Albert Desmond debuted in Showcase #13 as Mr. Element in 1958. At this point, he had no civilian identity.

He did, however, have costumed henchmen, who he named Helium, Neon, Argon, Krypton, Xenon, and Radon after the six inert elements, and a love of monologuing.

Mr. Element: I've named you six underlings after the six inert elements, because you can't make a move without me!.....Do you think I became what I am by accident? Listen, and I'll explain a thing or two to you! When I resolved on my criminal career, I knew that one thing alone might keep me from complete success--the Flash! Even as a boy, I had always been fascinated by the chemical elements!

Young Al: All precious things are elements! Diamond is pure carbon! And then there's gold, silver, platinum....

*Albert, I would like to point out that all things, precious or otherwise, are made up of elements.*

Mr. Element: When I grew up and became involved in crime, I profited by my boyhood reading.

Past Albert: I can only succeed as a criminal if I defeat the Flash! And there's only one way I can do that--by elements! The elements contain the answer to everything--even the Flash! I shall gain complete mastery over the elements!

Mr. Element: I carried out my idea with my usual thoroughness, secured an adequate hideout, and designed my own uniform. Life is based on carbon, so my emblem shall be the model of a carbon atom! Elements are found in rocks, so my headquarters shall be among these underground rocks! To inhale only pure oxygen, I wear this atmosphere-filter!

That pure oxygen he's inhaling may explain some of his odd behavior.

Anyway, Mr. Element proceeds to go on robberies and fight the Flash, all the while teaching the audience about vanadium (one of the hardest substances known), sodium (which explodes on contact with water), silicon (used in glass), magnesium (useful for flares), and radium (useful for explosives).

He also tries to send the Flash into outer space with elemento, a form of "magnetic light", the existence of which violates the laws of physics, but Flash escapes this trap by violating the laws of physics back at Mr. Element.

It's also worth noting that, at this point, there is no indication that Mr. Element has innate powers without his element gun.

Mr. Element would return one issue later, in Showcase #14, where he gave himself an entirely new costume and identity.

Dr. Alchemy: There is no more Mr. Element! I have adopted a new identity, one that will enable me to deal with my enemy--the Flash! From now on--I am Dr. Alchemy! From now on, "change" is the key word in my methods--and the means by which I shall defeat the Flash! I have become the maser of change! Already my new methods enabled me to break out of jail! My cellmate, Ben Sniper, first put me on the right track, by accident! He kept talking about his "lucky stone".

Ben Sniper: And the one time I left my lucky stone home, I was nabbed by the police!

Based on this extremely limited information, Albert deduces that Ben's lucky stone must be the Philosopher's Stone, so he uses a spoon to dig his way out of prison, and then makes his way to Ben's house, where he finds the stone. Following this, he takes it to his "subterranean lair", where he tests its abilities.

Albert: It works! By merely pressing a certain point on the stone and directing it at a lead pipe, I've changed it to gold!...I'm learning how to control the stone! Depending on where I press it, I can cause different substances to change in different ways! I now have the power to change the Earth! But a change in method calls for a change in name! I know! It was the ancient alchemists who searched for the Philosopher's Stone! I shall use it as Dr. Alchemy!

That's right. A random criminal's lucky stone turned out to be the Philosopher's Stone. That has to be the most improbable coincidence in all of Silver Age Flash comics---and that's saying a lot.

Dr. Alchemy proceeds to go on a crime spree, stealing money in spite of the fact that he can transmute anything to gold, and escaping the Flash by doing things like changing coins into quicksilver and transmuting the air into rubber bands. However, eventually the Flash overpowers him, captures him, and throws the Philosopher's Stone into orbit.

Which makes it really odd when Dr. Alchemy shows up again in Justice League of America vol. 1 #21-22 (1960) and somehow has the Philosopher's Stone again. How did it not burn up when the Flash threw it into orbit at escape velocity?

Whatever the case, Dr. Alchemy spends most of these issues working with the other Crime Champions (Chronos and Felix Faust from Earth-1 and Fiddler, the Wizard, and the Icicle from Earth-2) to steal money and defeat the Justice League.

His powers are basically the same as in Showcase #14, and he still has no civilian identity.

