Why Is Alchemy Pretty Freaking Neat?

Alchemy is Pretty Freaking Neat; Here is Why:
When most people hear the word “alchemy,” they envision wizards in dark robes chanting incantations over beakers of colored, smoking liquids. However, alchemy was much more than superstition. Not only does alchemy refer to the creation of gold from non valuable metals, but alchemy also refers to the quest to understand the relationship between humans and the cosmos, and the quest to use such knowledge to purify the human soul and achieve immortality (Khan Academy). Many famous historians, theologians, and early scientists, including St. Thomas Aquinas, began to understand the world using the study of alchemy. Though alchemy was arcane, and most alchemists were secretive about their work, the spiritual and natural practices of alchemy were prevalent throughout Europe as well as Asia (Khan Academy). Alchemical practice played a necessary role in the evolution of chemistry and physics by creating a worldwide outlet for scientific experimentation.
Alkahestry, the Asian variant of alchemy, is thought to have also risen around this time. Egyptian alchemists’ main goal was to find a process to convert worthless “base metals” such as lead into pure gold. Asian alchemists, in contrast, combined medicine and meditation in an attempt to purify the body and soul to become immortal (The Magic... ). Both cultures believed that a particular substance, commonly referred to as a Philosopher’s Stone, would also grant the holder immortality. These cultures also shared the quest of discovering humanity’s relationship with the