New Philosophical Furnaces

PHILOSOPHICAL FURNACES

...to clean and set aside, or if you prefer, to attach another clean vessel for a new distillation of a different material.

And in this manner, within the space of a single hour, various substances can be distilled and sublimated, though only in small quantities. However, one wishing to distill or sublimate in larger quantities should take three or four pots, so that the spirits The volatile vapors or liquid essences released during heating. may pass from one into the other, ensuring that none of them are lost. There is no need here (as previously stated) for constant presence; for one may leave, stop, and resume at will, because the work is free from the danger of breaking retorts and receivers The glass or ceramic vessels used to hold and collect chemicals; these were notoriously fragile and expensive when subjected to traditional high-heat methods..

Therefore, one who knows the use of this furnace can achieve many things in a short period of time, without a loss of time or expense. For by its benefit, one can accomplish more in the space of a single hour than in twenty-four hours by the common method; in this way, charcoal is also remarkably saved, because ten pounds of charcoal are worth more in this manner than a hundred otherwise. For example: an experienced operator can, in the space of one hour, cause one pound of spirit of salt original: "spiritus salis"; known today as hydrochloric acid. Glauber was famous for refining the production of this acid. to distill using only three, four, or five pounds of charcoal; whereas otherwise fifty or sixty pounds would be required, and at least twenty or thirty hours of time by the common method using retorts, which is extremely tedious.

By this method, the flowers original: "flores"; these are solid substances that have been sublimated—turned into vapor by heat and then cooled back into a fine powder. of minerals and metals can also be produced, certainly in great quantity and indeed very easily in the shortest amount of time without great expense, so that in the space of one hour, with three or four pounds of charcoal, one pound of flowers of antimony original: "florum Antimonii"; likely antimony trioxide, used as a medicinal emetic or in glassmaking. can be made; and this is not...

small This marginal catchword "exiguum" indicates the first word of the following page.