Alchemical Studies produced a number of substances, which were later

classified Classified may refer to: General *Classified information, material that a government body deems to be sensitive *Classified advertising or "classifieds" Music *Classified (rapper) (born 1977), Canadian rapper * The Classified, a 1980s American ro ...

as particular

Chemical Compounds A chemical compound is a chemical substance composed of many identical molecules (or molecular entities) containing atoms from more than one chemical element held together by chemical bonds. A molecule consisting of atoms of only one element ...

or mixture of compounds. Many of these terms were in common use into the 20th century.

Metals and metalloids

Antimony Antimony is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Sb () and atomic number 51. A lustrous grey metal or metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite (). Antimony compounds have been known since ancient t ...

/ – Sb *

Bismuth Bismuth is a chemical element; it has symbol Bi and atomic number 83. It is a post-transition metal and one of the pnictogens, with chemical properties resembling its lighter group 15 siblings arsenic and antimony. Elemental bismuth occurs nat ...

() – Bi *

Copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

/ – associated with

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...

. Cu *

Gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

/ – associated with the

Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as visible light a ...

. Au *

Iron Iron is a chemical element; it has symbol Fe () and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, forming much of Earth's o ...

/ – associated with

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

. Fe *

Lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

/ – associated with

Saturn Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun and the second largest in the Solar System, after Jupiter. It is a gas giant, with an average radius of about 9 times that of Earth. It has an eighth the average density of Earth, but is over 95 tim ...

. Pb * Quicksilver/ – associated with Mercury. Hg *

Silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

/ – associated with the

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It Orbit of the Moon, orbits around Earth at Lunar distance, an average distance of (; about 30 times Earth diameter, Earth's diameter). The Moon rotation, rotates, with a rotation period (lunar ...

. Ag *

Tin Tin is a chemical element; it has symbol Sn () and atomic number 50. A silvery-colored metal, tin is soft enough to be cut with little force, and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, a bar of tin makes a sound, the ...

/ – associated with

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a Jupiter mass, mass more than 2.5 times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined a ...

. Sn

Minerals, Stones, and Pigments

Bluestone Bluestone is a cultural or commercial name for a number of natural dimension stone, dimension or building stone varieties, including: * basalt in Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, and in New Zealand * diabase, dolerites in Tasmania, ...

– Mineral form of

Copper(II) Sulfate Copper(II) sulfate is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It forms hydrates , where ''n'' can range from 1 to 7. The pentahydrate (''n'' = 5), a bright blue crystal, is the most commonly encountered hydrate of copper(II) sulfate, whi ...

Pentahydrate, also called Blue Vitriol. *

Borax The BORAX Experiments were a series of safety experiments on boiling water nuclear reactors conducted by Argonne National Laboratory in the 1950s and 1960s at the National Reactor Testing Station in eastern Idaho.

–

Sodium Borate Sodium borate is a generic name for any salt (chemistry), salt of sodium with an anion consisting of boron and oxygen, and possibly hydrogen, or any hydrate thereof. It can be seen as a hydrated sodium salt of the appropriate boroxy acid, although t ...

; was also used to refer to other related minerals. * Cadmia/Tuttia/Tutty – Probably

Zinc Carbonate Zinc carbonate is the inorganic compound with the formula ZnCO3. It is a white solid that is insoluble in water. It exists in nature as the mineral smithsonite. It is prepared by treating cold solutions of zinc sulfate with potassium bicarbonat ...

. *

Calamine Calamine, also known as calamine lotion, is a medication made from powdered calamine (mineral), calamine mineral that is used to treat mild itchiness. Conditions treated include sunburn, insect bites, Toxicodendron radicans, poison ivy, poiso ...

–

. *

Calomel Calomel is a Mercury element, mercury chloride mineral with Chemical formula, formula Hg2Cl2 (see mercury(I) chloride). It was used as a medicine from the 16th to early 20th century, despite frequently causing mercury poisoning in patients. The ...

/Horn Quicksilver/Horn Mercury –

Mercury(I) Chloride Mercury(I) chloride is the chemical compound with the formula Hg2Cl2. Also known as the mineral calomel (a rare mineral) or mercurous chloride, this dense white or yellowish-white, odorless solid is the principal example of a mercury(I) compoun ...

, a very poisonous purgative formed by subliming a mixture of Mercuric Chloride and Metallic Mercury, triturated in a mortar and heated in an Iron pot. The crust formed on the lid was ground to powder and boiled with water to remove the Calomel. *

Calx Calx is a substance formed from an ore or mineral that has been heated. Calx, especially of a metal, is now understood to be an oxide. The term is also sometimes used in older texts on artists' techniques to mean calcium oxide. According to the ...

