Chapter 4: Base Metals

Chapter 5

A base metal is a metal that easily corrodes or oxidises and reacts with hydrochloric acid (HCl). Base metals tend to be common and relatively inexpensive, which is what makes them so appealing for use in alchemy. These are the metals that one begins with, and the hope is that one will successfully transmute their base metal into a noble metal.

This chapter will look at some of the important base metals. Please note that these metals are often found in alloys. An alloy is a combination of metallic elements in order to create a different metal. An example of this is pewter. Pewter is an alloy that normally consists of lead, tin, copper, and antimony. Do not confuse a pure metal with an alloy. This can result in disaster, especially when using magic.

Copper

Melting Point: 1084.5°C

Boiling Point: 2562°C

Density: 8.96 g/cm³

Celestial Body: Venus

Organ: Kidneys

Copper is considered a base metal, but it is important to note that it does not react with hydrochloric acid the way the other base metals do. It is used in a variety of alloys, but two of the most common alloys are brass and bronze. It is also commonly seen as a component of coins.

Copper was likely discovered around 9000 BC in the Middle East. Jewelry containing the metal has been found from near that time period. As time passed the Copper Age gave way to the Bronze Age, and humans continued to refine their working of copper.

Iron

Melting Point: 1538°C

Boiling Point: 2862°C

Density: 7.87 g/cm³

Celestial Body: Mars

Organ: Gall Bladder

Iron is one of the most common elements on Earth and is very important to us in a number of ways, including biology. We know that iron was used as far back as 3500 BC. Unfortunately, iron corrodes very easily, which has resulted in many older iron pieces not surviving to the modern age.

Through history, iron has been used in a variety of ways. Some examples of the way in which iron has been used include wrought irons, cast iron, and steel. Iron’s numerous uses have made it a popular material (or made its alloys popular) for everything from beads to tools to weapons.

Lead

Melting Point: 327.5°C

Boiling Point: 1749°C

Density: 11.36 g/cm³

Celestial Body: Saturn

Organ: Spleen

Lead is one of the easier metals to manipulate with magic. Lead has been used for thousands of years by Muggles and wizarding kind alike. It has been turned into lead beads that have been dated to as far back as 6400 BC, and it has also been used as currency dated back to 2000 BC and in jewelry and other goods in medieval Europe. It is still used in the modern day, although its uses are more limited as we now know that it is poisonous when inhaled or consumed.

One of the greatest fascinations with lead in alchemy is the possibility of turning it into gold. Dzou Yen was known to have transmuted lead into gold, and it is likely that the noted alchemist, Nicholas Flamel, did as well with his Philosopher’s Stone. This is one case in which Muggle technology has caught up with magic. Through complicated and expensive science, Muggles can now change lead into gold, although this is not often done.

Nickel

Melting Point: 1453°C

Boiling Point: 2730°C

Density: 8.9 g/cm³

Celestial Body: N/A

Organ: N/A

Nickel has been seen in alloys as far back as 3500 BC. It is slow to oxidize at normal room temperatures and has therefore been used in plating other metals and creating alloys in order to help maintain a silvery appearance.

Nickel was named in the 18^th century by a Swedish wizard, Axel Fredrik Cronstedt. German miners found an ore that they thought contained copper, but could not extract any. They began calling this ore Kupfernickel (Kupfer meaning 'copper' and Nickel being a mischievous spirit in German mythology). In the 18^th century, Cronstedt was trying to get copper from some Kupfernickel and managed to extract what we now call nickel.

Zinc

Melting Point: 419°C

Boiling Point: 1665°C

Density: 7.134 g/cm³

Celestial Body: N/A

Organ: N/A

Zinc is a very weak metal and usually a very inexpensive metal. It has been used in alloys since at least the 10^th century BC. One of its most common uses throughout history is in brass, which is a combination of zinc and copper. It can also be seen in currency, for example, the American penny is mostly composed of zinc.

Alchemists have long enjoyed manipulating zinc. Some examples of their manipulations include heating it with other metals to create alloys and dissolving it in sodium hydroxide. Alchemists have also been known to burn zinc metal in the air creating zinc oxide. When they collected it, it had the appearance of being wooly, so it was sometimes called Lana Philosophica, or 'philosopher’s wool'. It was also called Nix Alba, which translates into 'white snow'.