When we next see the character, in Flash vol. 1 #147 (1964), he has reformed and been released from prison. He also gets his name, Albert Desmond, and a fiancee, Rita.

Barry describes the situation thusly: On either side of him...the two spectacular criminals he formerly created--Dr. Alchemy and Mr. Element---when his whole purpose in life was to defeat the Flash and enrich himself at the expense of others! But Desmond conquered his criminal drive! He's a new man...completely reformed!

Unfortunately for Albert, while he and Rita are at lunch with Barry and Iris, Professor Zoom the Reverse-Flash uses the mental powers that he had at this point to force him to leave the restaurant, go to his old hideout, and do some science to bring Eobard to the present.

Eobard wants Albert to stabilize "element Z", which will give him permanent super-speed (at this point, his speed came from an old costume of Barry's that he amplified the super-speed wave patterns from, allowing him to use the same powers while wearing it). Albert refuses.

Albert: You want me to help you commit crimes! But I've given up crime! Even if I wanted to help you, I couldn't! My unique powers as Mr. Element were linked only to the criminal side of my nature, which I have overcome!

This line is the first evidence of apparent dissociation between Albert Desmond and his costumed identities. Apparently, Albert's scientific knowledge is, at this stage, blocked off to him when he's not acting as one of his criminal alters.

I don't know if Broome was necessarily intending that Albert have Dissociative Identity Disorder at this point, but since Bates later established that he did, that seems to be what's going on here.

Regardless, Eobard uses his mind-control powers to force Albert to dress up as Mr. Element, commit crimes, and create Element Z for him, much to Albert's agony.

Albert: His words...that I like crime...are they really true? Am I a criminal at heart? I thought that part of me was behind me--forever! If only I could break loose from his mental control!

It also gives us this great exchange between Albert and Eobard.

Eobard: Here! I said I'd reward you! Even though I engineered the crime, the loot's all yours! Not bad for a night's work, eh?

Albert: Sure, loot for a criminal. Yes....

Eobard: Cheer up! You may be a criminal, but you're a rich one! Ha ha! And now it's time for me to go. I've kept my promise to you--and you've kept your part of the bargain too! It's been a pleasure to make your acquaintance!

Albert: I...I wish I'd never set eyes on you!

There's something morbidly funny about Eobard going on about how successful their evil partnership was while Albert is devastated about the fact that Eobard has basically ruined his life for no reason.

Albert turns himself in to the police for the crimes he committed while under mind control, but he is released when Barry defeats Eobard and learns that Eobard was forcing him to commit crimes against his will.

The character's next appearance was in Flash vol. 1 #153 (1965). In this issue, we learn that Albert is working at an industrial company and is about to be made supervisor. It's a bit odd that he's not in a laboratory, given his scientific expertise and the fact that he later works as a scientist, but maybe at this point his scientific knowledge is still blocked off from him for whatever reason.

Regardless, he turns down the promotion because he's been feeling a terrifying urge to start stealing again. In the hopes of avoiding recidivism, he meets with Barry Allen for lunch, and, after nearly becoming Mr. Element again and only narrowly stopping himself, Barry takes him to a rest home, since he's suffering from what Barry describes as "a near nervous breakdown".

This is the first issue to really suggest that Albert might potentially struggle with mental health issues.

Barry and Albert describe the situation as follows:

Barry (thinking): According to Al, it's all starting again---the terrible urge to steal, to commit crimes--just as happened last year when Professor Zoom sought to make him revert to his original Mr. Element identity!

Albert: Yes, that's why I couldn't accept the promotion, Barry! It would have meant handling company funds, and I--I don't trust myself! Lately, the urge to become a criminal again has been getting stronger--stronger! I don't know how long I can control myself!

But his mental health isn't the only issue at play, because we quickly learn that the reason Albert's been struggling with his criminal urges is because Professor Zoom the Reverse-Flash has used "the science of ultra-speed" to invent a device that "will make whatever evil there is in a person flourish, like sunlight makes a plant grow!"

