stuff like light and medium potions of heal and won't combine them -- and I can't either. He has 59 alchemy points.

Alchemists don't combine potions automatically. You have to do that yourself in the inventory screen. 59 should, I think, be good enough to combine light + medium to make heavy healing.

You just pick up one kind of potion on the cursor, click the merge button, then click on the other kind of potion.

I usually put one type of potion in the personal inventory. They all look the same, and I've clicked on the wrong potion too many times.

<center>Nightowl2</center>

Yeah, use the merge function while in her char screen. If you unmerge the potions first, into her slots, she'll get skill faster. At 59 she should be able to go for the big bux as in the following SPOILER:
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/mix hv heal with cure disease (Braffit). S.O. will have to ID the results, they sell for 1000 unID'd and >4000 ID'd as renewal. Mix flash powder with sneeze powder for a >2500 profit. Her skill will fly. I got my fairy ninja up to 110 by staying at Braffit's for 40 game days of casting, sleeping, and mixing. I left there with 450000 bux.

(editing afterthought: she was an alc, i started her as ninja, switched to alc in Arnika to get skills faster. It was 90 when she left there, made 100 later, in combat i think)