What is the exact definition of Alchemy?

Question

I was entertained by the anime series of "Full Metal Alchemist." It motivated me to research about their sciences. It is said there that "Alchemy is the science of understanding the composition of matter, decomposing it, and reassembling it to make that matter into another form." But they perform it using transmutation circles. I researched about these transmutation circles, and I have read an article about those circles. It states that all matter have the same properties. So medieval alchemists theorized that base metals can be transmuted into pure gold. I also read about the Philosopher's Stone, Panacea, and Elixir, which they explain that these things are the paraphernalia in transmutation. "Carmot" is the key ingredient in creating the Philosopher's Stone, in which can prolong life and ignore the "Law of Conservation in Alchemy" and the "Principle of Equivalent Trade"...
I hope anyone would explain all of this to me. Because I like Chemistry and I also wanted to revive Alchemy....

Answer 1

Alchemy refers to both an early protoscientific and an early philosophical discipline, both combining elements of chemistry, metallurgy, physics, medicine, astrology, semiotics, mysticism, spiritualism, and art. Alchemy has been practiced in Ancient Egypt, Persia, India, and China, in Classical Greece and Rome, in the Islamic empire, and then in Europe up to the nineteenth century — in a complex network of schools and philosophical systems spanning at least 2500 years.

Western alchemy has always been closely connected with Hermeticism, a philosophical and spiritual system that traces its roots to Hermes Trismegistus, a syncretic Egyptian-Greek deity and legendary alchemist. These two disciplines influenced the birth of Rosicrucianism, an important esoteric movement of the seventeenth century. In the course of the early modern period, as mainstream alchemy evolved into modern chemistry, its mystic and Hermetic aspects became the focus of a modern spiritual alchemy, where material manipulations are viewed as mere symbols of spiritual transformations.

Answer 2

Alchemy Definition

Answer 3

I love fullmetal alchemist and i got interested in alchemy, too!

i'm not sure if alchemy has been proven but I'm guessing it's long gone...if you can create a transmutation circle or just clap your hands and tansform lead to gold, then I'll be greatly amazed...

al - che - my = 1. an early form of chemistry 2. a means of transmutation; the miraculous change of an object to something new or better.

but don't everything you see on T.V...but I still love the Anime!

Answer 4

Alchemy was a con game played in the middle ages where con artists told rich dupes they could turn lead into gold. They couldn't really. Over the years Alchemy got "spirtualized" into an occult "science".

http://usminc.org/rosicrucian.html

Answer 5

alchemy isn't chemistry although in a way you can say that the mixtures that are used are similar to the basics of chemistry. Alchemy was invented for one purpose. To convert basic material into gold. Only I have succeeded in reformulating a rock into gold. Another one of my major achievements was to change gold into s$$t. My wife taught me to do that.

Answer 6

All matter is formed out of base elements, which then are bound together my intermolecular forces, defined in FMA as current. alchemy is the science of trying to reformate those base elements into different forms using extrior forces such as heat, energy, electrical current, and addition of other chemicals. graphite in pencils and diamonds are formed of the same base element- alchemists would have told you that if done correctly, cabon in graphite form can be changed into carbon in diamond form. this goes for things that are formed out of many elements such as plastics, metal, alloys... so the 'create gold' was, by their own principle, impossible for gold itself is a base element; they, however, did not consider gold as a base element and thought it was formed of other base elements and thus their pursut of the "correct combination' of base eleents to create gold.

Answer 7

its a seemingly magical powers or process of transmuting