9/4/2019 Alchemical symbol - Wikipedia

Alchemical symbol
Alchem ical sy m bols, originally dev ised as part of alchemy , were used to denote some elements and some compounds until the 18th century . Although notation like this was mostly
standardized, sty le and sy mbol v aried between alchemists, so this page lists the most common.

Contents
Three primes
Four basic elements
Seven planetary metals
Mundane elements
Alchemical compounds
Alchemical processes
Units
Unicode Alchemical symbols in Torbern Bergman's
1775 Dissertation on Elective Affinities
Other symbols commonly used in alchemy and related esoteric traditions
References
External links

Three primes
According to Paracelsus (1493–1541), the three primes or tria prima – of which material substances are immediately composed – are:[1 ][2 ]

Mercury (Mind) ☿

Salt (base matter or body) 🜔

Sulfur (Soul) 🜍

Four basic elements

Western alchemy makes use of the Hermetic elements. The sy mbols used for these are:[1 ]

Air 🜁

Earth 🜃

Fire 🜂

Water 🜄

Seven planetary metals

Sev en metals are associated with the sev en classical planets, and sev en deities, all figuring heav ily in alchemical sy mbolism. Although the metals occasionally hav e a gly ph of their own, the planet's sy mbol is used most often, and the sy mbolic
and my thological septenary is consistent with Western astrology . The planetary sy mbolism is limited to the sev en wandering stars v isible to the naked ey e, and the extra-Saturnian planets Uranus and Neptune are not used.

Lead dominated by Saturn ♄ ( )[1]

Tin dominated by Jupiter ♃ ( )

Iron dominated by Mars ♂( )

Gold dominated by Sol ☉☼( )

Copper dominated by Venus ♀ (also: )

Mercury (quicksilver) dominated by Mercury ☿( )

Silver dominated by Luna ☽ ( )

Mundane elements
Antimony ♁
Arsenic 🜺
Bismuth 🜘
Boron =
Lithium
Magnesium ⊛
Phosphorus
The Squared Circle: an
Platinum ☽☉ Alchemical Symbol (17th
Potassium century) illustrating the
interplay of the four
Sulfur 🜏 🜍 elements of matter
symbolising the
Zinc philosopher's stone

Alchemical compounds
Sal ammoniac (Ammonium chloride) 🜹 *
Aqua fortis (Nitric acid) 🜅 A.F.
Aqua regia (Nitro-hydrochloric acid) 🜆 A.R.
Spirit of wine (also called aqua vitae)(Concentrated ethanol) 🜈 S.V.
Amalgam (Alloys of a metal and mercury) 🝛
Cinnabar (Mercury sulfide) 🜓
Vitriol (Sulfates) 🜖

Alchemical processes
The alchemical magnum opus was sometimes expressed as a series of chemical operations. In cases where these numbered twelv e, each could be assigned one of the Zodiac signs as a form of cry ptography .
The following example can be found in Pernety 's 17 58 My tho-Hermetic Dictionary :[3 ]

Calcination (Aries )♈
Congelation (Taurus )♉
Fixation (Gemini )♊ A table of alchemical symbols
from Basil Valentine's The Last
Dissolution (Cancer )♋
Will and Testament, 1670
Digestion (Leo )♌

Distillation (Virgo )♍

Sublimation (Libra )♎
Separation (Scorpio )♏
Ceration (Sagittarius )♐
Fermentation (Capricorn ) ♑ (Putrefaction)
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Multiplication (Aquarius )♒
Projection (Pisces )♓

Units
Sev eral sy mbols indicate units of v olume, weight, or time. An extract and symbol key from Kenelm
Digby's A Choice Collection of Rare
Hour 🝮 Secrets, 1682

Dram ʒ , Half-Dram 🝲
Ounce ℥ , Half-Ounce 🝳
Scruple ℈
Pound ℔

Unicode
Unicode 6.1 adds support for an Alchemical Sy mbols block.

Alchemical Symbols[1][2]
Official Unicode Consortium code chart (https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U1F700.pdf) (PDF)

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F

U+1F70x 🜀 🜁 🜂 🜃 🜄 🜅 🜆 🜇 🜈 🜉 🜊 🜋 🜌 🜍 🜎 🜏

U+1F71x 🜐 🜑 🜒 🜓 🜔 🜕 🜖 🜗 🜘 🜙 🜚 🜛 🜜 🜝 🜞 🜟

U+1F72x 🜠 🜡 🜢 🜣 🜤 🜥 🜦 🜧 🜨 🜩 🜪 🜫 🜬 🜭 🜮 🜯

U+1F73x 🜰 🜱 🜲 🜳 🜴 🜵 🜶 🜷 🜸 🜹 🜺 🜻 🜼 🜽 🜾 🜿

U+1F74x 🝀 🝁 🝂 🝃 🝄 🝅 🝆 🝇 🝈 🝉 🝊 🝋 🝌 🝍 🝎 🝏

U+1F75x 🝐 🝑 🝒 🝓 🝔 🝕 🝖 🝗 🝘 🝙 🝚 🝛 🝜 🝝 🝞 🝟

U+1F76x 🝠 🝡 🝢 🝣 🝤 🝥 🝦 🝧 🝨 🝩 🝪 🝫 🝬 🝭 🝮 🝯

U+1F77x 🝰 🝱 🝲 🝳
Notes

1.^ As of Unicode version 12.0

2.^ Grey areas indicate non-assigned code points

Miscellaneous Symbols[1]
Official Unicode Consortium code chart (https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U2600.pdf) (PDF)

