Chrysopoeia

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Chrysopoeia (from Ancient Greek χρυσοποιία (khrusopoiía) 'gold-making') was the purported alchemical production of gold, most commonly by the transmutation of base metals such as lead. It is closely related to argyropoeia (from Ancient Greek ἀργυροποιία (arguropoiía) 'silver-making'), the artificial production of silver, often by transmuting copper. Although alchemists pursued many different goals, chrysopoeia and argyropoeia remained one of the defining ambitions of alchemy throughout its history, from Zosimus of Panopolis (fl. c. 300) to Robert Boyle (1627–1691). Most notably, the ability to produce gold or silver was a characteristic of the philosopher's stone, therefore forming a component of the alchemical Magnum Opus. The word was used in the title of a brief alchemical work, the Chrysopoeia of Cleopatra attributed to Cleopatra the Alchemist, which was probably written in the first centuries of the Christian era. It was first found on a single leaf of a c. 10th–11th-century manuscript...

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