U+1F74E "🝎" Alchemical Symbol for Caput Mortuum Unicode Character

U+1F74E "🝎" Alchemical Symbol for Caput Mortuum is a specialized glyph from the Alchemical Symbols block, representing a concept central to alchemical philosophy. In alchemy, "caput mortuum" (Latin for "dead head") refers to the worthless residue left after a substance has undergone distillation or sublimation, often seen as the final, inert byproduct of a process. This symbol, visually depicted as a small cross or asterisk-like figure above a circle, was used in historical manuscripts to denote this useless or "dead" matter, embodying the alchemical cycle of purification, decomposition, and transformation. Today, the character serves as a niche but evocative link to the symbolic language of early chemistry and mystical traditions.