Alkahest is a hypothetical universal solvent

Solvent

A solvent is a liquid, solid, or gas that dissolves another solid, liquid, or gaseous solute, resulting in a solution that is soluble in a certain volume of solvent at a specified temperature...

, having the power to dissolve

Solubility

Solubility is the property of a solid, liquid, or gaseous chemical substance called solute to dissolve in a solid, liquid, or gaseous solvent to form a homogeneous solution of the solute in the solvent. The solubility of a substance fundamentally depends on the used solvent as well as on...

 every other substance, including gold

Gold

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...

. It was much sought after by alchemists

Alchemy

Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...

 for what they thought would be its invaluable medicinal

Medicine

Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....

 qualities. The name is believed to have been invented by Paracelsus

Paracelsus

Paracelsus was a German-Swiss Renaissance physician, botanist, alchemist, astrologer, and general occultist....

 from Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

, who modelled it on similar words taken from Arabic

Arabic language

Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...

, such as ‘alkali

Alkali

In chemistry, an alkali is a basic, ionic salt of an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal element. Some authors also define an alkali as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a soluble base has a pH greater than 7. The adjective alkaline is commonly used in English as a synonym for base,...

’. Paracelsus' own recipe was based on caustic lime, alcohol, and carbonate of potash

Potassium carbonate

Potassium carbonate is a white salt, soluble in water , which forms a strongly alkaline solution. It can be made as the product of potassium hydroxide's absorbent reaction with carbon dioxide. It is deliquescent, often appearing a damp or wet solid...

. He believed that this element alkahest was, in fact, the philosopher's stone

Philosopher's stone

The philosopher's stone is a legendary alchemical substance said to be capable of turning base metals into gold or silver. It was also sometimes believed to be an elixir of life, useful for rejuvenation and possibly for achieving immortality. For many centuries, it was the most sought-after goal...

. A potential problem involving alkahest is that, if it dissolves everything, then it cannot be placed into a container, because it would dissolve the container.
However, the alchemist Philalethes

Eirenaeus Philalethes

Eirenaeus Philalethes was a 17th century alchemist and the author of many influential works. These works were read by such luminaries as Isaac Newton, John Locke, and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz...

 specifies that Alkahest dissolves only composed material into their constituent, elemental, parts.

In modern times, water

Water

Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...

 is sometimes called the universal solvent as well, because it can dissolve a large variety of substances, due to its chemical polarity

Chemical polarity

In chemistry, polarity refers to a separation of electric charge leading to a molecule or its chemical groups having an electric dipole or multipole moment. Polar molecules interact through dipole–dipole intermolecular forces and hydrogen bonds. Molecular polarity is dependent on the difference in...

.

Literature

• P.A. Porto: "Summus atque felicissimus salium": The Medical Relevance of the liquor Alkahest. Bulletin of the History of Medicine 76(1), p. 1 - 29 (2002),
• Eyrénée Philalèthe: "Anthoposophia theomagica", 1650.
• Balzac's 1834 alchemical novel "La Recherche de l'Absolu" has been published in English both as "The Quest of the Absolute" and "The Alkahest".

Popular culture

• Alkahest is also the name of a rock band from Genoa, Italy.
• Alkahest is the name of a fictional terrorist organization in the Instructional Alternate Reality Game
  Alternate reality game
  An alternate reality game is an interactive narrative that uses the real world as a platform, often involving multiple media and game elements, to tell a story that may be affected by participants' ideas or actions....
  
   Never Rest.
• In the manga series Fullmetal Alchemist
  Fullmetal Alchemist
  , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa. The world of Fullmetal Alchemist is styled after the European Industrial Revolution...
  
  , and anime series Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (2009), Alkahestry is a form of alchemy used by members of the Chinese-inspired, "eastern" nation of Xing. Unlike the "western" Alchemy of the nation of Amestris, which is mainly used to manipulate matter for military purposes, Alkahestry evolved in Xing for medical applications.