–

Calcium Oxide Calcium oxide (formula: Ca O), commonly known as quicklime or burnt lime, is a widely used chemical compound. It is a white, caustic, alkaline, crystalline solid at room temperature. The broadly used term '' lime'' connotes calcium-containing ...

; was also used to refer to other metal oxides. *

Chalcanthum In alchemy, chalcanthum, also called chalcanth or calcanthum, was a term used for the compound blue vitriol (CuSO4), and the ink made from it. The term was also applied to red vitriol (a native sulfate of cobalt), and to green vitriol (ferrous ...

– The residue produced by strongly roasting Blue Vitriol (Copper Sulfate); it is composed mostly of

Cupric Oxide Copper(II) oxide or cupric oxide is an inorganic compound with the formula CuO. A black solid, it is one of the two stable oxides of copper, the other being Cu2O or copper(I) oxide (cuprous oxide). As a mineral, it is known as tenorite, or so ...

. *

Chalk Chalk is a soft, white, porous, sedimentary carbonate rock. It is a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite and originally formed deep under the sea by the compression of microscopic plankton that had settled to the sea floor. Ch ...

– A rock composed of porous biogenic

Calcium Carbonate Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is a common substance found in Rock (geology), rocks as the minerals calcite and aragonite, most notably in chalk and limestone, eggshells, gastropod shells, shellfish skel ...

, CaCO₃ *

Chrome green Chromium(III) oxide (or chromia) is an inorganic compound with the Chemical formula, formula . It is one of the principal oxides of chromium and is used as a pigment. In nature, it occurs as the rare mineral eskolaite. Structure and properties ...

– Chromic Oxide and

Cobalt Oxide Cobalt oxide is a family of chemical compounds consisting of cobalt and oxygen atoms. Compounds in the cobalt oxide family include: * Cobalt(II) oxide (cobaltous oxide), CoO * Cobalt(III) oxide (cobaltic oxide), Co2O3 *Cobalt(II,III) oxide Co ...

. * Chrome Orange – Chrome Yellow and Chrome Red. *

Chrome Red Chrome orange is a mixed oxide with the chemical formula Pb2CrO5. It can be made by treating a lead(II) salt with an alkaline solution of a Chromate and dichromate, chromate or by treating chrome yellow (PbCrO4) with strongly basic solution.. ...

– Basic Lead Chromate – PbCrO₄+PbO * Chrome Yellow/Paris Yellow/Leipzig Yellow– Lead Chromate, PbCrO₄ *

Cinnabar Cinnabar (; ), or cinnabarite (), also known as ''mercurblende'' is the bright scarlet to brick-red form of Mercury sulfide, mercury(II) sulfide (HgS). It is the most common source ore for refining mercury (element), elemental mercury and is t ...

vermilion Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color family and pigment most often used between antiquity and the 19th century from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide). It is synonymous with red orange, which often takes a moder ...

– Refers to several substances, among them: Mercury(II) Sulfide (HgS), or native

Vermilion Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color family and pigment most often used between antiquity and the 19th century from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide). It is synonymous with red orange, which often takes a moder ...

(the common ore of Mercury). * Copper Glance – Copper(I) Sulfide ore. * Cuprite – Copper(I) Oxide ore. * Dutch White – A pigment formed from one part of White Lead to three of

Barium Sulfate Barium sulfate (or sulphate) is the inorganic compound with the chemical formula Ba SO4. It is a white crystalline solid that is odorless and insoluble in water. It occurs in nature as the mineral barite, which is the main commercial source of ...

. BaSO₄ *

Flowers of Antimony Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

–

Antimony Trioxide Antimony(III) oxide is the inorganic compound with the formula Sb2O3. It is the most important commercial compound of antimony. It is found in nature as the minerals valentinite and senarmontite. Like most polymeric oxides, Sb2O3 dissolves in ...

, formed by roasting

Stibnite Stibnite, sometimes called antimonite, is a sulfide mineral, a mineral form of antimony trisulfide ( Sb2 S3). It is a soft, metallic grey crystalline solid with an orthorhombic space group. It is the most important source for the metalloid an ...

at high temperature and condensing the white fumes that form Sb₂O₃. *

Fool's Gold The mineral pyrite ( ), or iron pyrite, also known as fool's gold, is an iron sulfide with the chemical formula Iron, FeSulfur, S2 (iron (II) disulfide). Pyrite is the most abundant sulfide mineral. Pyrite's metallic Lustre (mineralogy), lu ...

– A mineral, Iron Disulfide or

Pyrite The mineral pyrite ( ), or iron pyrite, also known as fool's gold, is an iron sulfide with the chemical formula Fe S2 (iron (II) disulfide). Pyrite is the most abundant sulfide mineral. Pyrite's metallic luster and pale brass-yellow hue ...

