The works of the highly experienced and famous chymist, John Rudolph Glauber

by Johann Rudolf Glauber

The Funnels being put in the holes of the form, you must first put a big piece of flint in the straighter part of the Funnel, to which after put lesser pieces, and on these again less, viz. as much as serveth to fill the straight part of the Funnel, of which the larger part is after to be filled with powdered flints, but so that there be left a depth of three or four fingers breadth for the spirit of salt. By this means those greater pieces in the lower part will hinder the passage of the fine powder in the Affusion of the Spirit of Salt.

Which being done as it ought, pour to the flints contained in the Funnels the spirit of salt, two or three fingers breadth in deepness, which forthwith shall work on the flints, and attract their gold, and then run into the dish or bason set underneath: and because for the most part at the first time, some of the powder passeth through with the spirit, you must so often pour the same spirits on the flints until there be a stoppage, and the spirit come clear; afterward pour this spirit into the second Funnel with flints; and then into the third, and so consequently, until it be strained through the flints of every Funnel; or till the spirit be sufficiently coloured, which you must keep until you have gotten a sufficient quantity to be distilled by retort for the separating the spirit from the gold. Then that first spirit being strained through the flints of each Funnel according to order and coloured, pour a fresh spirit to the flints of all the Funnels according to order, beginning at the first, till you come to the last, until that be sufficiently coloured; which being done, pour a fresh spirit of salt to the flints (according to their order) contained in every Funnel. And when you see the strained spirit not to receive a tincture, it’s a sign that all the gold is extracted; and then pour on no more spirit but common water, that it may be strained, and the water will attract the spirit of salt left in the flints, that none shall be lost, which acidish water save by its self to the same, and the like uses: which being done, take out the extracted flints, and fill the Funnels with fresh as before, viz. to be extracted; and do this so long as you have flints and spirit. But you must not pour a spirit not sufficiently tinged into the spirits that are well coloured and impregnated with gold, but keep it a part, and pour it still to fresh prepared flints, according to order, contained in divers Funnels, viz. until it be sufficiently coloured; and being coloured, separate it by the glass retorts with the rest, extracting it from the gold by abstraction; and being abstracted again, use it to a new work like the former. And by this means with 100 pound of spirit of salt may be extracted some thousand pounds of flints prepared, and separate the gold contained in them, which otherwise by fusion cannot be done. But the chief point consisteth in the extraction (the spirit of salt being well and rightly first administred) viz. that the spirit may not be wasted, whereby many stones may be abstracted with a little spirit. But this caution is to be observed in this extraction, which is done in cold, that it requireth a stronger spirit of salt than that, which is done in heat by cucurbits, or else the busines goes on slower: but with a stronger spirit by this (the cold) way they are extracted sooner and easier than by that which is done in heat; and neither so dangerous, laborious or costly: this extraction then, viz. the cold, requires a stronger spirit of salt (which is worth noting) than the hot.

And this is that way, by which those golden flints, and other golden fossiles are prepared, and with the spirit of salt are extracted, and by which it is again separated from them: Now shall follow the manner of purification, viz. of the Gold left in the Retort.

N. B. The pure gold being extracted out of the flints, not the iron-like, there needs no great business of purification; for thou mayst purify it by fusion with borax, or with the fluxing powder made with the equal weight of nitre and tartar: but if the gold extracted out of Flints be mixt with iron, as for the most part it is, then you must not fuse it with Fluxing Powder, because it is not thereby purifyed or rendered malleable Gold, but separate it by lead, by which way it is purged and made malleable. And if such Gold have any sulphureous impurity mixt besides, it is not to be separated with lead, because it is then partly turned to dross and other impurities by the iron with loss; wherefore it is to be purged with three parts of Antimony and separated; by which means nothing is lost; which is the best way of separation and purification of Gold, viz. the ferreous, without which it cannot otherwise be separated without loss.

How impure Gold may be separated and purged by Antimony.

