title: Lead and mercury each as prime matter in alchemy.
abstract: Prime Matter is matter-cum-energy. The first substance identified as such was lead. When gently heated it becomes red and redness means soul or energy so that lead was potentially red or soul-like and as such dual natured. Mercury also becomes red and can return to white metal. It was thus dual natured and was the second substance recognized as Prime Matter. First lead alone and then lead and mercury were considered as the source of all metals.
authors.affiliation: SD, 34 - Block A, North Nazimabad, Karachi - 33, Pakistan.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mahdihassan