The Constant: A History of Getting Things Wrong The Last Alchemist, Part One
Mar 24, 2026
A sweep through alchemy’s strange history, from 18th century transmutation claims to ancient metallurgical roots. Tales of secretive recipes, coded language, and surreal allegories surface. The episode traces Greek, Egyptian and Arabic threads, the mercury-sulfur metal theory, and debates over origins and fraud. It ends by hinting at a startling origin story tied to colored powders.
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James Price's Public Transmutations
- James Price publicly demonstrated powders that turned mercury into silver and gold in 1782, drawing crowds of gentlemen, pastors, and fellow chemists.
- He used two proprietary powders, one white and one red, claiming white made silver and red made gold in his Guildford lab.
Alchemy Is A Fragmented Tradition
- Alchemy resists simple definition because it was multiple evolving practices across cultures rather than a single unified discipline.
- Its sources, methods, and goals shifted by time and place, leaving historians with fragmented, often contradictory records.
Zosimos Linked Alchemy To Gnostic Transformation
- Zosimos of Panopolis fused practical techniques with Gnostic philosophy, treating metals as body (soma) and spirit (pneuma).
- His aim combined spiritual purification with practical goals like producing gold and the philosopher's stone.