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

by Johann Rudolf Glauber

It is impossible to fix Arsenick, Auripigment, Cobolt, and such-like as these without the help of Saltpetre, unless they are first introduced into other metallick bodies, and are together with them, burnt with a Fire of Coals, and reduced into Ashes, and turned into Scoria, and wholly destroyed, and then at last reduced again into a metalline form, by the force of the intense fire of a Blast or Bellows: All which, that they may be dexterously performed, you must proceed on this manner, as followeth.

First of all, the Cobalt, Arsenick, or any Realgar like these, that is auriferous, is to be introduced into Copper or Iron by cementation, in the way that we have aforementioned; then the Copper or Iron thus cemented with the Realgars, is to be reduced into fine powder, and to be commixed with Antimony, Calmei, or Calaminaris, the Marchasite, and such order is to be taken, (if for Gains sake you would do a greater heap of matter) to have them slowly and by little and little made red-hot in Furnaces or Ovens, such as in which the flame may have room to play, and as’twere brandish it self at top of the matters, and stir them, and so let them be calcined and burnt into ashes, until they emit no more fume, and this will be in some few daies; then are they to be reduced in a convenient Furnace, and restored to their metalline form; then again must they be put into the former Oven, and there be calcined and burnt into ashes, still stirring them to and fro, and the ashes are to be reduced, by the vehement Blast of Bellows, and this ashifying and reduction is to be so long repeated, till there be a Regulus found in the reduction, and all the residue turns into unprofitable Scoria. This Regulus then is to be reduced on a Test into Scoria, and the Regulus being cupellated, the Gold and Silver which the volatile Minerals contained in them, doth shew it self.

NB. Altho’ this reparation is attended on with indifferent labour, yet notwithstanding (if there be a great quantity of matter dealt in) it is also gainful, especially where Minerals and Coals are to be had for a small price, and also the other imperfect metals (as Lead, Copper, and the like) that concurr in this kind of Operation; by which it also comes to pass, that there is a greater quantity of Gold and Silver extracted. For example, I burn Copper or Iron with Arsenick, Cobolt, and other poisonous volatile Realgars, or with bare Calmei only, which also avails to constringe or bind fast; with these I mix Antimony, Bismuth, Zink, and Lead, and melt them together: Hence ariseth a brittle mass, which is to be reduced into ashes, either in Ovens, as is already afore-shewed, with the flame of Wood, which darts it self at top of that mixt matter, and by heating ripens it, or by live Coals in a peculiar Furnace, and that on this wise: Let there be built a great or small Furnace, (of good Bricks or Tiles that will endure the Fire) according to the quantity of your matter which you take to prepare, let it be at least a foot over in the inside: in the forepart let it be open a foots heighth from the Pavement or Ground, to this end, that the Grate may be put in and taken out, as need is. Then some 2 or 3 foot higher than the Grate, let a door be made, whereby you may throw in the Coals, and above or at top of the Furnace are to be made Chimneys, fitted to receive and condense the fume of the metal, that it may not fly into the air, but being there cool’d, may be taken out. All this being done, fill the Furnace with Coals, and when they are well kindled, cast in a portion of your metalline mixture, which will quickly melt, and being melted, will run through the fiery Coals, and still keep fuming, and elevate it self up into the appointed Chimneys; that which melts down through the Coals and Grates, and is in the form of metal under the Furnace, (which bottom must be made somewhat shelving), that the metal which falls down may run into a hole or pit, is to be taken up with an Iron Spoon, and again thrown in upon the Coals, and this is to be so often repeated, and so long, till all your whole mixture be burnt into ashes, or carried up in fume, and so shall be ashified and sublimed in the appointed Tunnels or Chimneys, which Flores or metalline Fumes you must take and reduce them in a reducing Furnace, so part of them will pass into a fusile Metal, but brittle. This Metal now must be again ashify’d in that roasting or burning Furnace, and be reduced by blast of Bellows; and this ashifying and reduction is to be so often repeated, till all be seen turned into Dross or Glass; which Dross or Scorias are then to be reduced with the most vehement blast of Bellows, and so they will produce a Regulus which is to be cupellated with Lead, as is abovesaid.

