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

by Johann Rudolf Glauber

And now the well-minded Reader sees what use this extraction and precipitation of Gold & Silver which is done either in the moist or in the dry way, is of; and that not only in Minerals and Fossiles, but likewise in metalline mixtures too, out of which there can nothing be obtained by any other way.

Who I pray will not now magnifie or highly esteem of Salt-petre, and take care about having it prepared in great plenty, and so convert it to his profit, seeing it is clearly manifest that so much good may be done with it both in Metalline Affairs and Medicine? I do what I am able, I offer my self to all good Men: If they will not listen to me, I am not to be blamed but am void of fault. Man’s Life is too short, than for one Man to be able to describe all the things that may be done by the help of Salt-petre; neither indeed is it to be wished that many should know it.

But seeing I but now treated of the precipitation of Metals and Minerals, I think it worth while, to shew the cause of that precipitation, that so the studious of Art may have a more certain foundation of this thing. That which is to be separated, must of necessity be a bound up or fast knit body, for else it would not need any reparation; therefore forasmuch as one Metal knits up, or incloseth another, they cannot be separated from one another, but by the breaking or destruction of the bonds which they are tied withal, and knit each within another; this destruction now, is to be done by the Fire, both in the moist and likewise in the dry way. Copper, Tin, Iron, and Lead, may in the dry way be separated from Gold and Silver, if they are Cupellated together on a Test: For then the superfluous or burning Sulphur, in the imperfect Metals acts upon it self and reduceth its own proper Body or Metal into Scoria, and seeing that there is a great part of Lead therein, those Scoria are fluxile, and it doth by little & little (as much of it as goes into scoria) insinuate it self or slide into the porous Tests of Hearths. But the Gold and Silver which have no superfluous Sulphur, do remain unhurt upon the Test, washt and clean & do now shew themselves in their clarity & brightness; This is the separation of the good from the bad, or the combustible from the incombustible, which is done by the force of Fire only, and solely: by which, the imperfect Metals are by the help of Lead converted into brittle scoria, and so creep into the Tests, and separate themselves from the perfect Bodies; and this is a very easie work, and well enough known to every body, and is by the Refiners called Cupellation. But now in this separation, there’s only a separation made of the imperfect Metals from the perfect, but the Gold and Silver remain mixt together, and if you would have each apart too, then ’tis necessary that the one be dissolved and separated from the other by a most strong Aqua-fortis. But if the portion of the Silver be more than the Gold, then the Silver is dissolved by a common Aqua-fortis made of Salt-petre and Vitriol, and so the Gold will fall to the bottom: and this way of separation is well enough known and used by all the Refiners and Goldsmiths; but if there be more Gold than there is Silver, then do they dissolve the Gold by Aqua-regia, and so the Silver remains undissolv’d; nor is the Aqua-regia any thing else but a strong water of Salt-petre, in which some Sal-armoniack is dissolved; for the common or simple water of Salt-petre doth dissolve the Silver only and leaves the Gold; and contrariwise the Aqua-regia dissolves the Gold only, and meddles not with the Silver; but if they know not the right way of ordering the Aqua-regia, they are wont to add to the Gold in the melting so much Silver as may make up three times the weight that there is of the Gold, and so they separate it by Aqua-fortis, which (kind of operation) we call (die Quartz).

There is yet another way of separation, which is known unto them, and this is done by Cementation, if (viz.) divers Metals are commixt together, and they are mixt with Vitriol, Salt, and Tiles, Stratum super stratum, and so kept together a while for some due time in a continual fire; then the Salt and Vitriol do assume to themselves the imperfect Metals, and leave the most perfect, that is the Gold, alone. Cementing doth also attract Silver and Iron, Copper and Lead; but this kind of separation is only used to impure Gold, perfectly to purifie it.

There is yet another way of separation, which is done by Antimony, and is likewise only used to Gold, to cleanse it from its impurity and vitiosity. There is also another way of separating by fusion, in which, if you would have a metalline mixture which hath Gold, Silver, Copper, Iron, Tin, and Lead in it, to be separated into its several kinds, then the mixture must be granulated and burnt with Sulphur, and being burnt, it must be melted in a Pot, and so by precipitating it either with Lead or Iron, one Metal must be separated orderly from another; which way is wont to be used (as far as I know) but by few, because they are not so understanding in Nature, nor know any cause why one Metal separates it self from another, sooner and more readily out of the mass or metalline mixture, and settles to the bottom.

