Abstrakt
Alchemical transmutation is commonly understood as chemical and/or metallurgical change of common metals into precious ones; in esoteric approach this improvement concerns spiritual level of the alchemist himself. In this paper transmutation of metals is discussed, first divided into various chemical and metallurgical techniques on the one side and tricky manipulations on the other.
The question arises how belief in transmutation could survive dramatic development of chemical and metallurgical knowledge during 16th and 17th centuries. One of the possible answers lies in transmutation between common metals description of which appears only rarely in original alchemical literature.
This problem is analyzed in the second part of this paper and these processes are divided into two groups. Metallurgical processes include cementation, covering of common metals with suitable amalgam, "whitening" of copper by arsenic, etc.
The second group are chemical processes, particularly electrochemical deposition of metals, like copper from the solution of cupric ions on the surface of iron. As the further example the deposition of tin as "arbor Jovis" is discussed as it appears in Pseudogeber's work.
The key recipe found by the author in a Czech alchemical manuscript from the 16th century is titled "Mutacio Saturnum in Venerem". Supported by views of Alexander von Suchten it allows to conclude that seemingly successful transmutation between common metals was one of arguments in favor of the possibility of a similar process leading to precious metals.