[Chemical] Beginner

Distillation by retort original: "per retortam"; a glass or ceramic vessel with a long, downward-pointing neck. is also sometimes called distillation by descent, because there is only a small elevation of the vapors, followed immediately by a downward bending. It was originally invented so that heavier spirits In this context, "spirits" refers to the volatile, potent essences of a substance. could be drawn out from minerals; however, it was later adapted for lighter substances as well, such as woods, seeds, roots, gums, resins, and so on, from which oil is extracted.

It should be noted that in every distillation, the proper limit should not be exceeded, nor should the vessel be overfilled. It is safer to fill cucurbits original: "cucurbitas"; the base portion of a still. and retorts to one-third or at most to one-half of their capacity. A copper bladder original: "vesicam æneam"; a large copper distilling pot., however, may be filled to three-quarters.

Gassy substances original: "res flatulentæ"; materials that release a lot of air or foam when heated. such as wax, resin, etc., and those that boil easily and overflow at the top, should be added in smaller quantities and distilled in large vessels. This should be done with additives, such as sand, salt, and similar materials These additives helped distribute heat evenly and prevent the substance from foaming over or "bumping.".

Cohobation.

This is the process of returning that which has been drawn out by distillation back to the "dead head" original: "capiti mortuo"; the solid, inert residue left in the vessel after distillation., that...

Vocabulary used on this page: Distillation, retort, descent, minerals, woods, seeds, roots, gums, resins, oil, cucurbits, retorts, copper bladder, Cohobation, dead head.