Alchemy. The Philosopher's Stone and the principles of alchemy. Philosopher's Stone - what is it in alchemy and where to find it? Philosopher's Stone title

Alchemists of the Middle Ages called the philosopher's stone, as well as the stone of wisdom, a substance that has the ability to transform base metals into the noblest of metals - gold. Scientists for centuries have been obsessed with the idea of creating this divine elixir, which could heal diseases and grant people immortality.

How did the idea of the philosopher's stone come about?

At the beginning of the development of alchemy as a science, its followers assumed that the miraculous substance with the ability to transform tin and copper into gold was a stone (hence the name). However, over time, opinion changed, and medieval scientists began to work on creating a powder or liquid elixir.

Philosopher's Stone Emblem

Alchemists firmly believed that a magical substance could be created by adding and mixing components found in nature, mainly sulfur and mercury were used.

The worthless work of alchemists

Thanks to the constant efforts of alchemists aimed at creating the philosopher's stone, modern science chemistry.

Alchemist in Search of the Philosopher's Stone (Joseph Wright, 1771)

In constant attempts to obtain the long-awaited result in the form miracle elixir, in the process of difficult searches, scientists of the Middle Ages made a lot of important discoveries:

We obtained nitric, sulfuric and acetic acid;

Alcohol was created;

We received new salts;

Compiled the world's first system of chemical elements;

Alchemists discovered new substances - antimony and arsenic;

Scientists became aware of zinc and bismuth, as well as the nonmetals sulfur and carbon.

Famous alchemists

Great minds worked tirelessly to create the philosopher's stone. Here are just some of the famous progressive alchemical scientists who contributed to the development of science:

Albertus Magnus studied minerals, was interested in philosophy, and conducted experiments in inorganic chemistry that were significantly ahead of his time. Author of the famous treatise “On Alchemy”. The scientist believed that the philosopher's stone could be obtained if the right components were used.
Arnoldo de Villanova was a brilliant mind of the time who gave daring lectures at the University of Paris. Contemporaries believed that the scientist managed to discover the philosopher's stone.
Raymond Lull - he is called the greatest alchemist of all time. He claimed that he was able to transmute base metals into the coveted gold.
Paracelsus is a famous alchemist and doctor who created new medicines and studied magic. He spent many years of his life searching for the philosopher's stone, with which he wanted to heal people.
Nicolas Flamel is a fabulously wealthy simple artisan who claims to have unraveled the secret of the philosopher's stone.

Nicolas Flamel

Facts about alchemy

Alchemy did a lot for the development of science, but gradually turned into a brake on the path of scientific research and gradually fell into decay. And yet there are people who devote time to this old teaching, and some even try to prepare the philosopher's stone at home.

Before we try to do this, let's understand the theory of creating such material. Ancient alchemists assumed that known metals simply grew in the earth, gradually maturing. In the minds of medieval scientists, sulfur took an active part in this process. At the same time, gold was considered a “ripe” metal, and iron was considered an “immature” metal.

How to get the philosopher's stone

Alchemists believed that gold contained “healthy” red sulfur, and silver contained white sulfur. When spoiled red sulfur came into contact with silver, copper was obtained, and black sulfur could “conceive” lead. Thus, the types of sulfur influenced the resulting variant of the metal.

To help the metal achieve the desired condition, the element was carefully processed. As a result of such experiments, alchemists were able to make new scientific discoveries. Sometimes they were recognized as sorcerers and persecuted. In those troubled times, scientists were even burned at the stake.

Ordinary people are interested in the question of whether it is possible to create a philosopher's stone. No metal is transformed into another metal by exposure to sulfur. You can devote a lot of time to science and conduct chemical experiments, but the answer will be one - “no”. At the same time, you can conduct original experiments at home and feel like a real alchemist.

The philosopher's stone is a certain substance, a substance that has the ability to transform metals into gold, and also serves as the main ingredient in the elixir of life. This is one of key concepts medieval alchemy, which has truly become the talk of the town.

The philosopher's stone can be called a stone rather arbitrarily, since in most recipes it appears as a powder. In addition, it should be noted that the function of transforming metals into gold by advanced alchemists was considered a side function; the ultimate goal of creating the philosopher's stone was to prepare the elixir of life, which would bestow health, longevity and other benefits of life.