This work is necessary to be known, if you think to have any benefit by the aforesaid extraction of Flints by the spirit of Salt, which without this separation and reduction is of no moment: and what profit I pray is there by the extraction of immature Gold, which by the common way cannot be purg’d, requiring the industry of the Artist in fusion, whereby it may be separated from its sulphureous fæces and fixed? For it is easie to conjecture, that such spiritual and volatile gold mixed with Iron, by that common flux is not reducible into a body, but rather into dross: for experience testifies that gold dissolved with the spirit of salt, and also iron, or any other sulphureous thing, the spirit of salt being abstracted cannot be reduced whole by the vulgar flux made of Nitre and Tartar, going into dross: which if it happen to corporeal, pure and fixt gold, how shall it be otherwise with that which is incorporeal, unclean and volatile? for the Gold being ironish commonly, which is extracted out of stones, and iron having great affinity with gold (by reason of which being nearly united, it is difficultly separated, so that it easier goes with iron into dross than parted from it) you must of necessity make a flux not only attracting that impure gold, but also purifying and cleansing it, that which Antimony alone doth, which with its combustible fusible Sulphur easily enters that ironish Gold: But by its Mercury it attracteth the pure corporeal gold, and cleanseth it, and separates it from all dross without any loss: wherefore there cannot be a better flux, but requiring industry, or an ingenious separation of the Antimony from the gold, without wasting the gold; which is done as follows.

And first your ferreous gold, that is left in the abstraction of the spirit of salt, must be finely powdered in iron retorts or pots, and mingled with it two or three parts of Antimony powdered, and mixt in a very strong crucible filled and covered, and then fused in our fourth furnace, until that flow like water; which soon appearing, pour them together into a heated Cone, smeared within with wax, and when they be cold, separate from the dross the Regulus (having most of the gold) with a hammer, and keep it by it self. Which done, you must again melt the drossy Antimony (as yet containing much gold) that was left, in the crucible, and add to it a little filing of Iron, mixing them with a crooked wier, and that Antimonial combustible Sulphur will be mortified by adding iron, and will yield a Regulus containing the rest of the gold, which, as a regard is had to the quantity of iron added, will be more or less, and for the most part will answer in weight to the weight of the iron; then cast the mass (well flowing) into a Cone heated and smeared on the inside with wax, which being cold, separate again the Regulus from the dross with a hammer, which also is to be kept by it self; melt the dross again, as before, and precipitate it with iron, and extract the Regulus thence, which keep by its self, for it contains gold and silver mixt. For the best gold is precipitated the first time, but afterward the baser sort, and at last only Silver. Wherefore every Regulus is to be kept by it self, that the purest gold may be a part, and the silvered gold by it self.

N. B. And if the Antimony, by the addition of Iron, do lose its fusibility, and therefore can yield no Regulus, it’s required, that you at every time when precipitation is made, by adding iron, that you do also cast in some Misy, to make the mass to melt in the crucible and precipitate the Regulus. All the gold and silver being reduced into three or four Regulus’s, you must keep the drossy parts by themselves that were left, of which we shall speak hereafter.

Now follows the way of separating the Gold and Silver from the Antimony.

The aforesaid antimonial Regulus’s may many waies be purged, and first by help of Bellows on a plain earthen test, as the custom is with Goldsmiths when they make Gold fusile by Antimony, which labour is tedious and dangerous; which cannot be done often without the loss of health, nor in great quantity: wherefore when a better way is known, ’tis a folly to do it so. The Regulus’s also may be purified by lead on a teste, which work may be done in a great quantity, but it requires abundance of coals and lead, where the Antimony cannot be preserved: but it may be done with gain, and is to be preferred before the former waies: Thou maist if thou pleasest calcine the aforesaid Regulus’s to ashes, and then fuse them; which way the gold and silver may easily be drawn out. Thou maist also fuse them in a crucible, and by the addition of some salts, separate the antimony from the gold and silver, turning the antimony into dross, which being separated, those are found purified and malleable, which though it be the easiest way, it is yet also very dangerous, for the salts often, if you do not warily proceed, do spoyl much gold and silver, and sometimes leave gold immalleable, and so double the pains.