Generally speaking, the kernel at the heart of all alchemical knowledge is if every substance is made up of some combination of the four Aristotelian elements–earth, fire, air, and water (no heart, alas)–then if you could figure out the right proportions of those four things, you could make whatever you wanted. This is, of course, the basic idea behind the most famous goal of alchemy–turning "base" metals like lead into precious metals like gold.

And as Britannica explains, transmutation was the throughline of much of alchemical thought: change a worthless metal to a valuable one, change a sick person to a healthy one, change an old person to a young one, or change something mundane into something supernatural. The goals of alchemy were always positive change, with the main goals being riches, long life, and indeed, immortality.

As such, besides the creation of gold, alchemists sought to create an elixir of immortality, panaceas that could cure any illness, and a universal solvent (i.e., a substance that could dissolve anything). At various times, any of these concepts was associated with the idea of the philosopher's stone (or sorcerer's stone, for any Americans out there). And, you know, if you just happen to make a tiny jar person that lets you turn into a cow or magically produce poisonous snakes, that's just another cool alchemical bonus.

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