Alchemy

Alchemy always reminds me of Chemistry Lab and turning copper pennies into “gold.” The basic process is adding zinc to the copper creating a brass layer on the outside of the penny. There is a story about an alchemist who said he could things into gold, but when he brought the King his gold, the gold did not weigh correctly. This is because brass and gold have a different density, especially if there is alloy or different metal used for the mass then covered by a different metal. There is only one instance that has scientifically changed another metal into gold using a nuclear reaction as the catalyst. However, The Alchemist has little to do with the art of alchemy, but at the same time transcends into a realm that includes spiritual, religious and paradoxical elements. So what is alchemy? It’s just making gold out of other lesser metals, or creating the elixir of life; alchemy has its own beliefs in the purposes of life. Though alchemy may seem silly, it parallels the ideals in the book by marrying together many aspects of life (like spirituality and science).