Alchemists do it in Buckets

What is alchemy if not bucket chemistry? Pauwels & Bergier observe that "...more than a hundred thousand books and manuscripts on alchemy are known to exist...". That may be true, after centuries of alchemical dabbling, but to what avail? There may be a few truths hidden in the old books, maybe even some fabulous lost know-how, but it's mostly just esotericism. Modern chemistry is the real thing, having accomplished more than alchemy ever did, or ever hoped to do.