#alchemy

• Alembic — An apparatus or traditional installation used for the distillation of liquids, structurally composed of a boiling vessel, a vapor collecting cap or still head, and a cooling tube shaped like a coil; a metallic device (often made of copper) historically used in alchemy and laboratories, and currently on an industrial and household scale for extracting essential oils, perfumes, and manufacturing distilled alcoholic beverages.
• Alchemical — Pertaining to or characteristic of alchemy; specific to medieval and hermetic practices, doctrines, or texts that aimed at the transmutation of base metals into gold, the discovery of the elixir of life, or the Philosopher's Stone. In a figurative sense, the term describes a mysterious, secret, fascinating process or a profound spiritual transformation achieved through hidden or hard-to-understand methods.
• Alchemy — A mystical and hermetic science and doctrine that preceded modern chemistry, widely practiced in Antiquity and the Middle Ages, with the primary objectives of transmuting base metals into gold or silver, discovering a universal panacea, and obtaining the Philosopher's Stone. In a metaphorical sense, it denotes a profound, mysterious transformation or a perfect fusion between abstract elements, feelings, or ideas.
• Archaic alchemy — An old, archaic, or regional phonetic variant for alchemy; a medieval protoscience and philosophical-esoteric discipline combining elements of chemistry, metallurgy, astrology, and mysticism. In old texts, it tracked the secret practice of metal transmutation.
• Aqua fortis — An archaic, alchemical, and technical name for diluted nitric acid (HNO₃), an extremely corrosive and toxic liquid capable of dissolving most base metals, except for gold and platinum. In the past, this chemical solution was widely used in engraving workshops and by jewelry craftsmen for the controlled etching of metallic plates or for testing silver purity.
• Aqua fortis — A compound form spelled with a hyphen designating diluted nitric acid (HNO₃), an extremely corrosive and toxic liquid capable of dissolving most base metals. This compound was historically used in jewelry guilds and engraving workshops for the controlled etching of copper or zinc plates.