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[Alexandr Korol]

The English alchemist George Ripley (15th century), in The Book of the Twelve Gates, proposed the following method for obtaining the Philosopher’s Stone:
To prepare the elixir of the wise, or the Philosopher’s Stone, take, my son, philosophical mercury and heat it until it becomes the Red Lion. Digest this Red Lion in a sand bath with sour grape spirit, evaporate the liquid, and the mercury will turn into a resin-like substance that can be cut with a knife. Place it in a clay-coated retort and distill slowly. Collect separately the various types of liquids that appear during this process. You will obtain tasteless phlegm, spirit, and red drops. Cimmerian shadows will veil the retort in a dull shroud. It will ignite and soon take on a splendid lemon color, then once again give rise to the Green Lion. Make it devour its own tail, and distill the product again. Finally, my son, rectify carefully, and you will witness the appearance of burning water and human blood. — George Ripley
This recipe describes the production of acetone from lead acetate, in which other derivatives — such as carbines — produced by the pyrolysis of organic matter may also dissolve.”
There’s another interesting section in Wikipedia: “The Great Work (Latin: magnum opus) — in alchemy, it is the process of obtaining the Philosopher’s Stone (also known as the Elixir of the Philosophers), as well as the achievement of enlightened consciousness and the union of spirit and matter. Some alchemists claimed to have successfully completed the Great Work; among them were Nicolas Flamel and Cagliostro. Éliphas Lévi, one of the first modern ceremonial magicians and an inspiration to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, gave the following definition:
The Great Work is, above all, the creation of man by himself — that is, the full and universal unfolding of his powers, mastery over his destiny, and, above all, the perfect liberation of his will.”