Alchemical symbol

Alchemic 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.

Three Primes
According to Paracelsus, the Three Primes or Tria Prima are:


 * Sulfur (omnipresent spirit of life) [[Image:Sulphur.svg|20px]]
 * Mercury (fluid connection between the High and the Low) [[Image:Mercury symbol.svg|30px]]
 * Salt (base matter) [[Image:Line within circle.png|20px]]

Four basic Elements

 * Fire [[Image:Alchemy_fire_symbol.svg|20px]]
 * Water [[Image:Alchemy_water_symbol.svg|20px]]
 * Earth [[Image:Alchemy earth symbol.svg|20px]]
 * Air [[Image:Alchemy_air_symbol.svg|20px]]

Seven Planetary Metals


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.


 * Gold dominated by Sol ☉ ☼ ( [[Image:Sun symbol.svg|20px]] )
 * Silver dominated by Luna ☽ ( [[Image:Crescent.svg|15px]] )
 * Copper dominated by Venus ♀ (also: [[Image:Copper_symbol.svg|30px]] )
 * Iron dominated by Mars ♂ ( [[Image:Mars_symbol.svg|20px]] )
 * Tin dominated by Jupiter ♃ ( [[Image:Jupiter_symbol.svg|20px]] )
 * Mercury (Quicksilver) dominated by Mercury ☿ ( [[Image:Mercury_symbol.svg|20px]] )
 * Lead dominated by Saturn ♄ ( [[Image:Saturn_symbol.svg|20px]] )

The planets Uranus, 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 metals Uranium, Neptunium and Plutonium, respectively.

Mundane Elements

 * Antimony ♁ [[Image:Antimony-symbol.svg|15px]]
 * Arsenic [[Image:Arsenic alchemical symbol.svg|15px]]
 * Bismuth [[Image:Bismuth_symbol.png|20px]]
 * Boron
 * Magnesium ⊛
 * Phosphorus
 * Platinum ☾ ☉
 * Potassium
 * Stone [[Image:Stone_symbol.svg|20px]]
 * Sulfur [[Image:Sulfur_symbol_1.svg|20px]] [[Image:Sulfur_symbol_2.svg|20px]]
 * Zinc

Alchemical Compounds

 * Sal ammoniac *
 * Aqua Fortis A.F.
 * Aqua Regia A.R.
 * Spirit of Wine S.V.
 * Amalgama
 * Cinnabar (Mercury sulfide) [[Image:Cinnabar_Symbol.svg|20px]]
 * Vitriol

12 Core Alchemical processes
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 12 Zodiac signs.


 * Decomposition through Calcination (Aries [[Image:Aries.svg|16px]])
 * Decomposition through Digestion (Leo [[Image:Leo.svg|16px]])
 * Decomposition through Fermentation/Putrefaction (Capricorn[[Image:Capricorn.svg|16px]])
 * Modification through Congelation/Coagulation (Taurus [[Image:Taurus.svg|16px]])
 * Modification through Fixation (Gemini [[Image:Gemini.svg|16px]])
 * Modification through Ceration (Sagittarius [[Image:Sagittarius.svg|16px]])
 * Separation through Distillation (Virgo [[Image:Virgo.svg|16px]])
 * Separation through Sublimation (Libra [[Image:Libra.svg|16px]])
 * Separation through Filtration (Scorpio [[Image:Scorpio.svg|16px]])
 * Union through Solution (Cancer [[Image:Cancer.svg|16px]])
 * Union through Multiplication (Aquarius [[Image:Aquarius.svg|16px]])
 * Union through Projection (Pisces [[Image:Pisces.svg|16px]])