Laboratory 2

"Goun, do you know how to make other valuable items?" Genevieve asked.

Genevieve wanted to do this kind of practice again. She really enjoyed making precious crystals with intricate craftsmanship, it made her very excited.

"Of course I know, how about we make some precious things from simple materials. Are you ready?" Goun asked enthusiastically.

"Of course, Goun. I'm always ready to learn from you. What are we going to make?" Genevieve replied excitedly.

"We will make gold, gems, and pearls. These three items are symbols of wealth, beauty, and purity. They are also the most difficult objects to make with alchemy, as they require very complex and precise reactions. But I'm sure you can do it just like the previous items," Goun explains.

"Wow, that sounds very interesting and challenging. How do you do it?" Genevieve asked curiously.

"We'll use the materials here," Goun pointed to the workbench full of bottles, tubes, and other tools. "We'll start by making gold from iron."

Goun handed Genevieve an iron rod, then took a vial of mercury solution from the shelf.

"To make gold from iron, we must perform a reduction-oxidation reaction between iron and mercury. The iron will lose its electrons and become Fe2+ ions, while the mercury will gain electrons and become Hg atoms. We must then heat this mixture until it reaches a temperature of 356 degrees Celsius, which is the boiling point of mercury. The mercury will evaporate and leave a gold deposit at the bottom of the container," Goun explains the procedure.

Genevieve nodded her head as she paid attention to Goun's every word. She had no trouble following his explanation, as she had a unique ability that could sense the flow of alchemical energy from the ingredients.

"Alright, let's get started," Genevieve said as she cut the iron rod into small pieces with metal scissors. Then she put the pieces of iron into a metal bowl, and poured the mercury solution over them until it covered all the iron.

She saw the colour of the mercury solution turn dark grey, indicating that a reduction-oxidation reaction had taken place. Then she moved the metal bowl to the gas stove, and lit the fire with a match.

She adjusted the flame to be neither too high nor too low, so that the temperature of the mixture could rise slowly. She checked the temperature of the mixture with a digital thermometer every few minutes, until it reached 356 degrees Celsius.

She watches as mercury vapour begins to form above the surface of the mixture, then rises upwards and exits the metal bowl through a glass pipe connected to a cooling tube. The mercury vapour would cool down in the cooling tube, then condense into liquid mercury again in the beaker below the cooling tube.

Genevieve switches off the flame and waits for the mixture in the metal bowl to cool. Then she lifts the metal bowl with rubber gloves, and pours it into a sieve placed on a plastic tray.

She found a golden yellow sediment on top of the sieve, and a dark grey liquid in the plastic tray. She realised that the sediment was gold, and the liquid was an iron solution.

She picked up the gold deposits with tweezers, then cleaned them with a clean cloth. She was surprised at how shiny and beautiful the gold was. The gold weighed about 10 grams, and was irregularly shaped.

"I did it!" Genevieve exclaimed happily.

"Well done, Young Lady. You are very good. Your gold is very pure and of high quality, which will fetch a high price in the market" Goun praised.

"Thank you, Goun. I feel very happy making something that has a high price...hehehe~" Genevieve was pleased.

Without realising it, Genevieve began to enjoy making valuable items that could undermine market prices. In her previous life she was unable to make things like gold and diamonds, so when she learnt that gold could be created by her she was hooked on making them.

"So, what should I do next?" Genevieve asked.

"Next, we'll make gems out of carbon," Goun said as he handed Genevieve a vial of sugar solution. "You've made diamonds out of carbon before, right? Now we'll make other gems, like rubies, sapphires, and emeralds."

"How?" Genevieve asked.

"To make gems from carbon, we have to perform a dehydration reaction between sugar and concentrated sulphuric acid. The sugar will lose its water molecules and become carbon, while the sulfuric acid will become water and sulfur dioxide gas. Then we have to add additional ingredients according to the type of gem we want. For example, to make rubies we must add chromium, to make sapphires we must add aluminium, and to make emeralds we must add beryllium. These additives will give the gem colour and lustre," Goun explains the procedure.

Genevieve nodded her head as she paid attention to Goun's every word. She had no trouble following his explanation, and she also remembered every detail of his explanation with the help of her unique ability.

"Alright, let's get started," Genevieve said as she poured 10ml of sugar solution into a test tube, then heated it over a flame with a lighter. She saw the sugar solution change colour from yellow to dark brown, and emit gas bubbles. She quickly switched off the flame and put the test tube on a watch glass to cool it down.

