The political ramnifications of alchemy were simple. The rulers wanted one of two things: to make gold out of anything they pleased and immortality. These were the two main goals of alchemy. In China, an emperor would hire an alchemist to find the elixir to make him immortal. This did not work and many times the alchemists put lead in their elixirs. This was one of the first chemical theories to come out of alchemy: lead poisoning. This lead poisoning killed leaders creating opportunities for their successors. The cycle would frequently continue when the new ruler hired another alchemist.