NB. But if so be that of the last-made Scoria a Regulus cannot be made by the blast of the Bellows, and that the Scoria remain Scoria, ’tis a sign that you have taken too much Tin, or that your Fire hath been too intense; and therefore you must take such Scoria, and beat them to powder, and mix them with a little of either the fluid Ore of Lead, or Spume thereof, and make them flow in a reducing Furnace, then the Lead draws the Gold and Silver out of the Scoria, which may afterwards be cupellated. But as concerning the manner of making the roasting or ashifying Furnace, as likewise the fusing or reducing Furnace, I cannot indeed at present here decipher it, but I will do it in the Third Part following, where more such-like concentrations of Metals shall be mentioned and treated of. And farther, the well-minded Reader must also know, that this kind of Concentration is not at all written for those that are as yet wholly ignorant of the Art of melting metals, but for such only as have already sweated at the Fire, and have been often and much versed in such Separations or Liquefactions.

I question not, but there will be many that will despise this my way of operating, and count it an impossible thing, such are to be left to please themselves with their own fancies. But withal, some will be found, to whom the nature of metals is known, and these will give credit to what I say, and will abundantly profit themselves, especially in those places where Minerals, Coals, and other things requisite are to be had for a small price. The greatest Expence in this way of Concentration is the Coals, which too cannot be any thing much in those places where there are such vast Woods. Every one may have his liberty to try it or let it alone.

NB. But I do openly affirm, that if so be any one shall know how rightly to handle and manage this Work, it may be compared with the perpetual or alwaies-lasting mines; and where minerals may be had, it will be most gainful; but I will not perswade any to attempt it in those Coasts where all things are dear. Nor do I think it amiss to disswade them that have no experience in these kind of Operations, lest upon the ill management of the Operation, the effect should not succeed so luckily as they hoped for, and that then they should lay the blame upon me. That which I have at present written, is agreeable to the Truth, and may be successfully and gainfully performed by an experienced Artist or Laborator: And therefore as I have afore warned, so do I again advise the unexpert to abstain from this Work, unless he means to lose his Labour and Expences.

Such things as I have here omitted for brevities sake to speak of the Concentration of Metals, the Third and Fourth Part shall abundantly declare; but whoever he be that shall know how to bring to pass such a Concentration, either by the means of Salt-petre, by the dry way of a flame, or the moist way, by the help of Aq. fort. shall have a better effect than he that useth the Fire of Wood; but on the other hand, this Fire by Wood is of less Cost than the administration of the Work of Salt-petre is. Alas! What a deal of costs and labours have I bestowed in my life, in searching out and trying those kind of businesses, and having now brought it to this pass, as to be able to yield me the Reward of my Pains, I am not able to manage so vehement a fire, and to order the matters which require so great an heat? Therefore do I now with a willing mind make an offer of these my Experiments, to those who are of a vigorous age, and have Bodies capable of undergoing the toiling in the Fire. But that I may return to the things afore spoken of, and that that ashifying and reduction may not seem to the unexperienc’d altogether impossible and incredible, I will for their sakes bring undeniable Reasons or Arguments, whereby it shall be sufficiently enough evidenced, that such a cineration or turning into Scoria, hath its foundation in Nature, and that after this manner: Whosoever he be that hath seen or experienced somewhat in metals, knows, that the separation of the more excellent metals from the more vile, is to be done by the benefit of the Fire: for if so be that Gold, Silver, Copper, Iron, Lead, Tin, should be melted together into one mass, and you would separate them by the Fire the one from the other; this cannot be done any other way, but by adding to that mixture some other adventitious and destructive thing whereby the baser metals may be dissipated and deprived of their metallick form, of which sort is common Sulphur and such-like; for this works first on the imperfect metals, destroys them, or brings them into scoria and dross, which when they are so, and no more metals, they have no communion with metals, nor desire or love to be commixt with them afterwards: and by how much the more sulphureity there is in Metals, so much the easier doth common Sulphur destroy them and turn them into Scoria: But, by how much the nobler the metals shall be, so much the less detriment doth Sulphur bring upon them, and the less able is it to disturb (or alter) them. But besides, Sulphur does not only do this, but even the Fire, and Salt-petre both in the moist and in the dry way. It is done with Sulphur, if the metallick mixture be granulated and burnt therewithal, or that it be despoiled of the metalline Nature, then must it be molten and by precipitation be driven or be separated into divers Regulus’s. For the Sulphur converts the Mass into Scoria, which when they are molten, that which in them is the most noble doth always separate it self from the Scoria, and settle to the bottom; then next the most noble part comes other which is excellent, but yet short of the former, and so consequently it descends from one degree to another, as from Gold to Silver, from Silver to Lead, from this to Copper, from Copper to Iron, &c. as hath been by my formerly described separatory Art sufficiently enough shewn. But Nitre performs the separations it makes in a different manner: For after that the metallick Mass is molten in a Crucible, and that this (viz. Nitre) hath been thereinto put, it doth in the first place set upon the sulphureous part, and turns that into Scoria, then the baser Metal, and thus it does on, so long till it hath attracted all the imperfect Metals to it self, and reduced them into Scoria: and so the perfect Metals remain alone, pure; which order or governance of Operation, is also to an again, extant in my Writings.

