The study of Alchemy was a precursor for the study of Chemistry.
There was a time when the church had books control. Knowledge was not common. Alchemy was beginning of chemistry we have today. Because of the control of the church, there was a law concerning the contents of manuscripts. Early alchemists hid their work because the punishment was heavy.
The goal was more psychological than spiritual. The alchemists were attempting to cure the "darkness of midlife". The psychologist Carl Jung studied the work of the alchemists for decades, and believed that hidden within their writings, were psychological explanations for their work.
The ability to not understand that alchemy doesn't work.
yes there are some recent alcemists they work for NASA
Perhaps the early Alchemists, although what they were trying to achieve was impossible for the time, they were entrepreneurs.
Alchemists in medieval society primarily served as early chemists and philosophers, exploring the transformation of materials and the quest for the philosopher's stone, which was believed to turn base metals into gold and grant immortality. They often acted as medical practitioners, using their knowledge to create potions and remedies. Additionally, alchemists played a role in the development of early scientific thought, blending mysticism with experimentation, which laid the groundwork for modern chemistry. Their work was deeply intertwined with spiritual and philosophical beliefs, influencing both science and religion during the medieval period.
Alchemists did not discover the atom as we understand it today. They had philosophical interpretations of matter and transformations that were not based on scientific evidence or modern atomic theory. The concept of the atom emerged later through the work of scientists like John Dalton in the early 19th century.
Cerium was not known by alchemists.
to find a way to avoid death and a way to turn regular items such as coal or stone into gold.
One was to find the "philosopher's stone" a device that could turn lead (a base metal) into gold.
Because the secret is that alchemy doesn't work.
The alchemists were unaware that atoms even existed.