In other words, Eobard's mind-controlling him again. However, because the beam of the device can't be narrowed through the 500-year time corridor it's passing through, Eobard can't keep the beam focused on Desmond, which is why the poor man is having a nervous breakdown instead of simply becoming fully evil. To fix this problem, Eobard decides to head back in time on his Cosmic Treadmill, which he copied from Barry, so that he can shoot the evil ray directly at Albert.

His arrival in Central City attracts the Flash, and the two of them battle for awhile. Albert, who was on a stroll near the rest home, stumbles on their battle.

Albert: As Al Desmond I can't do anything in this desperate emergency to aid the Flash! I'm nobody! But as my old alter ego, Mr. Element, I was someone--with extraordinary powers! Only as Mr. Element do I stand a chance of saving Flash! But wait! As Mr. Element, the evil side of me will take over! I won't be able to prevent it--and I won't want to aid Flash! Yet there may be a way out of this dilemma...one possible way...

Given this description, it does seem that at this point Mr. Element is fairly separate as an entity from Albert Desmond.

Eobard captures Barry, and he decides to have Albert, who is now fully under the control of the evil ray and has robbed a jewelry store, kill the Flash instead of doing it himself. Mr. Element does show up in Eobard's hideout, but instead of shooting Barry, he shoots the radiation machine that Eobard was using to hold Barry prisoner, freeing the Flash. Flash quickly defeats Eobard, and then goes to thank Albert for saving his life, only for Mr. Element to call him his enemy.

Mr. Element: As Al Desmond, before putting on my Mr. Element attire, I gave myself a post-hypnotic suggestion. Self-hypnosis had long been one of my hobbies! And as Desmond I was out to help you. I ordered myself under hypnosis to come to your assistance the moment I saw you! Actually, I couldn't help myself! My fingers were forced to turn my Element Gun away from you and at Zoom's machine.

So yes. Albert apparently has a hobby of self-hypnosis. Could that potentially be a method by which he tries to manage his illness? It certainly seems effective at limiting the harm Mr. Element is able to cause.

Also, it's worth noting that the pattern over this issue and issue #147 seems to establish that the full trigger for Mr. Element to take over the body completely is when Albert puts on the costume.

Whatever the case, Mr. Element tries to shoot the Flash, and the Flash stops him, knocks him out, and runs him to the 25th century, where a program of "electro-reeducation" somehow eradicates the evil in him.

This sounds an awful lot like brainwashing, but since Albert appears to retain free will and Mr. Element later returns, apparently the machine just helped Albert take back control of his body.

Albert and Barry return to their own time, Albert accepts the promotion, and the story ends with Rita and Albert planning to get married right away.

And indeed, when Albert next appears, in the Flash vol. 1 #165 (1966), he and Rita are indeed married. Both of them are guests at Barry and Iris' wedding. They don't do a whole lot, but it's cute to see them at Barry's wedding regardless.

Following his cameo in #165, Albert and Rita return in Flash vol. 1 #216.

The story opens basically in medias res, with Albert running up to Barry, begging for help, and then suddenly transforming into Mr. Element (he transmutes his costume out of thin air) and setting him on fire. After Barry escapes from the flames, Rita comes up to him to explain what's going on.

Rita: He's become evil again, Barry! Al tried to resist it--but the counter-forces inside him are too strong! It wasn't until last night that Al told me the cause of his affliction. It's the cursed gem in this ring--known as the Dragon's Eye! The ring belonged to Professor Peter Desmond--

Barry: The astronomer who discovered a star where the "eye" would be in the Dragon constellation. Al couldn't have been more than a baby at the time!

Rita: The Dragon's Eye is a pulsating sun...a rare type of star that constantly changes in brightness, caused by expansion and contraction of the stellar body! When Professor Desmond sighted it, he was wearing the Dragon Eye ring. While his telescope was in use, it focalized the starlight--like a magnifying glass draws together sunlight, and the pulsating energy was absorbed into the ring's gem.

When Professor Desmond took baby Al into his arms, "the pulsating sun suddenly erupted with surging intensity, inducing the pulsating energy in the ring to also burst forth and flow into the nearest recipient, his son! From that day forward, Al has been constantly energized by light rays emanating from the Dragon's Eye!"

Apparently, this pulsating star is somehow responsible for Albert's mental instability.

