03-27 19:58:41

soupoftomato wrote:
Hyperbola wrote:
777w wrote:
the goals of alchemy are pretty much impossible but alchemy was the basis for chemistry so thats cool
You know how they tried to change cheap metals like tin (or whatever it was) into gold? It's possible now, with nuclear reactions :D The only problem is it costs millions of dollars (or was it billions?) to transmute a very small amount :P
Is it still alchemy if it actually makes some sense, though?

Alchemy is sort of a magical science, according to some sources and literature.

soupoftomato · 2013-03-27 20:16:36

banana500 wrote:
soupoftomato wrote:
Hyperbola wrote:
You know how they tried to change cheap metals like tin (or whatever it was) into gold? It's possible now, with nuclear reactions The only problem is it costs millions of dollars (or was it billions?) to transmute a very small amount
Is it still alchemy if it actually makes some sense, though?
Alchemy is sort of a magical science, according to some sources and literature.

Magical makes no sense (and as far as creating gold, no cents)!

banana500 · 2013-03-27 20:34:04

soupoftomato wrote:
banana500 wrote:
soupoftomato wrote:

Is it still alchemy if it actually makes some sense, though?
Alchemy is sort of a magical science, according to some sources and literature.
Magical makes no sense (and as far as creating gold, no cents)!

Bahaha you're hilarious.

poopo · 2013-03-27 20:40:49

If we all chip in we may be able to buy an electron and proton bombarder. Then we get an H+ ion and an H- antimatter ion and we shoot them at an atom of platinum and we will get a gold atom! big_smile To bad platinum is more valuable than gold. D:

16Skittles · 2013-03-27 21:39:37

Theoretically it is possible to create gold out of a non gold element. However, the amount of time and expense required to build even a single ingot or nugget atom-by-atom would certainly not be cost effective. You'd be better off to just sell the energy you used creating it back into the grid. Although if you could find a way to make precious metals like Gold a byproduct of nuclear fusion power generation...

maxskywalker · 2013-03-27 22:09:54

Isn't the definition of 'alchemy' 'the study of turning things into other things'? So it makes complete sense, and is just a word from before people knew about modern chemistry? From my viewpoint, the gold thing is like 'the ultimate goal of archeology is to find the holy grail'; it would be nice, but it's not what it's about.

soupoftomato · 2013-03-27 22:13:57

maxskywalker wrote:
Isn't the definition of 'alchemy' 'the study of turning things into other things'? So it makes complete sense, and is just a word from before people knew about modern chemistry? From my viewpoint, the gold thing is like 'the ultimate goal of archeology is to find the holy grail'; it would be nice, but it's not what it's about.

Dude we let that thing fall into a chasm

Where have you been?

banana500 · 2013-03-27 22:28:16

maxskywalker wrote:
Isn't the definition of 'alchemy' 'the study of turning things into other things'? So it makes complete sense, and is just a word from before people knew about modern chemistry? From my viewpoint, the gold thing is like 'the ultimate goal of archeology is to find the holy grail'; it would be nice, but it's not what it's about.

Well actually the purpose of alchemy is to create the philosopher's stone, which has the power to transmute metals to gold.

Also, the Minecraft mod Equivalent Exchange is a pretty neat example of something that shows that alchemy can't just be restricted to the creation of gold, but the transmutation of something into something else.

soupoftomato · 2013-03-27 22:33:04

banana500 wrote:
maxskywalker wrote:
Isn't the definition of 'alchemy' 'the study of turning things into other things'? So it makes complete sense, and is just a word from before people knew about modern chemistry? From my viewpoint, the gold thing is like 'the ultimate goal of archeology is to find the holy grail'; it would be nice, but it's not what it's about.
Well actually the purpose of alchemy is to create the philosopher's stone, which has the power to transmute metals to gold.

The philosopher's stone grants never-ending life, we've been over this!

First you don't know what happened to the holy grail now you don't know what the philosopher's stone is?

Gosh, watch a movie sometime or something

Hyperbola · 2013-03-28 18:06:35

banana500 wrote:
maxskywalker wrote:
Isn't the definition of 'alchemy' 'the study of turning things into other things'? So it makes complete sense, and is just a word from before people knew about modern chemistry? From my viewpoint, the gold thing is like 'the ultimate goal of archeology is to find the holy grail'; it would be nice, but it's not what it's about.
Well actually the purpose of alchemy is to create the philosopher's stone, which has the power to transmute metals to gold.

Also, the Minecraft mod Equivalent Exchange is a pretty neat example of something that shows that alchemy can't just be restricted to the creation of gold, but the transmutation of something into something else.

"Equivalent Exchange"

That sounds awesome, need to read about it.

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archived forums

#1 2013-03-26 18:55:40

Alchemy

#2 2013-03-26 18:59:05

Re: Alchemy

#3 2013-03-26 19:00:31

Re: Alchemy

#4 2013-03-26 19:05:58

Re: Alchemy

#5 2013-03-26 19:21:12

Re: Alchemy

777w wrote:

#6 2013-03-27 19:35:56

Re: Alchemy

#7 2013-03-27 19:55:26

Re: Alchemy

Hyperbola wrote:

777w wrote:

#8 2013-03-27 19:58:41

Re: Alchemy

soupoftomato wrote:

Hyperbola wrote:

777w wrote:

#9 2013-03-27 20:16:36

Re: Alchemy

banana500 wrote:

soupoftomato wrote:

Hyperbola wrote:

#10 2013-03-27 20:34:04

Re: Alchemy

soupoftomato wrote:

banana500 wrote:

soupoftomato wrote:

#11 2013-03-27 20:40:49

Re: Alchemy

#12 2013-03-27 21:39:37

Re: Alchemy

#13 2013-03-27 22:09:54

Re: Alchemy

#14 2013-03-27 22:13:57

Re: Alchemy

maxskywalker wrote:

#15 2013-03-27 22:28:16

Re: Alchemy

maxskywalker wrote:

#16 2013-03-27 22:33:04

Re: Alchemy

banana500 wrote:

maxskywalker wrote:

#17 2013-03-28 18:06:35

Re: Alchemy

banana500 wrote:

maxskywalker wrote:

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