Sun Without Clothing or Thirty Experiments to Extract the Purple from Gold

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The 6th Experiment

is as follows: I took salt (common table-salt), which I dried very well and ground most finely. I had pure gold beaten into the thinnest leaves original: "Lamellen." Very thin sheets of metal, similar to gold leaf, used to increase the surface area for chemical reactions. and, with this and my dried salt, I layered them layer upon layer layer upon layer original: "stratum super stratum." A standard alchemical technique where alternating layers of materials are stacked in a crucible to ensure even reaction. in a fireproof crucible. I cemented original: "cementirete." Cementation is a process of heating a metal surrounded by powdered materials (like salt or charcoal) at high temperatures, but below the metal's melting point, to induce a chemical change. it for eight hours as diligently as I possibly could. I believed my gold leaves would have been entirely corroded and would communicate their beautiful golden-yellow to the salt. However, although I did not achieve my purpose after it had cooled and I opened the crucible, something better and more beautiful appeared to me; for behold! The table-salt was colored such a beautiful purple that it gladdened my heart. I believed I had obtained everything thereby and would need nothing more than to pour a spirit of wine spirit of wine original: "spiritum vini." High-proof alcohol, used here as a solvent to try and dissolve the color out of the salt. upon it, so that the deep redness would be extracted. But I was mistaken; my spirit of wine remained beautifully white upon it, even though it stood there for a considerable time. My salt did not lose its purple luster either, but remained only more beautiful and pleasant. It also received an improvement original: "Correction." In a medical or alchemical context, this refers to the tempering or refinement of a substance to make it more effective or less harsh. through this, such that I cannot sufficiently describe what excellent use it served for palpitations of the heart palpitations of the heart original: "palpitatione cordis.", and it was a magnificent sweat-inducer sweat-inducer original: "sudoriferum." A medicinal substance used to provoke sweating, often to "drive out" a fever or illness.; yet I could accomplish nothing more useful with this.