Rita: For the first twenty years of his life, the star remained relatively calm...but then it started pulsating again---and that's when Al became Mr. Element. He's been fluctuating between good and evil ever since--a helpless slave of the changing starlight that flows into him!

This doesn't entirely mesh with the fact that Eobard was able to manipulate his mind and cause the Mr. Element persona to emerge, but who knows. Maybe his mind-control was able to induce the same effects that the solar pulsations did.

Barry goes to look for Mr. Element, who reacts angrily .

Mr. Element: I spied you in a secret rendezvous with my wife, Barry Allen! And to think I considered you my best friend!

It's interesting that Element refers to Rita as "my wife". That suggests he has some level of emotional attachment to her.

Anyway, Element angrily chases after Barry, who switches costumes and becomes the Flash. The two do battle for a bit, and we learn something very interesting: namely, that Albert has innate powers.

Barry: The weapon doesn't fire!

Albert: Of course not! The power within me is its only ammunition! The gun merely concentrates my elemental energy into concentrated rays! But I can doom you without it!

Albert proceeds to prove his point by turning Barry into neon gas and trapping him in a neon sign.

So this means that the Element Gun (and, presumably, the Philosopher's Stone) don't have innate powers of their own. They're just conduits that refine Albert's power.

Albert takes over and turns Barry back into a human when the pulsating star subsides...only to ask Barry to kill him. You see, the Dragon's Eye star has gone super-nova, and the effects of it doing so reaching Earth will cause Albert to explode "with the force of a million H-bombs!"

Instead of killing Albert, Barry instead goes into outer space, collects "negative starlight", which evidently absorbs solar energy, in the Dragon's Eye ring, fires a beam of that negative starlight at Mr. Element, and saves him and the planet. Doing this also allows Albert to take control of the body once again.

So Albert has enough power inside him that he could theoretically explode and destroy the entire Earth. No wonder he's so insanely powerful.

Albert and Rita next appeared in Flash vol. 1 #221, where they made a brief cameo at Barry's birthday party.

After that, the couple returned in Flash vol. 1 #230.

In this issue, they two of them are being interviewed on TV while on vacation in Culverton when a gargoyle suddenly falls off a building and nearly crushes Albert and Rita. Albert stops it from crushing them by using his powers to disintegrate it.

Barry and Iris seem to think that removing the Dragon's Eye energy from Albert should make it impossible for him to become Mr. Element again (and for what it's worth, the Mr. Element identity never resurfaces, so maybe they were right).

Barry: There's another possibility! Think back--to the time the sinister science of Mr. Element was replaced by sinister sorcery--when Al Desmond went on a criminal rampage, possessed by a third and most dangerous personality--Dr. Alchemy, the mystic mastermind who controlled the elements by the ancient art of alchemy!....In conjuring up his evil-minded ego, Al may have unleashed a monster that could destroy him!

We also get this exchange between Al and Rita:

Albert: You'd better drive, Rita! I'm still feeling kinda shaky after that Dr. Alchemy experience!

Rita: You had to do it, darling! It was the only way to save your life! (Thinking) Poor Al! After Flash excised his evil Mr. Element personality, Al vowed he had enough willpower to keep his alter ego, Dr. Alchemy, out of mind and under control!

This gives us confirmation: Albert Desmond has Dissociative Identity Disorder (formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder). Mr. Element and Dr. Alchemy are his alters, and they take over when he's under mental stress, particularly when he also uses his powers. It seems that Albert associates use of his powers with his alters.

While Albert and Rita are driving back to Central City, Dr. Alchemy takes over the body, sets the car on fire--with Rita inside--and goes off to do his evil plan.

Notably, unlike Mr. Element, who referred to Rita as his wife and was angry when he thought Flash was romancing her, Dr. Alchemy seems to have no apparent affection for or connection with Rita at all. He simply leaves her to die.

Flash saves Rita's life, assures her that Albert and Dr. Alchemy are "two separate people", and then goes off to stop Dr. Alchemy, who sets the Talbot building aflame with green fire. Apparently, this is because the gargoyle statue that almost fell on Albert and Rita had the face of the fire demon Vadtara on it, and Dr. Alchemy decided that this meant that the demon had possessed him and that he should burn down all of Central City to purify it.

