Alchemy processes such as calcination, fermentation and distillation appear frequently in history and modern life. Neolithic humans use the fermentation process to make honey mead c. 8000 BCE. From Egypt comes the alchemy of embalming and mummification.
Alchemy processes today are common in health and medicine, cooking, nature, chemical experiments and various sciences. Symbolically some of these processes are used in analytic psychology, for example the alchemy colors nigredo, albedo, citrinitas and rubedo.
Below are only some of the ways ancient alchemists concoct experiments. The mortar and pestle is a common tool used to crush, grind, mash, powder, combine or separate plants or other matter such as bone and ocher. A press is used to extract juice or oil from a substance.
A
Albedo or leucosis is the second of the four major stages of the Magnum Opus. Meaning "whiteness" it follows the chaos or massa confusa of the nigredo stage to wash away impurities. This brings light and clarity to the prima materia (First Matter).
B
Bain Marie is an apparatus used in the process of heating liquids and other substances. Invented by Mary the Jewess (Maria Prophetissa) who is called the "first true alchemist" by Zosimos, it functions basically as a double boiler.
Boiling or slow boiling is a method of separating components in the process of breaking down elements to their most basic forms. Boiling can also separate oils from solid animal matter.
C
Calcination is thermal treatment of a solid chemical compound. The compound is heated to a high degree without melting, under restricted supply of ambient oxygen. It's used to remove impurities or volatile substances, or incur thermal decomposition.
Ceration is continual addition of a liquid to a hard, dry substance while heating the substance. This softens it, as molten wax (Latin: cera). Alchemist Pseudo-Geber explains it as "the mollification of a hard thing, not fusible unto liquefaction".
Cibation is the operation of feeding the contents of the crucible with fresh material. The crucible is a cup-shaped vessel used to contain chemical compounds when heating them to very high temperatures; or to melt or smelt ores.
Citrinitas in alchemy means "yellowness." It's one of the four major stages of the magnum opus. In alchemical philosophy, citrinitas symbolizes dawning of the "solar light" inherent in one's being; the reflective "lunar or soul light" is no longer needed.
Cohobation is the process of repeated distillation of the same matter. The liquid drawn from it (successive redistillation) is poured again and again upon the matter left at the bottom of the vessel. Cohobation is a kind of re-circulation.
Condensation is an important part of distillation. A change of the state of matter from the gas phase into the liquid phase, condensation is also be defined as the change in the state of water vapor to liquid water when in contact with a surface.
Congelation in medieval alchemy is crystallization. In the Secreta alchymiae it's one of "the four principal operations", with Solution, Albification and Rubification. It's considered one of twelve alchemical methods in creation of the philosophers' stone.
D
Decantation is separation of mixtures of immiscible liquids; or of a liquid and a solid mixture such as a suspension. After the compounds settle the layer closest to the top of the container is poured off, leaving denser liquid or the solid behind.
Desiccation is a state of extreme dryness, or process of extreme drying. Observed and experimentally reproduced by ancient Egyptians, desiccation is more than evaporation. Heating, freezing or centrifugal force may be used in this process.
Digestion applies gentle heat to a substance over several weeks. The substance is sealed in a flask, kept in fresh horse dung or direct sunlight. It's considered one of the 12 core alchemical processes and dominated by zodiac sign Leo.
Dissection has been used for centuries to explore the anatomy of humans and other animals. Many alchemists are also physicians. In alchemy dissection might be undertaken to see how things work or remove components from the body.
Dissolution is often applied to salt. Salt is solid, shaping principle and also associated with the human body in the tria prima. For the great work, Philosopher's Stone or magnum opus, salt is dissolved and used again for other steps.
Distillation is the process of separating the components of a liquid mixture of two or more chemically discrete substances; the separation process is realized by selective boiling of the mixture, and the condensation of the vapors in a still.
F
Fermentation creates chemical changes in organic matter by action of enzymes, used in biochemistry. In food production, fermentation is a process in which the activity of microorganisms brings about a desirable change to a food or beverage.
Filtration is a physical separation process that separates solid matter and fluid from a mixture using a filter medium that has a complex structure through which only the fluid can pass.
Fixation transforms a volatile substance into a form (often solid) not affected by fire. It separates and re-creates the substance in the same or different shape. Fixation is one of the processes needed to complete the alchemical magnum opus.
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M
Multiplication is the process in Western alchemy used to enhance the potency of the philosopher's stone, elixir or projection powder. It occurs near the end of the magnum opus in order to increase the gains in the subsequent projection.
N
Nigredo or blackness is putrefaction. In the first step to creation of the philosopher's stone, alchemical ingredients are cleansed, and cooked to a uniform black matter. In analytical psychology, nigredo is a metaphor for the dark night of the soul.
Notarikon derives a word using its initial or final letters to stand for another, to form a sentence or idea from the words. Another variation uses first and last letters, or the two middle letters of a word, to form another word.
P
Projection is the ultimate goal of Western alchemy. Once the philosopher's stone or powder of projection is created, the process of projection is used to transmute a lesser substance into a higher form; often lead into gold.
Putrefaction is the fifth stage of death. This process breaks down of the body of an animal post-mortem. It can be viewed as decomposition of proteins, and eventual breakdown of cohesiveness between tissues, and liquefaction of most organs.
Putrefying bacteria help decompose living matter. With other decomposers, they are important in recycling nitrogen from dead organisms. The bacteria also play a role in putrefaction and fermentation of proteins in the human gastrointestinal tract.
R
Roasting components alters their properties. On example is the creation of brilliant minium red pigment by roasting (toxic) lead white. Minium red is found in illuminated manuscripts. In Greece, a recipe by Cleopatra the Physician uses roast horse teeth.
Rubedo meaning "redness" is adopted by alchemists to define the fourth and final major stage in the magnum opus. Both gold and the philosopher's stone are associated with red. Rubedo is alchemical success, achievement of the great work.
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S
Separatory funnel is used to separate liquids of different densities. Dense liquid sinks to the bottom of the funnel to be drained out through a valve, away from the less dense liquid, which remains in the separatory funnel.
Smelting is the process of extracting metal from ore by heating and melting. Alchemy emerges from metallurgy, the process of metal treatment, extraction and manipulation, and evolves into chemistry.
Solution is a special type of homogeneous mixture composed of two or more substances. In such a mixture, a solute is a substance dissolved in another substance, known as a solvent.
Sublimation is the transition of a substance directly from the solid to the gas state, without passing through the liquid state. The verb form of sublimation is sublime. Sublimate refers to the product obtained by sublimation.
Sublimatory or sublimation apparatus is equipment such as laboratory glassware, for purification of compounds by selective sublimation. The operation resembles purification by distillation, except the products don't go through a liquid phase.
above: Sublimation Equipment - Water usually cold is circulated in cold finger to allow the desired compound to be deposited. 1 Cooling water in 2 Cooling water out 3 Vacuum/gas line 4 Sublimation chamber 5 Sublimed compound 6 Crude material 7 External heating
T
Thermophilic Bacteria are produce heat when breaking down components and cause the natural heating properties of dung, manure or compost. Alchemists of old use this resource in alchemical processes such as digestion.
U
Unity of opposites relates deeply to non-duality. It defines a situation wherein existence or identity of an subject or situation depends on the co-existence of at least two conditions opposite to each other, yet dependent on each other.
Urination - some 17th century alchemists consider urine, with its golden color, a possible ingredient in chrysopoeia. When they boil off the liquid, they discover a white substance, which glows in the dark: phosphorus.
V
Vaporization is conversion of a liquid or solid to the gaseous (vapor) phase. If conditions allow the formation of vapor bubbles within a liquid, the vaporization process is called boiling. Direct conversion from solid to vapor is sublimation.
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