But that the ingenious Lover of Art may have some directory, as ’twere, and some occasion to consider with himself more deeply, and may have a willingness to undertake so excellent and profitable an Art, I have a mind to discover the cause of the precipitation. It is sufficiently evident, that like rejoiceth with like, and that there’s a disagreement ’twixt unlike things. Oil loves to be mixt with Oil, & Water is willingly united with Water, but not at all with Oil, lest by a medium intervening. Hence it is, that for as much as one Metal is of a different nature from another, that such as are alike, love each other, and such as be unlike do abhor and shun each other; and therefore when there are divers Metals in one mass, and that you would separate them, it is necessary that you do it by adding such a thing as is of affinity to the more imperfect part, and is at Enmity with the perfecter part. As for examp. Sulphur is a friend to all the Metals, save Gold, and that it hates; but yet it loves (even in the imperfect Metals) one better than another: for by how much the more like they are thereunto, and the more imperfect, so much the more readily is it a friend or enemy thereto. And therefore when the Sulphur shall have been put into the mass in the combustion, then the most noble parts flie off, and do their best to free themselves from the fellowship of the imperfect and unclean metals; but yet they cannot rid themselves without some assistance; and therefore if some sulphureous or imperfect Metal shall be put to the sulphureous mass, then the sulphur laies hold upon it, and lets go the more perfect part, tho’ not so pure as yet, but it needs a greater purification; concerning which there may be read more at large in the Explication of my Miraculum Mundi. This work is called Precipitation, when the more perfect part is precipitated and separated from the more vile, and that out of one and the same mixture. The same reason is there in the precipitation made in the moist way, if (viz.) some Metals, or all together, be dissolved in the water, one is thence precipitated after another orderly. First, That which is the most noble and most perfect, then the 2 & 3, and so regularly, until they are all precipitated. This is that most excellent and hitherto wholly unknown, and most gallant Invention wherewith I hope to become serviceable to my Friends.

He that well understands this precipitation, will gain much, but if he only meddles with this operation in a careless manner, and meerly customary as ’twere, and so not know the reason it self, why such, or such a thing is, he may worthily be compared to an Ass that carrys a sack, but knows not what is therein contained, nor whither he is to carry it. Therefore I will yet farther add a more clear information. Iron precipitates Copper out of both the dry and moist solution; Copper precipitates silver both in the moist and dry solution: Mercury doth chiefly precipitate Gold, and altho’ Copper, Iron, Tin, and Lead, do also precipitate Gold and Silver, yet each Metal hath its own peculiar precipitation, and farther note, that Precipitations done with Salts do exceed those done with the Metals, for by them may all the Metals be precipitated; and this hath even hitherto been kept secret.

And besides, one Metal does not only precipitate another, but doth likewise change or alter it. As for examp. If I put the Plates of Copper in a solution of Silver, then (whether the solution or operation be done either in the moist way or in the dry way) the silver precipitates it self by means of the Copper. And if I but know how to manage that business knowingly and skilfully, the Silver will also graduate some of the Copper into Silver in the precipitation, and there will be gained more silver than was put in the solution. In like manner, if I precipitate Copper with Iron, out of a solution of Copper, then doth the Copper precipitate it self by reason of the Iron, but withal, some part of the Iron doth exalt it self in the precipitation into Copper; and seeing that this kind of operation is confirmed by often Experience, there is none can safely question it. But I do not say, that in such a gradation all the Iron is turned into Copper, or all the Copper into Silver; nor did I ever try it; but yet I readily believe, that it is a thing possible to be done by reiterated workings. Mercury precipitates Gold most willingly, but only in the moist way, for in the dry way it cannot subsist; but to precipitate it in that way, Iron serves excellently well; Copper also and Lead are profitably useful hereabout also, but yet Iron is better.

There is a singular precipitation of Silver with Mercury, which I will here mention. The Chymists some hundreds of years ago, made Silver out of Cinnabar, but without any benefit or profit; neither did their silver they got come from the Mercury, but from that silver which they added to the Cinnabar. They took common Cinnabar, made of Quick-silver and Brimstone, and brake it into small bits, about the bigness of the Nail of ones Finger, and made Layes, or Stratum super stratum, thereof, with filings of pure Silver, then they luted up all well, and kept it in a moderate heat for 20, 30, or 40 hours, and by this way they found that their Cinnabar, which at first was red, was made black; this matter they cupellated with Lead upon a Test, and so got as much Silver as was the weight of the Mercury in the Cinnabar.

NB. As much silver as they got, so much wanted there of the silver they put unto it, and so there was no Gain made from hence; and they supposed (but falsly) that the Quicksilver extracted the soul out of the silver put thereunto, and that therefore the said silver was rendered volatile. Nor indeed is it contrary to Reason, that Argent-vive should extract the soul from Silver, & thereby convert it self into silver; and that on the other hand, this exanimated silver be made wholly volatile, if it be not animated anew by other Metals; and this is what some have done and attained to, by the help of Lead.