The final is located at N 35° 04.907' W 83° 17.701'. Each of the caches in the Alchemist Series are now stand alone caches. No info is required to attempt any of the caches in the series. And this one is no longer a golden ammo can. It’s a small circular Rubbermaid container with a reddish lid.
The Alchemist Series contains a total of fifteen caches: eight in Tier One, four in Tier Two, two in Tier Three, and one in Tier Four. The eight caches in Tier One are all traditional, so the listed coordinates are accurate. But in order to find any of the caches in the three higher tiers you must first find two caches in a lower tier.(The graphic above shows how the series fits together.) Each cache -- except for Gold -- contains a three digit number written on the inside of the front cover of the logbook; that number will be needed to calculate either the latitude or longitude of a higher tier cache.
In order to find this cache you must first find Silver and Mercury. I also recommend you bring a copy of the periodic table with you. This series will take you on a criss-cross journey through western North Carolina. This is not a race!
The above coordinates are NOT for the cache. You need to start at:
N 35° 0 [ZINC's CHECKSUM] . 0 [SILVER's CHECKSUM PLUS SODIUM's CHECKSUM] [TIN's CHECKSUM PLUS IRON's CHECKSUM MINUS 1]
W 83° 1 [MERCURY's CHECKSUM] . [BRASS's CHECKSUM] [SALT's CHECKSUM MINUS 3] 0
This will bring you to a building with a relevant name. Make sure you record the four digit DATE on the sign near the front door. (Do NOT use the four digit number directly above the front doors.) Using your periodic table, find the elements represented by the first two digits and the last two digits. Then count the number of letters in the names of each element, and use those numbers in the calculations below (call them "E1" and "E2"). The coordinates to the trailhead are:
N 35° 0 [COPPER's CHECKSUM MINUS 1] . [364 + SILVER]
W 83° 1 [STEEL's CHECKSUM] . [063 + MERCURY]
Cache coordinates are:
N 35° 0 [PEWTER's CHECKSUM MINUS 2] . [206 + SILVER + (E1 TIMES 100)]
W 83° 1 [CHLORINE's CHECKSUM] . [079 + MERCURY + (E2 TIMES 40)]
[Clarifier 1: If the three-digit number you found in a logbook was "152" the CHECKSUM would be 1 + 5 + 2, which equals 8.]
[Clarifier 2: If a variable above does NOT say "CHECKSUM" you need to use the three-digit number that you found in that cache's logbook.]
The cache is within four miles of the listed coordinates. You are looking for an appropriately colored ammo can, in a spot appropriate to the trade items within. It is full of items that have been described as "Geocaching Gold"; feel free to take one of the coveted items. There is also an appropriately colored FTF prize. Please keep any items you leave in the cache gold-themed. As always, trade even or up. Enjoy The Alchemist Series!
One of the caches in this series was my 500th hide! The inspiration for this series came from MarcB -- a cacher in the United Kingdom who graciously allowed me to steal the idea. Check out any of the caches in his Alchemy Quest series. 
FTF HONORS FOR COMPLETING THE ALCHEMIST SERIES GO TO jratzlaf!!!
FTF HONORS FOR THIS CACHE GO TO LL100 and mxcr!!!