Barry Allen defeats Dr. Alchemy by helping Albert regain control of his body by subliminally shocking him with the knowledge that he is the Flash. Once he takes back control, the magic green fire is extinguished and the city is saved.

Albert: I'm sure glad my personality won out! You know, I had the odd feeling--even though I was fighting Dr. Alchemy all along with my will power--I sensed someone else was helping me break through!

This seems to suggest that, while Albert has no control over his alters, he does have some awareness of what's going on while they're in control.

Interesting.

Albert and Rita then disappeared from the comic for quite awhile. While they were off-panel, they apparently moved to Star City because his company had given him a promotion and a transfer.

When they next appeared, it was in Flash vol. 1 #287.

Barry is working in his laboratory at the Central City Police Department alongside his fellow police scientist Patty Spivot when Dr. Alchemy suddenly bursts in, holding the Philosopher's Stone and accompanied by two minions dressed like monks for some reason.

He steals a police vest made out of valuable synthetic dyrithium (which may have the same surface density as a diamond) and evades the Flash.

Flash naturally and reluctantly assumes that this means that Albert's Dr. Alchemy alter has taken over again and speeds over to check on him and Rita. On his way their house, we learn that Albert and Rita attended Iris' funeral (we didn't see them on panel, but it's nice to learn that they were there), and Barry also makes it explicit that Rita was a major force behind Albert's reformation.

Once he arrives at their house, Albert says that he was helping Rita with an overflowing laundry machine at the time of the robbery, but Rita says he was out of the house at that time. This confuses and upsets Albert, which prompts this interesting comment from Rita.

Rita: Easy, honey! Let me get you a tranquilizer!

This suggests that Albert is being medicated, at least occasionally and to some extent, for his condition.

Albert is arrested, but seems to break out of jail not long afterwards. This deeply distresses Barry, who is now pretty sure his friend's evil alter has emerged again. He also makes it clear that he thinks Albert needs psychiatric help, which further supports the notion that Albert does indeed have DID (even if its presentation is somewhat exaggerated and fictionalized.

But then we get the reveal...that the Dr. Alchemy who has been committing the crimes is not Albert's alter, but rather a completely different man--a second Al Desmond with the same voice but a completely different appearance!

Flash #288 opens with the police describing Albert thusly:

Captain Darryl Frye: According to this man Desmond's file, he's always suffered from an erratic, unstable personality! In between his sporadic criminal rampages in various costumed aliases, there have been lasting tranquil periods in his life in which he appeared to reform, functioning as a law-abiding citizen!

We also learn that Albert may be able to control the Philosopher's Stone at will, which would make sense, because issue #216 established that Al's powers are innate and that the Stone is just a conduit for his powers. Barry seems to think he's controlling it telepathically, but maybe he just reforms it whenever he needs to.

After the new Al Desmond goes on another crime spree, he returns to boast some more to Albert Desmond.

Alvin Desmond: I'm the Al Desmond behind these new crime---but you're the Al Desmond taking the rap! No one even suspects that I sprang you from the jail cell--making it appear that you had escaped yourself! I suppose, under the circumstances, the least you're entitled to is a bit of explanation from me! Even though we didn't meet until a few days ago...would you believe our lives have been inexorably linked for over thirty years! Believe me, it's true! We have far more in common than the same first name! To put it in a nutshell, Al, you and I are twins. Not physically--but astrally! To begin with, we were both born at precisely 12:07 AM on the same day in the same year...even though our respective mothers gave birth to us in hospitals thousands of miles apart! Both of us were christened Albert by our joyous parents....Mr. and Mrs. Herman Desmond of San Diego, California, and Mr. and Mrs. Herbert Desmond of Tampa, Florida!

From the 1976 DC calendar, we know the specific day was July 20th, and from the Who's Who in the DC Universe issue from 1985, we also know that Alvin's parents are Mr. and Mrs. Herman Desmond, meaning that he was the one who was born in San Diego, while Albert was the one born in Florida.

That Who's Who issue also apparently renamed him Alvin, since, as you can see, he was actually also named Albert originally.

And yes, Cary Bates called Albert's dad Peter in issue #216 and Herbert here. He was notorious for forgetting characters' names, so this shift isn't surprising.