; can form Oil of Vitriol on contact with water and air. * Fulminating Silver – Principally,

Silver Nitride Silver nitride is an explosive chemical compound with symbol Ag3N. It is a black, metallic-looking solid which is formed when silver oxide or silver nitrate is dissolved in concentrated solutions of ammonia, causing formation of the diammine silve ...

, formed by dissolving Silver(I) Oxide in

ammonia Ammonia is an inorganic chemical compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the chemical formula, formula . A Binary compounds of hydrogen, stable binary hydride and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinctive pu ...

. Very explosive when dry. *

Fulminating Gold Fulminating gold is a light- and shock-sensitive yellow to yellow-orange amorphous heterogeneous mixture of different polymeric compounds of predominantly gold(III), ammonia, and chlorine that cannot be described by a chemical formula. Here, " ful ...

– A number of gold based explosives which "fulminate", or detonate easily. ** Gold Hydrazide, formed by adding ammonia to the Auric Hydroxide. When dry, can explode on concussion. ** An unstable Gold Carbonate formed by precipitation by potash from Gold dissolved in

Aqua Regia Aqua regia (; from Latin, "regal water" or "royal water") is a mixture of nitric acid and hydrochloric acid, optimally in a molar concentration, molar ratio of 1:3. Aqua regia is a fuming liquid. Freshly prepared aqua regia is colorless, but i ...

. *

Galena Galena, also called lead glance, is the natural mineral form of lead(II) sulfide (PbS). It is the most important ore of lead and an important source of silver. Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. It crysta ...

–

Lead(II) Sulfide Lead(II) sulfide (also spelled '' sulphide'') is an inorganic compound with the formula Pb S. Galena is the principal ore and the most important compound of lead. It is a semiconducting material with niche uses. Formation, basic properties, rel ...

ore. * Glass of Antimony – Impure Antimony Tetroxide, Sb₂O₄ formed by roasting stibnite. A yellow pigment for glass and porcelain. *

Gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate Hydrate, dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, drywall and blackboard or sidewalk ...

– a mineral;

calcium sulfate Calcium sulfate (or calcium sulphate) is an inorganic salt with the chemical formula . It occurs in several hydrated forms; the anhydrous state (known as anhydrite) is a white crystalline solid often found in evaporite deposits. Its dihydrate ...

. CaSO₄ * Horn silver/argentum cornu – a weathered form of chlorargyrite, an ore of silver chloride. :* Luna cornea –

silver chloride Silver chloride is an inorganic chemical compound with the chemical formula Ag Cl. This white crystalline solid is well known for its low solubility in water and its sensitivity to light. Upon illumination or heating, silver chloride converts ...

, formed by heating horn silver till it liquefies and then cooling. * King's yellow – formed by mixing

orpiment Orpiment, also known as ″yellow arsenic blende″ is a deep-colored, orange-yellow arsenic sulfide mineral with formula . It is found in volcanic fumaroles, low-temperature hydrothermal veins, and hot springs and may be formed through sublimatio ...

with white arsenic. * Lapis solaris ( Bologna stone) –

barium sulfide Barium sulfide is the inorganic compound with the formula Ba S. BaS is the barium compound produced on the largest scale. It is an important precursor to other barium compounds including barium carbonate and the pigment lithopone, ZnS/BaSO4. ...

– 1603, Vincenzo Cascariolo. * Lead fume –

lead oxide Lead oxides are a group of inorganic compounds with formulas including lead (Pb) and oxygen Oxygen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group (periodic table), gr ...

, found in flues at lead smelters. * Lime/

quicklime Calcium oxide (formula: Ca O), commonly known as quicklime or burnt lime, is a widely used chemical compound. It is a white, caustic, alkaline, crystalline solid at room temperature. The broadly used term '' lime'' connotes calcium-containin ...

(burnt lime)/ calx viva/ unslaked lime –

calcium oxide Calcium oxide (formula: Ca O), commonly known as quicklime or burnt lime, is a widely used chemical compound. It is a white, caustic, alkaline, crystalline solid at room temperature. The broadly used term '' lime'' connotes calcium-containing ...

, formed by calcining

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

Slaked lime Calcium hydroxide (traditionally called slaked lime) is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula Ca( OH)2. It is a colorless crystal or white powder and is produced when quicklime ( calcium oxide) is mixed with water. Annually, approxim ...

–

calcium hydroxide Calcium hydroxide (traditionally called slaked lime) is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula Ca( OH)2. It is a colorless crystal or white powder and is produced when quicklime ( calcium oxide) is mixed with water. Annually, approxim ...

. