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Alchemical Symbol
Alchemical Symbol
Alchemical Symbol
Alchemical symbols, originally devised as part of the protoscience of alchemy, were used to denote some
elements and some compounds until the 18th century. Note that while notation like this was mostly
standardized, style and symbol varied between alchemists, so this page lists the most common.
Contents
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1 Three primes
4 Mundane elements
5 Alchemical compounds
7 External links
[edit]
Three primes
Fire
Water
Earth
Air
[edit]Seven planetary metals
Astrological symbols/glyphs representing the Sun,Moon, Pluto and planets, including the Earth, in Western astrology.
Planetary metals were "dominated" or "ruled" by one of the seven planets known by the ancients. Although
they occasionally have a symbol of their own (denoted by also:), they were usually symbolized by the planet's
symbol.
The planets Uranus and Neptune and the dwarf planet Pluto were discovered after the time alchemy had been
largely replaced by chemistry, and are not part of traditional Alchemical symbols. Some modern alchemists
consider the symbols for these planets to represent the radioactive metalsuranium, neptunium and plutonium,
respectively. Also, the Monas Hieroglyphica is an alchemical symbol devised by John Dee as a combination of
the planetary metal glyphs.
[edit]Mundane elements
"Squaring the Circle": analchemical glyph (17th c.) of the creation of thePhilosopher's Stone.
Antimony ♁
Arsenic
Bismuth
Boron
Magnesium ⊛
Phosphorus
Platinum ☽ ☉
Potassium
Stone
Sulfur
Zinc
[edit]Alchemical compounds
Sal ammoniac *
Amalgama
Vitriol
A table of alchemical symbols fromBasil Valentine’s The Last Will and Testament, 1670 ce.
The 12 alchemical processes are considered to be the basis of modern chemical processes. Each of these
processes is "dominated" or "ruled" by one of the 12Zodiac signs.