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Alchemical symbol
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<table><tbody><tr><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2">Alchemical symbols before <a href="/facts/Antoine_Lavoisier/UheVQrhu">Lavoisier</a></td></tr></tbody></table> <p>Alchemical symbols were used to denote chemical elements and compounds, as well as <a href="/facts/Alchemy/CEx0U1Em">alchemical</a> apparatus and processes, until the 18th century. Although notation was partly standardized, style and symbol varied between alchemists. Lüdy-Tenger published an inventory of 3,695 symbols and variants, and that was not exhaustive, omitting for example many of the symbols used by <a href="/facts/Isaac_Newton/4L7gTncN">Isaac Newton</a>. This page therefore lists only the most common symbols. </p>