Final answer:
Alchemists tried to get gold from mercury because of its ability to form amalgams for easy gold collection and due to the historical belief that mercury could help transmute base metals into gold, aligning with the pursuit of wealth in a time when it was seen as finite.
Step-by-step explanation:
The alchemists of old were obsessed with the transmutation of substances, particularly in transforming base metals into valuable ones like gold. Due to mercury's unique properties, it was commonly used in attempts to purify gold and, by those engrossed in alchemy, as a medium to try to create gold.
They witnessed prospectors using mercury to collect finely divided gold into an amalgam for easier collection, leading them to believe mercury could also hold the key to creating gold. The goal was driven by the belief that wealth was finite and that accumulation of gold was essential for maintaining power.
As the science of alchemy gave way to modern chemistry, the fruitless search for a universal solvent or methodology to create gold was abandoned.