History of the concept and recipes for creation

The first mention of the philosopher's stone is lost in the depths of centuries, so it is pointless to look for the origins of this concept. It is worth noting, however, one of the most famous alchemists in history - Nicolas Flamel. He devoted many years to creating the philosopher's stone, and rumors circulated throughout Paris that he had succeeded. The rumors were largely supported by Flamel's unusually long life for the Middle Ages - he died at a very respectable age - 88 years. Rumor, however, did not recognize his death, and even in the 18th century there was a rogue in Paris who pretended to be Flamel and promised to reveal all the alchemical secrets for the modest sum of 300,000 francs. in the 21st century, the image of Flamel was popularized in the book “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone”, and even earlier the image of this legendary figure was reflected in more than 10 works of art.

Such extraordinary attention to the person of this alchemist testifies to the interest in the phenomenon of the philosopher's stone, an interest so great that speculation on this topic still exists.

Attempts to make the philosopher's stone boiled down, in fact, to sorting out all possible combinations of various ingredients, so it is not possible to single out any specific one. It cannot be said, however, that all these attempts were fruitless. Of course, no one received the philosopher's stone, but during the experiments many chemical compounds that are still relevant today were created, including, for example, gunpowder. Alchemical experiments to create the philosopher's stone put a huge experimental base at the service of science, which, of course, became a reliable foundation for the development of the science of chemistry.

Modern interpretation

Meanwhile, obtaining gold from other metals is possible both theoretically and practically, but not in an alchemist’s retort, but in a nuclear reactor, as a product of the reaction of absorption of neutrons by mercury nuclei. However, it is worth

The philosopher's stone is a special mythical substance. His power is credited with both obtaining eternal life and creating gold with simple materials. U different nations this stone has different story, and there is not a single scientific fact that completely refutes or reliably confirms the existence of this mystical component.

What is the philosopher's stone?

The ancient legend about the philosopher's stone has always excited the minds of scientists and mere mortals. According to legends and traditions, this mysterious material has incredible properties. At different times, different scientists sought confirmation that the philosopher's stone actually exists. It has many names and different sources call it differently. So, it can be called:

rebis;
the philosophical elixir of the sages;
elixir of eternity;
red-colored tincture;
fifth element of nature.

A variety of powers and capabilities have been attributed to him, but all legends have one thing in common: the philosopher's stone is a reagent with a special property - with its help, metal can be turned into gold. Ancient manuscripts say that this substance appeared as a result of an incorrect reaction between sulfur and mercury. If you give a mystical stone a chemical definition, then it is a defective, incomplete, erroneous reaction between two simple components. No one knows what caused such a strange mistake.

Philosopher's Stone - properties

Even the Gods can envy the popularity of this substance in ancient mythology. He owns all the main mythical miracles for man, the philosopher’s stone:

gives immortality (eternity of existence);
allows you to create precious metal (gain wealth);
endows a person with incredible power (bestows glory on his creator);
reveals the secrets of the world (grants its owner the great wisdom of the ancestors).

Alchemist Nicholas Flamel is the same scientist who has been searching for the philosopher's stone all his life. He mentioned in his writings that angels appeared to him in a dream and told him how to create this substance, but the dream was unexpectedly interrupted, and the last component that provokes wrong reaction between all the components, the scientist never found out. He and his wife believed so much that the philosopher's stone existed that they spent their entire lives, youth, maturity and old age in search of that missing component that would give them the opportunity to create the Stone of Immortality.

What is the philosopher's stone made of?

Various sources provide information about what makes the philosopher's stone so special. What is known for sure is that it necessarily contains three main components:

philosophical brimstone;
philosophical mercury;
silver solution.

All experiments, one after another, suffered a colossal failure. The experimental substances created did not have the power to transform iron into a precious metal, they did not have the power to grant healing to the sick or youth to the old. At one point in the historical past, the philosophers' stone caused many painful deaths. Kings different countries In pursuit of the creation of this stone, they conducted experiments on living people, subjecting them to poisoning with various kinds of elixirs, to which court scientists attributed the properties of rebis.

Does the philosopher's stone really exist?