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F

U+260x ☀ ☁ ☂ ☃ ☄ ★ ☆ ☇ ☈ ☉ ☊ ☋ ☌ ☍ ☎ ☏

U+261x ☐ ☑ ☒ ☓ ☔ ☕ ☖ ☗ ☘ ☙ ☚ ☛ ☜ ☝ ☞ ☟

U+262x ☠ ☡ ☢ ☣ ☤ ☥ ☦ ☧ ☨ ☩ ☪ ☫ ☬ ☭ ☮ ☯

U+263x ☰ ☱ ☲ ☳ ☴ ☵ ☶ ☷ ☸ ☹ ☺ ☻ ☼ ☽ ☾ ☿

U+264x ♀ ♁ ♂ ♃ ♄ ♅ ♆ ♇ ♈ ♉ ♊ ♋ ♌ ♍ ♎ ♏

U+265x ♐ ♑ ♒ ♓ ♔ ♕ ♖ ♗ ♘ ♙ ♚ ♛ ♜ ♝ ♞ ♟

U+266x ♠ ♡ ♢ ♣ ♤ ♥ ♦ ♧ ♨ ♩ ♪ ♫ ♬ ♭ ♮ ♯

U+267x ♰ ♱ ♲ ♳ ♴ ♵ ♶ ♷ ♸ ♹ ♺ ♻ ♼ ♽ ♾ ♿

U+268x ⚀ ⚁ ⚂ ⚃ ⚄ ⚅ ⚆ ⚇ ⚈ ⚉ ⚊ ⚋ ⚌ ⚍ ⚎ ⚏

U+269x ⚐ ⚑ ⚒ ⚓ ⚔ ⚕ ⚖ ⚗ ⚘ ⚙ ⚚ ⚛ ⚜ ⚝ ⚞ ⚟

U+26Ax ⚠ ⚡ ⚢ ⚣ ⚤ ⚥ ⚦ ⚧ ⚨ ⚩ ⚪ ⚫ ⚬ ⚭ ⚮ ⚯

U+26Bx ⚰ ⚱ ⚲ ⚳ ⚴ ⚵ ⚶ ⚷ ⚸ ⚹ ⚺ ⚻ ⚼ ⚽ ⚾ ⚿

U+26Cx ⛀ ⛁ ⛂ ⛃ ⛄ ⛅ ⛆ ⛇ ⛈ ⛉ ⛊ ⛋ ⛌ ⛍ ⛎ ⛏

U+26Dx ⛐ ⛑ ⛒ ⛓ ⛔ ⛕ ⛖ ⛗ ⛘ ⛙ ⛚ ⛛ ⛜ ⛝ ⛞ ⛟

U+26Ex ⛠ ⛡ ⛢ ⛣ ⛤ ⛥ ⛦ ⛧ ⛨ ⛩ ⛪ ⛫ ⛬ ⛭ ⛮ ⛯

U+26Fx ⛰ ⛱ ⛲ ⛳ ⛴ ⛵ ⛶ ⛷ ⛸ ⛹ ⛺ ⛻ ⛼ ⛽ ⛾ ⛿
Notes

1.^ As of Unicode version 12.0

Other symbols commonly used in alchemy and related esoteric traditions

Astronomical symbols

Astrological symbols
Planet symbols
Suns in alchemy

Circled dot
Monas Hieroglyphica
Rub el Hizb
Seal of Solomon
Rosy Cross
Eye of Providence
Sigils, as used by Hermetic theurgists

Sigillum Dei

References
1. Eric John Holmyard. Alchemy. 1995. p.153
2. Walter J. Friedlander. The golden wand of medicine: a history of the caduceus symbol in medicine. 1992. p.76-77
3. Antoine-Joseph Pernety. Dictionnaire mytho-hermétique, dans lequel on trouve les allégories fabuleuses des poètes, les métaphores, les énigmes et les termes barbares des philosophes hermétiques expliqués. 1758. p.99

External links
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alchemical_symbol 2/3
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Media related to Alchemical sy mbols at Wikimedia Commons

Alchemical symbols (https://www.unicode.org/charts/PDF/U1F700.pdf) in Unicode 6.0

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