Chemical Theater, or the Opened Door of Chemical Secrets

5

This [composition] is said to occur when many and various bodies are brought together into one body, which happens in many ways: through precipitations original: precipitatien; the process where a solid settles out of a liquid solution, congelation original: congelatie; the thickening or solidifying of a substance, cohobation original: cohobatie; the process of repeatedly distilling a liquid over its own solid residue to increase its potency, reduction original: reductie; returning a metal to its metallic state from an oxide or ore, digestion original: digeſtie; the application of gentle, consistent heat over a long period, similar to a stomach’s warmth, coction original: coctie; boiling or "cooking" a substance, and exhalation original: exſalatie; the release of vapors.

XIX. Fire is indeed the most important tool in chemistry, yet it is not the only one; for water, air, and earth also serve this purpose.

XX. The end or goal of chemistry is not always the same. Sometimes one seeks certain physical truths, in which case the goal is the knowledge or science of the structure of bodies. At other times, it is the transmutation of metals The alchemical process of turning "base" metals like lead or iron into "noble" metals like gold or silver, when the base metals are transformed into noble ones. Thirdly, it is practiced to seek proper medicines, which is the subject we shall mostly deal with in the future.

II. CHAPTER.

I. All of chemistry, with respect to its means and its ends, is divided into three parts: namely, instruments, operations, and effects.

II. The instruments or tools are many and varied; the most important are fire, separating-liquids original: schey-vochten; strong solvents or acids like aqua fortis used to separate metals, and vessels.

III. The furnaces original: ovens, in terms of their operations, have various forms, such as round, square, low, high, small, large, closed, open, single, compound, separate, joined together, and reverberatory- A reverberatory furnace is one where the heat is reflected or "reverberated" from the roof onto the material being heated, preventing direct contact with the fuel.