PHILOSOPHICAL FURNACES

How Spirit of Salt is to be Distilled.

The reason I shall first approach the spirit of salt original: "spiritus salis"; known today as hydrochloric acid. In the 17th century, it was one of the most important mineral acids for both medicine and metallurgy., indeed before I treat the spirits of vegetables, is because it is perhaps the most important substance that can be produced with this furnace. Few things excel it in power and virtue, which is why I have accorded it this place of honor. Nor is there any of the acid spirits which has hitherto caused more trouble for chemists original: "chymicis"; referring to the practitioners of the "Great Art" which encompassed both chemistry and alchemy. than this one, for which reason it has also been the most precious of all.

Some have mixed salt with potter's clay original: "argillâ figulinâ" and formed the mixture into small balls, which they drove through a retort by the violence of fire to obtain the spirit; others mixed salt with bole A type of medicinal earth or clay., others with powdered tiles, and others with burnt alum original: "alumine ufto"; aluminum sulfate that has been heated to remove its water content, used here as a catalyst or drying agent..

Others, wishing to use a more direct path, caused the salt to flow in a tubulated retort—one with openings at both the top and the back. Through the upper tube, they dripped cold water to help raise the heavy spirits of the salt; through the back, they blew with bellows to drive the spirits into the receiver. While this method is not to be simply disregarded, it has this disadvantage: in the course of time, the retorts break, they can no longer hold the salt, and the distillation is interrupted. Others attempted to achieve this with iron retorts, but by this method, the spirits were "mortified" An alchemical term meaning the spirit lost its essential potency or "died" through a chemical reaction. because they easily attack the iron; thus, instead of the spirit, they received phlegm original: "phlegma"; a term for the watery, tasteless, and medically useless part of a distillate.. And such other tedious [methods] have been used until now...