Chrysopoeia is the alchemical process or action of turning a base metal such as lead into the noble metal gold through various means of transmutation. For centuries this has been a foremost goal of alchemy and alchemists.
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The the main goals of alchemy are:
Discover a potion of immortality or Elixir of Life
Find a panacea to cure all disease
Turn base metals into gold or silver (noble metals)
After the 15th century, the third goal is nullfied in the West with the decree of Henry IV. He forbids the practice of chrysopoeia, turning base metals to gold, and prohibits artificial multiplication of gold or silver.
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Noble metals are defined by resistance to corrosion or oxidation, a metallic chemical element found in nature in raw form. Gold, platinum, and other platinum group metals (ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium) are most often classed as noble.
Both silver and copper are subject to corrosion. Copper forms a greenish blue patina from which comes the pigment verdigris. As silver is more resistant to oxidation than copper, it's often considered a noble metal while copper is defined as base.
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As ancient metallurgy develops, the process of gold-plating or silver-plating applies a coating of the noble metal to a base metal such as copper, lead, nickel and zinc. The ancient Romans have a system in place for gold plating.
Gold pieces are mixed with mercury and brushed onto the substrate. Upon completion, the object undergoes controlled heating, causing the mercury to evaporate. This leaves a stunning and intricate layer of gold plating. But gold plating is not gold making.
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The term chrysopoeia comes from Ancient Greek khrusopoiía) or gold-making. It refers specifically to artificial production of gold, most commonly by the transmutation of a base metal such as lead.
A brief alchemical work, the Chrysopoeia of Cleopatra (3rd or 4th century AD) is attributed to Cleopatra the Alchemist. The document depicts an ouroboros with the words "the all is one", a concept related to Hermetic philosophy.
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A pictorial papyrus of alchemy, it deals with the creation of gold primarily through images. The ouroboros appears among the mysterious symbols and images encircling the Greek words 'One is All' (or 'the all is one').
The related term argyropoeia derives from the Ancient Greek arguropoiía or silver-making. It refers to artificial creation of silver, possibly through copper transmutation.
Silver, copper, and mercury are sometimes included as noble metals.
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They may be considered base as they usually occur in nature combined with sulfur. Also an important substance for alchemists, sulfur forms a male principle for female mercury. This concept is taken further by Middle Ages alchemy practitioners.
Stephanus of Alexandria (c. 580 - 640), Byzantine Neoplatonist philosopher and teacher, refers to alchemy, astrology and astronomy in his poem De Chrysopoeia, referring to gold making. He's one of the last Alexandrian academics before Islamic conquest in 641 AD.
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The First Golden Age of Alchemy evolves in Alexandria c. 5th century BCE and covers over a thousand years. In all that time we find only a few scraps of papyrus, cryptic notes and drawings, and references to long-lost books, formulas and texts.
Part of the reason may be persecution, as the Gnostic alchemists combining Christian and Hebrew thought systems are both Christians and Jews, at various times persecuted by the dominant power. In turn, persecution by Christians affects the Hermetics and Neoplatonists.
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All alchemists have secrets, which is also another name for experiments. Texts may be written in cryptic cypher or images. In times of persecution whole bodies of work can be lost. Emperor Domitian burns all alchemy texts in Alexandria to punish the city for rebellion.
Papyrus also has high incidence of rot.
Books and texts are all hand-written. Even many of the Greek philosophers wouldn't exist had their students not written down their words, and others made copies. By medieval times the printing press allows production of books.
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On January 13, 1404, King Henry IV of England signs a law making it a felony to create gold and silver out of lead or anything else including thin air. Called the Act Against Multiplication, it also outlaws the act of taking a material, like gold, and creating more of it.
In the 16th century, Paracelsus creates the tria prima from the existing Sulfur-Mercury Ratio in alchemy. Based on the philosophy of each metal being composed of a specific ratio of mercury and sulfur, changing sulfur content will convert one metal to another.
If this is considered true, chrysopoeia is a viable concept. Turning lead into gold is simple experimentation. A natural blend of mercury and sulfur is the rock cinnabar (HgS). The method however can be deadly.
As most people known, a particle accelerator has been used successfully for chrysopoeia but the cost is billions of dollars for a tiny bit of gold. Thus, the Philosopher's Stone still awaits discovery.