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Alchemists and spell casters share some distinct similarities when it comes to options. The major difference is how a spell and an infusion operate. A spell can be instantly cast, or takes time, while an infusion ends up being bottled just like a potion. However, I would say that some spells could be insanely fun if opened up to an alchemist. Paticularly the offensive spells. So to facilitate this, I am thinking of creating offensive infusions called blast mixes. A blast mix is an alchemical varient on the actual spell, which must be mixed before the spell can be used. Once the reagents are mixed, the spell activates, so it would be a good idea to direct the reaction towards the enemy, have the reaction hit you. The alchemist can store and preserve a blast mix, but it can only be used once and never recieved the perminant alteration to the infusion.
Rite Publishing has a nice chassis for this.
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Blast Mixes should be limited to fireballs, lightning bolts, chain lightning and similar sorts of spells. No petrify, poison, sleep or status affecting spells.
The use of a blast mix is a standard action/swift action which requires the alchemist point the blast in the correct direction or else the spell will head in the direction it was positioned, which can include hitting the alchemist or his allies.
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They might also take up an infusion slot, and are a bit more unpredictable than a spellchymists versions. I would probably consider them taking up a bomb slot rather than a mutagen, since you normally don't intend to ingest a fireball or eat a bomb. It's really bad for your health. I sort of based the concept in part on a magic the gathering card, depicting a kamigwai goblin(Akki) firing off a spell in a tube like a bazooka. The spells name is hanabi blast, and I took the idea and imagined the idea of a alchemist looking like a drunken monk with a long bamboo tube for storing liquids. Except he uses the tube to direct his blasts at foes, mixing the reagents and bunging them in the tube before they go off. Still, It could be replicated in any number of ways, as alchemist draw closer to unlocking the secrets of magic, using science and experimentation to work out which mixing of reagents triggered what spells.
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This is a cool idea.
Maybe Blast Mixes use standard alchemical items as material components. Like Alchemist's Fire turning into Burning Hands or Scorching Ray or Fireball.
That would be useful if you could convert a preexisting alchemical item into a blast mix, but you would probably need to ensure that you don't let it go into extremes, with the alchemist quickly making a lot of alchemist fires and then dumping them all into blast mixes. It might be handy for substituting into low level mixes, but when it comes to the higher level mixes, it might only substitute a portion of its true cost. But in all fairness, it might work as part of a feat chain for blast mixes, starting with substitution of alchemical items for ingredients, then going to faster mixes, or altering them further to allow for decreased blast mix failure chance.
After that, I'm not sure, though I really like the idea of an alchemist quickly dumping a alchemist fire into a tube and then unleashing a fireball from the tube in rapidly fluid motion. And that is probably how later pathfinders might decide use modified tubes to unleash high flying bombs onto their enemies from out of sight. And thus the pathfinder morter was born.