It is difficult to unambiguously answer the question of whether the philosopher’s stone exists in reality, or whether anyone has managed to recreate the elixir of wealth and eternal youth in one bottle. There is no historical evidence that any scientist who was looking for the philosopher's stone achieved his goal, and legends and epics are difficult to take seriously, so the creation of the rebis is another mystery of the old world that modern scientists and historians have not been able to solve.

Why did alchemists try to find the philosopher's stone?

Much has been said that the creation of the stone came down to the thirst for profit and dreams of immortality, but what is the philosopher's stone in alchemy? For alchemists obsessed with their work, the creation of such a stone was not a desire for profit. Scientists pursued one goal - to give the world a substance with characteristics ideally useful to humanity. Receiving a rebis is tantamount to approaching the greatness of the Gods, comprehending all the secrets of the creation of the world as we do not know it, and opening the door to the eternity of existence, eradicating death and old age.

Where is the philosopher's stone?

Many historical sources, while claiming that the rebis was created, do not indicate where to find the philosopher's stone. If we take as initial information the fact that the philosopher's stone was created, it is destined to become a great achievement or great historical value, and this will mean that such a find could not have been lost. If there is no official data that the rebis was created, we will dwell on the fact that, after all, the mystery of the mystical philosopher's stone (the fifth element of nature) has not been solved to this day and is unlikely to be solved in the future.

Throughout its history, humanity has been looking for something, and most often it has not been found. The most popular search subjects were truth, love and faith. And also hell, heaven, wealth, knowledge, the meaning of life, perpetual motion, Atlantis and aliens. But the leader in this list of eternal search can easily be called the philosopher’s stone! They have never tried to find anything else with such manic persistence. For the sake of his search, a separate science even arose - alchemy, and generations of alchemists devoted their entire lives to a single goal - trying to find the philosopher's stone. For years they sat in laboratories, bending over flasks and retorts, hoping one day to see a small blood-red stone at the bottom of the vessel. Why did he attract them so much? ABOUT! There were many reasons...

This story began a long time ago, as they say in fairy tales. And the philosopher's stone is a fairy tale. Beautiful and cruel. A fairy tale that ruined more lives than other wars. But first things first.

It is generally accepted that the person who first told the world about the philosopher's stone was the Egyptian Hermes Trismegistus - “Hermes the Thrice-Greatest.” We, alas, do not know whether such a person actually lived. Most likely, Hermes Trismegistus is a legendary figure; in legends he was called the son of the Egyptian gods Osiris and Isis, and was even identified with the ancient Egyptian sorcerer god Thoth.

Hermes Trismegistus is also called the first alchemist to obtain the philosopher's stone. The recipe for making the philosopher's stone was written down in his books, as well as on the so-called. “The Emerald Tablet of Hermes” - a tablet from his tomb, on which thirteen instructions to descendants were carved. Most of the books of Hermes Trismegistus were lost in a fire in the Library of Alexandria, and the few remaining, according to legend, were buried in a secret place in the desert. Only heavily distorted translations have reached us.

Thus, the recipe for the philosopher's stone is lost through the centuries. A new interest in alchemy and the philosopher's stone arose already in the middle of the 10th century in medieval Europe, and then faded away, then flared up again, stretching right up to the present day.

Now a few words about the very subject of the search. The Philosopher's Stone is the beginning of all beginnings, a mythical substance that can give its owner immortality, eternal youth, wisdom and knowledge. But it was not these properties that primarily attracted alchemists, no. The main thing that made this stone so desirable was its legendary ability to turn any metal into gold!

Modern chemistry does not reject the possibility of transforming one chemical element into another, but still believes that medieval alchemists could not obtain gold from copper. However, history remembers more than one legend that speaks of such a transformation. Some of them, of course, have no basis, but there are also those before which rational science gives in.

For example, Raymond Lullius from Spain received from the English King Edward (14th century) an order to smelt 60,000 pounds of gold. For which purpose he was provided with mercury, tin and lead. And, I must say, Lull got gold! It was of high standard, and a large number of nobles were minted from it. Of course, it is easier to attribute this fact to myths than to believe in it, but nobles of that special coinage are still kept in English museums. And if you believe historical documents, for a long time these coins were used when concluding large transactions, which indicated their large quantity. But! At this time, England, in principle, had nowhere to get so much gold, and of such excellent quality! And the main payments, for example, with the Hansa, were carried out in tin. It remains to be assumed that an error crept into the documents, and the amount of gold was much smaller.

