Ten metals are used in alchemy since its ancient emergence. They are antimony, bismuth, copper, gold, iron, lead, quicksilver (mercury), silver, tin and zinc. Some don't get modern names until the Middle Ages, but all appear in alchemical recipes of the early centuries AD.
Antimony / Stibnium (Sb)
Antimony is classified as a metalloid. When in its metallic state, it appears silvery, hard, and brittle. Applications. Antimony finds its application in the electronics sector for the production of certain semiconductor components like infrared detectors and diodes.
Additionally, it is combined with lead or other metals to enhance their durability and resilience. Antimony compounds are known since ancient times. Powdered for use as medicine and cosmetics, like galena they're often known by the Arabic name kohl.
In alchemy, Eirenaeus Philalethes describes stibnite in his alchemical commentary An Exposition upon Sir George Ripley's Epistle in the 17th century. He considers stibnite a precursor to philosophical mercury, itself a hypothetical precursor to the philosopher's stone.
Bismuth / German: Wismuth (Bi)
Bismuth, the most metallic and least abundant element in the nitrogen group, is characterized as hard, brittle, lustrous, having a coarse crystalline structure. Its distinctive gray-white color with a reddish tinge sets it apart from all other metals.
Bismuth, a brittle metal, is 86% as dense as lead with a silvery-white color. Surface oxidation gives it a rosy cast, while further oxidation under heat results in an iridescent appearance due to thin-film interference. Bismuth is the most diamagnetic and also non-reactive element.
Bismuth is used by ancients including Egyptians, Greeks, Asians and Romans. Incas also use bismuth, melting it with copper and tin to create a bronze alloy for knives. Claude Geoffrey Junine is credited with its "discovery" in 1753, demonstrating its distinction from lead and tin.
Copper / Cuprum – associated with Venus (Cu) - a metal of the Tetrasomia of Maria
Copper (Cu) is a soft, malleable metal with high conductivity. Occurring naturally it's been used by humans since c. 8000 BCE. It's the first metal smelted from sulfide ores around 5000 BCE and the first metal cast into a shape in a mold around 4000 BCE.
Copper is the first metal alloyed with tin to create bronze around 3500 BC. Common copper compounds include copper(II) salts, which give blue or green colors to minerals like azurite, malachite, and turquoise, once used as pigments.
Gold / Aurum – associated with the Sun (Au)
Gold is a chemical element; it has symbol Au (from Latin aurum). In its pure form, it is a bright, orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Gold is one of the noble metals. It's among the least reactive chemical elements, second-lowest in the reactivity series.
Gold is resistant to most acids, but dissolves in aqua regia, a mix of nitric and hydrochloric acid). Gold is insoluble in nitric acid alone, which dissolves silver and base metals. This property is long used to refine gold or confirm gold in metallic substances using the acid test.
In alchemy, gold represents the goal of a quest. Early alchemy explores the coloration and dying of metals. The transmutation of metals is considered possible in medieval Islam for a couple of centuries, but trying to "turn base metals into gold" is primarily a Western ideal.
Iron / Ferrum – associated with Mars (Fe) - a metal of the Tetrasomia of Maria
Iron is a chemical element classified as a metal. It is the most abundant element on Earth by mass, constituting a significant portion of both the outer and inner core. In the Earth's crust, it ranks as the fourth most common element, primarily deposited in metallic form by meteorites.
To extract usable metal from iron ores, kilns or furnaces capable of reaching temperatures as high as 1,500 °C (2,730 °F) are required. This is approximately 500 °C (932 °F) hotter than temperatures needed to smelt copper. Mastery of this process begins in Eurasia c. 1800 BCE.
Lead / Plumbum – associated with Saturn (Pb) - a metal of the Tetrasomia of Maria
Lead (Pb) is a dense, malleable heavy metal with a low melting point. It has a shiny gray appearance when cut, turning dull gray when exposed to air. Lead is the element with the highest atomic number among stable elements and has three isotopes.
It's fairly unreactive. Before glass, quicksilver is shipped in lead containers as it's one of the few metals Hg won't devour. Extraction of lead goes back to prehistoric times in the Near East, with widespread use in ancient Rome due to the presence of lead in galena (PbS).
Quicksilver / Hydrargyrum (Hg) – associated with planet Mercury
Mercury or quicksilver is a chemical element with symbol Hg. It's once named hydrargyrum from Greek hydor 'water' and argyros 'silver', whence its chemical symbol comes. A heavy, silvery element, mercury is the only metal known to be liquid at standard temperature and pressure.
Mercury deposits are mostly cinnabar. The red pigment vermilion is extracted by grinding natural cinnabar or synthetic mercuric sulfide. Exposure to mercury and mercury-containing organic compounds is toxic to the nervous system, immune system and kidneys of humans and other animals. Nonetheless it assumes an important place in alchemy.
Silver / Argentum (Ag) – associated with the Moon
Silver, a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from Latin argentum 'silver', derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂erǵ 'shiny, white'), is a soft, white, lustrous transition metal known for its exceptional electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity among all metals.
It occurs in the Earth's crust in various forms, including pure elemental form ("native silver"), in alloys with gold and other metals, and in minerals like argentite and chlorargyrite. The majority of silver production is a byproduct of refining copper, gold, lead, and zinc.
Through history, silver has been highly prized as a metal of commerce. It is commonly used in bullion coins, sometimes in conjunction with gold. Despite being more abundant than gold, silver is less common in its native metal state.
Tin / Stannum – associated with Jupiter (Sn)
Tin is a chemical element; it has symbol Sn (Latin stannum). A silvery-colored metal, tin is soft enough to be cut and a bar of tin bent by hand with little effort. When bent, the so-called "tin cry" can be heard, as a result of twinning in tin crystals.
Tin is obtained chiefly from the mineral cassiterite, which contains stannic oxide, SnO. Tin is the 49th most abundant element on Earth, making up 0.00022% of its crust, and with 10 stable isotopes, it has the largest number of stable isotopes in the periodic table, due to its magic number of protons. Magic numbers are 2, 8, 20, 28, 50, 82, and 126.
Zinc / (Zn) a metal of the Tetrasomia of Maria - it first receives its name in the 16th century
Zinc (Zn) is a slightly brittle chemical element with a shiny-greyish appearance when not oxidized. It shares chemical similarities with magnesium, both having an oxidation state of +2. Ranking 24th in Earth's crust, zinc has five stable isotopes.
Its primary ore, sphalerite or zinc blende, is found in Australia, Asia and the USA. The refining process involves froth flotation, roasting, and electrowinning. Zinc is essential for humans, animals, plants and microorganisms, as the second most abundant trace metal in the human body after iron.
Zinc deficiency can cause low testosterone levels in men which is why oysters, a good source of zinc, are accorded aphrodisiac qualities. Zinc is also found in red meat, fish, avocado, nuts, whole grains and dairy products.
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