Again, the bare fire is wont to keep another different way of destroying and scorifying Metals, than Sulphur and Nitre do.

For if a Metalline mixture be put in the fire, the more imperfect part thereof is consumed in the first place, and driven into ashes, the more excellent part gathers up it self into a globular form; and as long as it finds any consumable thing therein, so long does it work and act thereupon, nor leaves it off afore it hath reduced all into ashes. But that part which is of a constant and durable nature, remains unhurt by the fire; but yet if the combustible part be too much bigger in bulk than the abideing part, it does not only carry away with it the silver, but sometimes also a good part of the Gold, and brings it into ashes. And now, if those ashes shall be molten with a strong fire, then the ashes which arise out of the imperfect Metals, are turned into Glass, or scoria, but the ashes of the perfect Metals do reduce, and restore themselves into a malleable Body, whether it be Silver or Gold, according as it had this or that Metalline mixture in it; and if you proceed yet farther, with melting the aforesaid scoria in the fire, there will a new Regulus fall out, which contains in it that Metal, which is the noblest next Gold and Silver, viz. Lead, and Copper; the Tin, and Iron do for the most part abide in the scoria: Even as it is in Cupellation, or the separation of the Metals by the Cupel, the separation is there also done, by the bare fire only, and when the fire acts upon the mixture, it reduceth the Lead into scoria, or spume, or Litharge, and while this is reduced thus, it spares not the Tin, Iron, or Copper, forasmuch as they are likewise combustible, and of affinity thereto, but turns these together also into scoria, which said scoria do then creep, or sink into that penetrable, and porous Cineritious Vessel, or Test, as long as any of it remains: But the Gold and Silver which know not how to be thus burnt up into scoria or ashes, like the other imperfect Metals are left depured and cleansed upon the Cupel: The like also, is to be judged of the aforesaid incineration of Volatile Minerals, or imperfect Metals; that is to say, when they undergo the force of the fire, they cannot but go into scoria and ashes, and if they have in them somewhat that is especially good, and durable, yet the greater part being combustible, has the prevalency; so that the more excellent part which is in it, is converted together into ashes and scoria. But yet it may be afterwards reduced, for by the vehement blast of Bellows, it separates it self from the more base part, and again assumes a body Metalline, whether it be Gold or Silver.

By this Discourse any one that is not wholly void of all Metallick knowledge may see, that the Metallick Incineration and Reduction, which we have afore delivered, is built upon a firm foundation: But he that cannot understand or apprehend these things, is uncapable of being holpen by any art. But the following third and fourth parts will yield a more clear light, or instruction. Furthermore you are to observe, that there are likewise other ways whereby Metals are reduced into scoria, and the better and more excellent part is afterwards extracted out of the scoria, viz. by the help of Terrestrial things which are together, sulphureous, of which sort is all Sand, Flint, and the like. If ought of this kind be permixt and molten with the metalline Calxes, it retains with it the viler part, and lets go the more excellent; as for instance, there’s the Glass of Lead: For if the ashes of Lead be molten with Sand, or Flints, all the Lead together with the Flints is converted into Glass, or scoria, but the Silver or Gold which was in the Lead separates it self like a Regulus, and descends to the bottom.