List of alchemical substances
1598325
186094570
2008-01-22T11:42:14Z
MarkMLl
4680642
Cooking to calcination. Add category alchemical processes.
[[alchemy|Alchemical]] studies produced a number of substances, which were later [[Systematic name|classified]] as particular chemical [[chemical compound|compounds]] or mixtures of compounds.
Many of these terms were in common use into the 20th century.
{{listdev}}
* [[Aqua Fortis]] - [[nitric acid]], can be formed by 2 parts [[saltpetre]] in 1 part (pure) oil of vitrol([[sulfuric acid]]). (Historically, this process could not have been used, as 98% oil of vitrol was not available)
* [[Aqua Ragia]]/[[Spirit of turpentine]]/[[Oil of turpentine]]/[[Gum turpentine]] - [[turpentine]], formed by the distillation of [[pine]] tree [[resin]].
* [[Aqua Regia]] (Latin: "royal water") - a mixture of aqua fortis and spirit of salt.
* [[Aqua Tofani]] - [[arsenic trioxide]]. Extremely poisonous.
* [[Aqua Vitae]]/[[Spirit of Wine]] - [[ethanol]], formed by distilling wine
* [[Auric Hydroxide]] - formed by precipitation by potash from gold dissolved in aqua regia.
* [[Bismuth]] (German: Wismuth)
* [[Blende]]
* [[Blue Vitriol]]/[[Bluestone]] - A mineral; [[copper(II) sulfate]] pentahydrate.
* [[Brimstone]] - [[sulfur]].
:* [[Flowers of sulfur]] - formed by distilling sulfur.
* [[Butter of antimony|Butter (or oil) of antimony]] - [[antimony trichloride]]. Formed by distilling roasted [[stibnite]] with corrosive sublimate, or dissolving [[stibnite]] in hot concentrated hydrochloric acid and distilling.
* [[Cadmia]]/[[Tuttia]]/[[Tutty]] - probably [[zinc carbonate]].
* [[Calamine]] - [[zinc carbonate]].
* [[Calomel]]/[[horn quicksilver]]/[[horn mercury]] - [[mercury(I) chloride]], a very poisonous purgative formed by subliming a mixture of mercuric chloride and metallic mercury, triturated in a mortar and heated in an iron pot. The crust formed on the lid was ground to powder and boiled with water to remove the calomel.
* [[Caustic potash]]/[[Caustic Wood Alkali]] - [[potassium hydroxide]], formed by adding lime to potash.
* [[Caustic Soda]]/[[Caustic Marine Alkali]] - [[sodium hydroxide]], formed by adding lime to natron.
* [[Caustic Volatile Alkali]] - [[ammonium hydroxide]].
* [[Chalk]] - a rock composed of porous biogenic [[calcium carbonate]].
* [[Chrome green]] - [[chromic oxide]] and [[cobalt oxide]].
* [[Chrome orange]] - chrome yellow and chrome red.
* [[Chrome red]] - basic [[lead chromate]] - PbCrO4+PbO.
* [[Chrome yellow]]/[[Paris Yellow]]/[[Leipzig Yellow]] - [[lead chromate]] - PbCrO<sub>4</sub>.
* [[Cinnabar]]/[[Vermilion]] - refers to several substances, among them: [[mercury(II) sulfide]] (HgS), or native [[vermilion]] (the common ore of [[Mercury (element)|mercury]]).
* [[Copper glance]] - [[copper(I) sulfide]] ore.
* [[Corrosive sublimate]] - [[mercuric chloride]], formed by subliming mercury, calcined green vitriol, common salt and nitre.
* [[Cuprite]] - [[copper(I) oxide]] ore.
* [[Dutch White]] - a pigment, formed from one part of white lead to three of [[barium sulfate]].
* [[Flowers of antimony]] - [[antimony trioxide]], formed by roasting [[stibnite]] at high temperature and condensing the white fumes that form.
* [[Fool's gold]] - a mineral; [[iron disulfide]] or [[pyrite]], can form [[oil of vitriol]] on contact with water and air.
* [[Fulminating silver]] - [[silver nitride]], formed by dissolving [[silver(I) oxide]] in ammonia. Very explosive when dry.
* [[Fulminating gold]] - [[gold hydrazide]], formed by adding ammonia to the auric hydroxide. When dry, can explode on concussion.
* [[Galena]] - [[lead(II) sulfide]]. [[Lead]] ore.
* [[Glass of Antimony]] - impure [[antimony tetroxide]], formed by roasting stibnite. A yellow pigment for glass and porcelain.
* [[Glauber's Salt]] - [[sodium sulfate]].
* [[Green Vitriol]] - a mineral; [[iron(II) sulfate]] heptahydrate. (or [[ferrous sulfate]])
:* [[Marcasite]] - a mineral; [[iron disulfide]]. In moist air it turns into green vitriol.
:* [[Rouge]]/[[Crocus]]/[[Colcothar]] - [[ferric oxide]], formed by burning green vitriol in air.
* [[Gum Arabic]] - gum from the [[Acacia tree]].
* [[Gypsum]] - a mineral; [[calcium sulfate]].
* [[Horn silver]]/[[Argentum Cornu]] - a weathered form of [[chlorargyrite]], an ore of silver chloride.
:* [[Luna cornea]] - [[silver chloride]], formed by heating horn silver till it liquifies and then cooling.
* [[King's Yellow]] - formed by mixing orpiment with white arsenic.
* [[Lapis solaris]] ([[barite|Bologna stone]]) - [[barium sulfide]] - 1603, [[Vincenzo Cascariolo]]
* [[Lead fume]] - [[lead oxide]], found in flues at lead smelters.
* [[Lime (mineral)|Lime]]/[[Quicklime]] (Burnt Lime)/[[Calx Viva]]/[[Unslaked Lime]] - [[calcium oxide]], formed by calcining [[limestone]].