Alvin: Early in our respective childhoods, we were both obsessed with the same uncanny fascination with chemistry and the world of the elements! As you know only too well, Al, your obsession had taken control of you by the time you reached adulthood---as you fashioned a unique uniform and dubbed yourself Mr. Element--becoming one of the most dangerous costumed criminals to ever challenge the Flash! It was only later, after your arrest and subsequent escape that you discovered the Philosopher's Stone and became Dr. Alchemy! As for myself, I too was beset by a powerful evil urge to use my elemental expertise to commit crimes. But unlike you, I had the presence of mind to seek help of the psychiatric variety! Oddly enough, I soon began to notice a definite pattern. It seemed that whenever you were in the throes of one of your criminal episodes, my own evil urges would subside and cause me no trouble. But by the same token, when your urges were dormant and you were able to lead a normal, law-abiding life, I was once again seized by the chilling grip of unrelenting, inexorable evil! these past several years , while you were thriving as a productive citizen, I was sentenced to intensified psychotherapy and round-the-clock anti-aggression drugs! But finally, no degree of preventative measures could control the rampant evil which had possessed me for so long! Because of our astral link, it was a simple matter for me to telepathically lock-in on your subconscious to discover where you had hidden the Philosopher's Stone! But it was while preparing my own crime debut that the inspiration hit me. Since the world was aware of one Dr. Alchemy and one Al Desmond--I saw no reason to confuse them!

Alvin goes on to explain that he invented a new element called Desmondium, which allowed him to mind-control Rita and force her to lie about Albert's location at the time of the robbery, and which has kept Albert passively in place for this very long monologue.

Alvin leaves and goes to battle the Flash, nearly killing him, and leaves for the next part of his crime under the assumption that Flash is dead. Meanwhile, Albert has escaped Alvin's cave hideout and has donned his Mr. Element costume.

In issue #289, Albert tracks down and battles his evil twin to a draw, then saves some firefighters from a fire that Alvin left to burn after their duel. Barry comes on the scene not long after Albert leaves and learns that Albert is in action as Mr. Element. Then Rita finds him, tells him the story about Alvin (he stopped by to tell her when he picked up the costume), and explains that Albert intends to stop Alvin's evil scheme. The Flash leaves to go help him, and together the two of them stop Alvin from using nuclear waste material to create a bunch of Desmondium to mind-control the entire world. Albert then goes back home to his wife.

That was the last Pre-Crisis appearance of either Albert or Alvin Desmond, although Barry does think about Albert in issue #300, which also gives us a flashback scene which confirms that Barry attended Albert and Rita's wedding.

Alvin appeared in an issue of Manhunter around 1986, and also appeared in a few issues of Blue Beetle, where he fused the Philosopher's Stone to his own body and then was turned to stone himself.

He then showed up again, none the worse for wear, in Flash vol. 2 #19, where we learned that he had become rather chummy with the Rogues. He was one of the guests at the party celebrating Len's release from the Suicide Squad, and we learned that he apparently had a crush on Lisa Snart (Golden Glider). Unfortunately, being Alvin, he decided to try to impress her by turning her underwear to gold. This method was, shockingly, not particularly effective.

Albert and Alvin next appeared in the Flash vol. 2 #40-41 (1990). Wally goes to see Albert because Linda Park has apparently been possessed by an Irish ghost named Seamus O'Relkig, and Albert is apparently the only expert Wally knows in mystical stuff.

Wally confirms that Albert reformed years ago, that he and Barry were good friends, and that Albert was nice to him when he was Kid Flash.

He also, interestingly, says "I heard that he had lost his grant a couple of years ago, which suggests that Albert had been working as a scientist. As mentioned, he was working for an industrial company the last we explicitly saw, but maybe he eventually started working for them in a scientific capacity or was always working for them in a scientific capacity.

Regardless, when they get inside they find Alvin posing as Albert. Somehow, in spite of the red hair (Albert has black hair), his creepiness towards Linda, and the fact that he nearly calls himself Alvin Desmond before catching himself and saying Albert, Wally doesn't figure out he's not Albert until he puts on the Dr. Alchemy costume, they fight, and then they find the real Albert tied up in a closet.

