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The philosopher's stone, in Latin '''''lapis philosophorum''''', is a Myth ical substance that supposedly could turn inexpensive Metal s into Gold and/or create an Elixir that would make Human s younger, thus delaying death. It was a longtime " Holy Grail " of Western Alchemy . In the Mystic view of alchemy, making the philosopher's stone would bring enlightenment upon the maker and conclude the Great Work . It is also known by several other names, such as '''''materia prima'''''. IN ALCHEMY Transmutation of metals The concept apparently originated from the theories of the 8th Century Alchemist Jabir Ibn Hayyan , known to the west also as Geber . He analyzed each Aristotelian Element in terms of four basic qualities of ''hotness'', ''coldness'', ''dryness'', and ''moistness''. Thus, fire was both hot and dry, earth cold and dry, water cold and moist, and air hot and moist. He further theorized that every metal was a combination of these four principles, two of them interior and two exterior. From this premise, it was reasoned that the Transmutation of one metal into another could be effected by the rearrangement of its basic qualities. This change would presumably be mediated by a substance, which came to be called ''al-iksir'' in Arabic (from which comes the Western term "elixir"). It was often imagined as a dry powder, made from a mythical stone — the "philosopher's stone". The stone was believed to have been composed of a substance called Carmot . Geber's theory and the concept of the philosopher's stone may have been inspired by the knowledge that metals like gold and silver could be hidden in Alloy s and ores, from which they could be recovered by the appropriate chemical treatment. Geber himself is believed to be the inventor of Aqua Regia , a mixture of Muriatic and Nitric acids, which is one of the few substances that can dissolve Gold (and is still often used for gold recovery and purification). IN ART AND ENTERTAINMENT The Philosopher's Stone has been subject, inspiration, or plot feature of innumerable artistic works — Novel s, Comics stories, Movie s, Animation s, and even Music al compositions. It is also a popular item in many Video Game s. The following is a very incomplete list. Novels
Comics, movies and animations
Music
Video and computer games
Also, a "philosopher's stone" (together with a "jewel-encrusted golden sword") were promised as grand prizes in contests connected to the Atari Swordquest Airworld video game. However, both the game and the contest were cancelled when Atari was sold to Jack Tramiel . SEE ALSO
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