:* [[Slaked Lime]] - [[calcium hydroxide]].
* [[Liver of sulfur]] - formed by fusing potash and sulfur.
* [[Lunar caustic]]/[[lapis infernalis]] - [[silver nitrate]], formed by dissolving [[silver]] in aqua fortis and evaporating.
* [[Lye]] - potash in a water solution, formed by leaching wood ashes.
:* [[Potash]]/[[Salt of tartar]] - [[potassium carbonate]], formed by evaporating lye.
:* [[Pearlash]] - formed by baking potash in a kiln.
* [[Massicot]] - [[lead monoxide]].
:* [[Litharge]] - [[lead monoxide]], formed by fusing and powdering massicot.
:* [[Minium]]/[[Red Lead]] - [[trilead tetroxide]], formed by roasting litharge in air.
:* [[Naples yellow]]/[[Cassel yellow]] - [[oxychloride of lead]], formed by heating litharge with sal ammoniac.
* [[Mercurius praecipitatus]] - red [[mercuric oxide]].
* [[Milk of Sulfur]] (lac sulphuris) - formed by adding an acid to thion hudor ([[lime sulfur]]).
* [[Mosaic Gold]] - [[stannic sulfide]], formed by heating a mixture of tin filings, sulfur and sal-ammoniac.
* [[Natron]] - [[sodium carbonate]].
* [[Nitrum Flammans]] - [[ammonium nitrate]].
* [[Oil of Vitriol]]/[[Spirit of Vitriol]] - [[sulfuric acid]], a weak version can be formed by heating green vitriol and blue vitriol.
* [[Orpiment]] - [[arsenic trisulfide]], an ore of arsenic.
* [[Pearl white]] - [[bismuth nitrate]].
* [[Philosophers' Wool]]/[[nix alba]] (white snow)/[[Zinc White]] - [[zinc oxide]], formed by burning zinc in air, used as a pigment.
* [[Plumbago (disambiguation)|Plumbago]] - a mineral; [[graphite]], not discovered in pure form until 1564.
* [[Powder of Algaroth]] - [[antimonious oxychloride]], formed by precipitation when a solution of butter of antimony and spirit of salt is poured into water.
* [[Purple of Cassius]] - formed by precipitating a mixture of gold, [[Tin(II) chloride|stannous]] and [[Tin(IV) chloride|stannic chlorides]], with alkali. Used for glass coloring.
* [[Realgar]] - [[arsenic disulfide]], an ore of arsenic.
* [[Regulus of antimony]]
* [[Resin of copper]] - [[copper(I) chloride]] (cuprous chloride), formed by heating copper with corrosive sublimate.
* [[Sal Ammoniac]] - [[ammonium chloride]].
* [[Sal Petrae]] (Med. Latin: "stone salt")/[[Salt of Petra]]/[[Saltpetre]]/[[Nitrate of potash]] - [[potassium nitrate]], typically mined from covered dungheaps.
* [[Salt]]/[[Common salt]] - A mineral; [[sodium chloride]], formed by evaporating sea-water (impure form).
* [[Sodium carbonate|Soda]]/[[Soda Ash]] - [[sodium carbonate]].
* [[Spirit of box]]/[[Pyroxylic Spirit]] - distillation of [[wood alcohol]].
* [[Spirit of hartshorn|Spirit of Hartshorn]] - [[ammonia]], formed by the decomposition of sal-ammoniac by unslaked lime.
* [[Sal volatile|Salt of Hartshorn/Sal Volatile]] - [[ammonium carbonate]] formed by distilling bones and horns.
* [[Spirit of salt]]/[[Acidum Salis]] - the liquid form of [[hydrochloric acid]] (also called muriatic acid), formed by mixing [[Sodium chloride|common salt]] with oil of vitriol.
:* [[Marine Acid Air]] - gaseous form of [[hydrochloric acid]].
* [[Spiritus fumans]] - [[stannic chloride]], formed by distilling tin with corrosive sublimate.
:* [[Tin salt]] - hydrated [[tin(II) chloride|stannous chloride]].
:* [[Butter of Tin]] - hydrated [[tin(IV) chloride]].
* [[Stibnite]] - [[antimony]] or [[antimony trisulfide]], ore of antimony.
* [[Sugar of Lead]] - [[lead acetate]], formed by dissolving lead oxide in vinegar.
* [[Sweet Vitriol]]- [[diethyl ether]].
* [[Thion Hudor]] - [[lime sulfur]], formed by boiling flowers of sulfur with slaked lime.
* [[Turpeth mineral]] - hydrolysed form of [[mercury(II) sulfate]].
* [[Verdigris]] - [[copper(II) carbonate]] or (more recently) [[copper(II) acetate]]. The carbonate is formed by weathering copper. The acetate is formed by vinegar acting on copper. One version was used as a green pigment.
* [[White arsenic]] - [[arsenious oxide]], formed by subliminating arsenical soot from the roasting ovens.
* [[White lead]]- [[lead carbonate]], a toxic pigment, produced by corroding stacks of lead plates with dilute vinegar beneath a heap of moistened wood shavings. (replaced by [[blanc fixe]] & [[lithopone]])
* [[White vitriol]] - [[zinc sulfate]], formed by lixiviating roasted zinc blende.
* [[Venetian White]] - formed from equal parts of white lead and [[barium sulfate]].
* [[Zaffre]] - impure [[cobalt arsenate]], formed after roasting cobalt ore.
* [[Zinc Blende]] - [[zinc sulfide]].
<!-- Categories -->
[[Category:Chemistry lists|Alchemical substances]]
[[Category:Alchemical substances|*]]
[[Category:Alchemical processes|Alchemical processes]]