Good work, Wally.

Anyways, in the following issue, Alvin robs a bank, creeps on the female teller, and turns her into gold when she refuses his advances.

Wally thinks Alvin is still in jail, but apparently he turned himself into salt and reformed elsewhere.

Alvin goes on another rampage as Dr. Alchemy, and Albert turns up in the Mr. Element identity to stop him. Then we get the big reveal:

Alvin isn't Albert's psychic twin. He's a construct created by the Philosopher's Stone, based on Albert's own dark impulses and given false memories to give deniability. Albert accepts his dark side as part of himself and turns Alvin to stone.

In other words, the reason Alvin survived being turned to stone in that Blue Devil story is the same reason he survived being turned to salt here...because he's not a real person.

Albert then turns the teller who was transmuted into gold by Alvin back into a human, much to his relief and her gratitude.

Notably, Rita Desmond does not appear in this story, and while she was listed as Albert's wife in the 1986 Who's Who issue, she was listed as his ex-wife in the 1990 Who's Who issue. I guess they got divorced off-panel, which isn't completely out of left field (Albert's life is a nightmare), but is disappointing and sad.

And that was the last we saw of either Albert or Alvin for quite a while.

Dr. Curt Engstrom, a scientist from S.T.A.R. Labs, stole the Philosopher's Stone and became a knockoff Dr. Alchemy called the Alchemist in Flash vol. 2 #71-72 (1992-1993), but neither Albert nor Alvin made an appearance.

In Flash Annual #8 (1995), we saw Wally fight Mr. Element (presumably Albert) early in his career as Kid Flash, and then battle Dr. Alchemy (almost certainly Alvin) early in his career as the Flash, but both of those were flashback stories.

In the Life Story of the Flash (1997), Iris/Mark Waid describes Albert as follows: "One of Barry's strangest foes was Mr. Element...or should I say Dr. Alchemy? Cursed with a split personality, Al Desmond constantly shuffled back and forth between two identities, leaving Barry to wonder which he'd face during any given battle: Element, whose ray gun conjured substances out of thin air, or Alchemy, whose Philosopher's Stone could transmute inanimate objects up and down the periodic table."

Weirdly, Iris does not mention that Albert Desmond reformed, became friends with her husband, attended her wedding, and was at this point still reformed. That's a weird detail to leave out of your husband's autobiography.

The next time we saw a Dr. Alchemy in the present was in Flash vol. 2 #152 (1999), when the Dark Flash attacked a Dr. Alchemy with red hair. It seems like this was probably supposed to be Alvin, and, while he had theoretically been destroyed back in Flash vol. 2 #41, there's no particular reason why the Stone couldn't have reconstituted him again.

A Dr. Alchemy also appears in the Flash Secret Files and Origins #2 in 1999, where we saw him teaming up with the Rogues to create Replicant. Since Alvin was the Dr. Alchemy who had a history with the Rogues, this was again probably supposed to be him, but while he had Alvin's curly hair, it was colored black like Albert's. It's a really confusing appearance.

Albert Desmond (for sure this time) appeared in the Flash: Iron Heights in 2001. At this point he had been reformed for 39 real-world years.

So naturally, he's imprisoned in Iron Heights with a 35-year sentence for armed robbery and attempted murder, and the Dr. Alchemy alter is dominant.

No, there is no explanation for any of this.

Wally: Mr. Desmond...Dr. Alchemy, it's the Flash.

Dr. Alchemy: Go away, Wally. I'm reading.

Wally: I can't do that, Al. I need to talk to you.

Pied Piper: Alchemy always freaked us out. Crazy, that guy. We asked him to join the Rogues once and he laughed in our face.

Dr. Alchemy: I'm finally in my element, Wally. Peace and quiet. I wouldn't disrupt it for all the gold in the world. Now leave me be. My book is just getting good.

We do learn in Flash vol. 2 #272 that Dr. Alchemy tried to turn city hall to salt, but that doesn't explain why or how he suddenly un-reformed after such a long time.

Regardless, the next time we see Dr. Alchemy is in Flash vol. 2 #191-193,

An army of gorillas breaks into Iron Heights to rescue Grodd. One of them busts down Dr. Alchemy's door.

