In a general sense, alchemy is perceived as the transformation of a common substance to something rare and valuable. Medieval alchemists are often portrayed as little more than quacks attempting to make gold from lead. This depiction is not entirely correct. To be sure, there were such characters, but for real alchemists, called adepts, the field was an almost divine mixture of science, mystery, and philosophy.

Alchemy has existed for more than two thousand years. The first mentions of it can be found in ancient Chinese, Indian, and Middle Eastern texts as early as the fourth and fifth centuries B.C. Some historians believe that alchemy arose independently in each culture. Because of common ideas, however, other historians argue that it arose from a single source. They suggest that alchemy began in China or India and gradually spread westward. Whatever its origins, alchemy came to Europe via Egypt...