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Encyclopedia Iranica article on Alchemy - Paul Ferguson - 11-17-2025
By Pierre Lory.
"As a medieval science, alchemy must be carefully distinguished from modern chemistry. Externally, the purpose of alchemy was the conversion of base metals like lead into silver or gold by means of long and complicated operations leading to the production of a mysterious substance, the “philosopher’s stone,” able to operate the transmutation. The idea is that all metals belong to the same species and evolve slowly in the earth from the state of lead to pure gold, and that the “philosopher’s stone” can artificially foster this evolution."
https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/kimia/