Gorilla: RRAAOW!

Dr. Alchemy: I'm trying to finish my book. But you're making such a ruckus. You're upsetting the Philosopher's Stone.

*He transmutes the gorilla to glass*

Dr. Alchemy: Speak no evil, monkey.

He then spends the rest of the gorilla invasion reading his book.

In Flash vol. 2 # 202-206 (2003-2004), a corrupt police scientist named Alexander Petrov uses Mr. Element's gun to frame Captain Cold for a string of murders. When Wally figures this out, Petrov puts on a costume and names himself the new Mr. Element. His time in this role lasts for about five minutes before an irate Captain Cold shows up and kills him.

Dr. Alchemy pops up again in Flash vol. 2 #207 (2004), making a deal with the Rogues:

Captain Cold: I'm not asking you to join us.

Dr. Alchemy: I have no interest in---

Captain Cold: Monetary profit. I know. But we do take a lot of heat off your activities. Most of the jobs you pull--stealing old artifacts, breaking into science labs--they get blamed on us.

Dr. Alchemy: Perhaps, Mr. Snart.

*Axel shows up and disrupts the conversation for a bit*

Dr. Alchemy: You aligned yourselves with a juvenile delinquent?

Captain Cold: He's got enthusiasm. And youth ain't such a bad thing. You've seen what's happened to Captain Boomerang. I'm not asking you for much. Just that, well, we hear rumors that things are about to come down hard. The Flash returning. That's just a normal annoyance. But if our world goes to hell, I just wanna know--can the Rogues count on your support?

Dr. Alchemy: You took care of that pretender for me. Mr. Element was an embarrassment. So...yes. If you need a favor...Dr. Alchemy will be more than happy to make his services available.

Dr. Alchemy will also apparently talk about himself in the third person.

Captain Cold: Here.

Dr. Alchemy: What's this?

Captain Cold: A token of our appreciation, Mr. Desmond.

Dr. Alchemy: You shouldn't have. I do love books. I love them so very much. And a first edition of The Catcher in the Rye. J.D. Salinger....many call him a genius. Others write him off as merely eccentric. They fail to understand...eccentricity is the soul of genius.

Captain Cold (actually smiling!): Words to live by. Welcome to the club, Doc.

Dr. Alchemy cameoed at Captain Boomerang's funeral in Flash vol. 2 #217 (2005), and then appeared in Flash #223 (2005) as part of Rogue War. Captain Cold and Mirror Master pulled him in to their battle against the Flash as reinforcements.

McCulloch: Say hello ta the Doctor.

Dr. Alchemy: Well, yes. I hope this doesn't take all afternoon. I left my Bunsen burners on.

Wally: You're not a lowlife like the Rogues, Mr. Desmond. You don't have to do this.

Dr. Alchemy: Oh, I realize that, Flash. But they've promised me a most unique prize. Your corpse. And dissecting it will open all kinds of doors into the science of acceleration. Maybe I'll write a book. Some nitrous oxide should relax you, Flash. It won't hurt a bit.

Later, he makes this lovely threat:

Dr. Alchemy: You've had your fun, Grodd. But I have work to do. Science to explore.

Grodd: I am a being of science myself, doctor.

Dr. Alchemy: Then let's preserve the specimen. And see what happens when I turn the blood in his veins to formaldehyde.

At this point, Bart shows up to rescue Wally, and that's the last we see of Dr. Alchemy in Rogue War.

Dr. Alchemy also appeared in Gotham Central #29-31 (2005), where he was an irredeemably evil Hannibal Lecter ripoff who was obnoxious to everyone. This story also established that Albert Desmond has decorates in chemistry, biochemistry, and molecular biology.

Dr. Alchemy was not seen again until the 2010 Flash series written by Geoff Johns, where we saw him surrounded by books and wondering if Barry would forgive him for what he did to "her". Because of Flashpoint, we never got to learn what this meant, but we did learn that Albert had been retconned to have been Barry's jerk coworker at the CCPD in the past.

Then Flashpoint happened and Albert was effectively erased from existence. He showed up again in a poorly-written filler arc in 2021, and hasn't been seen since. Poor Albert.