Another fact: Emperor Rudolf II (1552-1612) left behind after his death a large amount of gold and silver bullion, approximately 8.5 and 6 tons respectively. Historians have never been able to understand where the emperor could get so many precious metals if the entire national reserve was smaller. Subsequently, it was proven that this gold was different from the gold used at that time for minting coins - it turned out to be of a higher standard and contained almost no impurities, which seems almost incredible, given the technical capabilities of that time.

But such stories are in the minority. Most medieval alchemists were charlatans. After all, in order to say that a miracle has happened, you don’t need a philosopher’s stone - it’s enough to get an alloy of the right color!

What kind of tricks did the deceivers resort to? For example, they took a piece of iron. In front of the amazed audience they melted him, while making incomprehensible passes with their hands and waving a magic wand. And, lo and behold! - when the metal hardened, part of it turned into gold! And the solution was a simple magic wand! Yes! She really was magical, in a way. It was usually made of wood and was a quarter hollow. Pieces of gold were placed inside and sealed with wax. When the alchemist brought it to the molten metal, the wax also melted and the gold fell out. Here everything depended only on sleight of hand, and before anyone could take a closer look at the wand, its lower part burned out, leaving no evidence. Alloys of copper and tin had a characteristic color and shine, and the inexperienced could easily mistake them for gold.

True alchemists did not strive to obtain gold, it was only a tool, not a goal (however, Dante in his Divine Comedy determined the place of alchemists, like counterfeiters, in hell, or more precisely, in the eighth circle, tenth ditch). The goal for them was precisely the philosopher's stone itself! And spiritual liberation, exaltation, granted to the one who possesses it - absolute freedom. Here is one of the recipes by which medieval alchemists tried to make the philosopher's stone (it should be noted that the stone, by and large, is not a stone at all; it is more often presented as a powder, or a solution of the powder - the very elixir of life):

“To make the elixir of the sages, called the philosopher’s stone, take, my son, the philosopher’s mercury and heat it until it turns into a green lion. After that, heat it harder and it will turn into a red lion.

Heat this red lion in a sand bath with sour grape alcohol, evaporate the resulting product, and the mercury will turn into a gummy substance that can be cut with a knife. Place it in a clay-coated retort and distill slowly. Collect separately the liquids of various compositions that appear.

The Cimmerian shadows will cover the retort with their dark cloak, and you will find inside it a true dragon, for he devours his own tail. Take this black dragon, grind it on a stone and touch it with a hot coal. It will light up and, immediately taking on a magnificent lemon color, will again reproduce the green lion. Make him eat your tail and distill the resulting product again.

Finally, my son, carefully cleanse it and you will see the appearance of burning water and human blood.”

Not difficult, right? And most importantly, very poetic. In general, Hermes himself came up with the idea of recording the process of making stone in this way. And if in this text it is still possible to understand what kind of dragons and lions are meant, then in earlier texts it is quite problematic to understand anything. So each alchemist interpreted the recipes in his own way, which is why there are many different versions of the preparation of this substance.

Interestingly, in the mid-20th century, a Dutch scientist decided to reproduce the process of making the philosopher's stone, using a similar recipe and substances that were available to medieval prospectors. And indeed, at the end of all the manipulations I received very beautiful crystals of bright ruby color. As it turned out, it was the purest silver chloraurate AgAuCl4! Perhaps it was the alchemists who considered it the philosopher’s stone, since due to the high percentage of gold content (44%), when melted, the crystals could impart a golden color to any surface.

There is nothing more mysterious to Western occultism and alchemy than the mystery of the philosopher's stone. What is it - the desired goal of seekers of truth or a reward for adventurers thirsting for endless wealth? Deep metaphysical symbol or real object? Why did so many people dream of finding the philosopher's stone?

Philosopher's Stone as a source of immortality

First of all, many sought to find the philosopher's stone because they believed that it could grant them eternal youth and immortality. At the same time, the philosopher's stone itself was understood as a certain substance that had to be taken internally, like a pill, a kind of “magnet” that attracts rejuvenating energies for its owner. There were many legends and options, but they all boiled down to one thing - the one who owns the philosopher's stone will know eternity.

Divine essence of the philosopher's stone

An equally common idea of the philosopher's stone included the belief that in it “is hidden all that God and Eternity contain and can create, and also the heavens and the stars and the elements. Never in eternity was there anything better or more precious than him.” Such comments pointed to the “universality” of this item, endowing its owner with all divine qualities - from wisdom to superpowers, but most importantly - the magical ability to transform the world around him.

The nature of the philosopher's stone

According to some sources, this substance has an animal, vegetable and mineral nature, others claim that even the philosopher's stone itself has a body, soul and spirit and “grows” from flesh and blood, from fire and water. Some adherents were inclined to believe that these were all symbolic descriptions. For example, in internal Taoist alchemy, the symbols of “fire” and “water” are very often used to describe subtle energy processes inside the human body, leading to the complete transmutation of its body and spirit. And, of course, there were those who argued that these descriptions, although allegories, point to very specific physical phenomena.

Philosopher's Stone and Alchemy

No matter how deep the meaning the phenomenon of the philosopher's stone is endowed with, it has always been considered in the concept of alchemy - the science of transmutation of minerals. And here we note two common ideas. Adherents of the first argued that the philosopher's stone is a kind of natural element that allows one to modify all other elements of nature, that is, something like a “magic catalyst.” Adherents of the second view of the philosopher's stone believed that it should be obtained through the fusion and transformation of various chemical materials.

It is interesting to note that people with an adventurous nature were more inclined towards the first idea, and those who had a more scientific and systematic view of the world towards the second. Therefore, it is not surprising that over time it was the second idea that won, gathering a larger number of adherents, many of whom made a significant contribution to the formation of chemistry.

The Philosopher's Stone and Spiritual Perfection

There was another idea about the philosopher's stone, which perceived it as a symbol of spiritual perfection, as something that a person receives due to the fact that he transforms his rough nature (mercury) into a spiritual one (gold). Adherents of this movement called their path to obtaining the philosopher's stone “internal alchemy.” It was widespread not only in the West, but also in the East, for example, in Taoist psychophysical practices.

The Philosopher's Stone and the World Balance

Next to the concept of the philosopher's stone as a symbol of spiritual transformation, there is also the idea that the philosopher's stone is the personification of the ideal and absolute balance between the various forces of nature, in particular between male and female energies. In other words, the philosopher's stone is a union of philosophical sulfur and mercury, personifying the feminine (passive) and masculine (active) principle, which the adept had to bring to balance both at the level of his personality and in the outside world. This was also seen as a kind of alchemical process of merging “fire” and “water” to produce “steam” - the divine spirit.

Secrets of the mysteries about the philosopher's stone

Those who actually managed to find the Philosopher's Stone understood that conveying information about it to all people would be a rash step, so they tried to keep their secrets secret, carefully encrypting the recipes for finding the Philosopher's Stone with complex symbolism, understandable only to a select few. Thus, in one of the treatises of the famous alchemist Arnold of Villanova we read: “Bind the slave twice and imprison him three times. Then wrap it in a layer of the whitest flax. And if he is disobedient, throw him back into prison. On the third night of imprisonment, give him a white wife so that he can impregnate her and then she will give birth to thirty sons who will surpass their parent.”

There are also more laconic descriptions - “Create a circle from a man and a woman, then a square, then a triangle and, finally, a circle again. As a result, you will receive the Philosopher's Stone as it is."

Famous people and the philosopher's stone

Many respected people of their time claimed to have seen the philosopher's stone. For example, Jan Baptist van Helmont, whose authority is beyond doubt, wrote in one of his works: “I saw and held the philosopher’s stone several times. Its color is similar to saffron powder, but it is heavy and shiny, exactly like powdered glass.”

Helvetius also dealt with the philosopher's stone, who, by the way, was initially skeptical about alchemy, but then changed his mind. Legends claim that one day he was given a piece of the philosopher's stone, with the help of which he managed to turn lead into pure gold.