Then she filtered the dark brown solution with a filter paper into another beaker. She got a black powder on the filter paper, and a clear liquid in the beaker. She realised that the black powder was carbon, and the clear liquid was water.

Then she divided the carbon powder into three equal parts with a glass spoon. She put each piece of carbon into three different test tubes. Then she took three bottles of chromium, aluminium and beryllium solutions from the shelf.

She poured 5 ml of chromium solution into the first test tube, 5 ml of aluminium solution into the second test tube, and 5 ml of beryllium solution into the third test tube. She stirred each test tube with a glass spoon until they were well mixed.

Then she closed the three test tubes with rubber stoppers, and shook them vigorously for a few minutes. She felt the vibration and heat from the three test tubes, and heard a rustling sound from inside. She was curious about the results.

She opened the rubber stopper carefully, and took out the results from the three test tubes with tweezers. She was fascinated by what she saw. In his hand, there were three gems that were red, blue and green in colour, the size of a pea. They reflected light of various colours, and brought a sense of awe and pride to his heart.

"I did it, it was so easy to make!" Genevieve exclaimed happily.

"Well done, Genevieve. You are so amazing. Your jewellery is beautiful and precious," Goun praised.

"Thank you, Goun. I am very happy. What should I do next?" Genevieve asked.

"Next, we're going to make pearls from calcium carbonate," Goun said as he handed Genevieve a bottle of lime solution. "You know that pearls are the result of a biological process that takes place inside shells, right? They secrete a substance called nacre, which is made up of calcium carbonate and organic proteins. This nacre forms thin layers that surround foreign objects that enter the shell, such as sand or parasites. These layers eventually form a lustrous and smooth pearl."

"Yes, I know. But how can we make pearls with alchemy?" Genevieve asked.

"To make pearls with alchemy, we have to perform a precipitation reaction between a lime solution and acetic acid. Lime solution contains calcium ions and carbonate ions, while acetic acid contains hydrogen ions and acetate ions. When these two solutions are mixed, the calcium ions and carbonate ions will react to form a calcium carbonate precipitate, which is the basic ingredient of pearls. Then we have to add an additional ingredient that functions as an organic protein, gelatin. This gelatin will help form layers of nacre around the calcium carbonate deposit," Goun explains the procedure.

Genevieve nodded her head as she paid attention to Goun's every word.

'I think I understand how it's done' Genevieve thought.

"Alright, let's get started," Genevieve said as she poured 10ml of the lime solution into a test tube, then added a few drops of acetic acid to it. She saw a milky white precipitate forming inside the test tube, signalling that the precipitation reaction had taken place.

She then took a bottle of gelatine solution from the shelf, and poured 5 ml of gelatine solution into the same test tube. She swirled the test tube with a glass spoon until it was well mixed.

Then she capped the test tube with a rubber stopper, and placed it in the fridge for an hour. She wanted to cool the mixture so that the gelatine could harden and form layers of nacre.

After an hour had passed, she took the test tube out of the fridge, and carefully removed the rubber stopper. Then she poured the mixture into a sieve placed on a plastic tray.

She found a pearly white precipitate on top of the sieve, and a clear liquid in the plastic tray. She realised that the sediment was pearls, and the liquid was the residual solution.

She picked up the pearl sediment with tweezers, then cleaned it with a clean cloth. She was surprised at how smooth and shiny the pearl was. The pearl had a diameter of about 1cm, and its shape was perfectly round.

"Yeay, I did it again!" Genevieve exclaimed happily.

"Well done, Young Lady. You are very talented indeed. Your pearls are so beautiful and luxurious," Goun praised.

"Thank you, Goun. I am very pleased. I didn't expect to be able to make these precious things with alchemy," Genevieve said.

"You don't have to wonder, Young Lady. You are such a rare and special talent. You can make anything with alchemy, as long as you are willing to learn and practice. You are a great and talented alchemist," Goun said.

"Thank you, Goun. I am very grateful to you. You are a good and wise alchemist. You have taught me many things about alchemy, and guided me to develop my potential. You are a wonderful teacher," Genevieve said.

"Thank you, Young Lady. I am also very grateful to you. You are a diligent and intelligent student. You have shown great ability and results in alchemy, and inspired me to continue learning and creating. You are a valuable student," Goun said.

They felt happy and satisfied with what they had made together. They kept the precious things they had made with alchemy in a glass box, and placed it on the work table as a memento.

Then they both continued their alchemy practice with vigour and enthusiasm, trying to make other more interesting and challenging objects. They never get bored or tired, as they always find new and exciting things in alchemy.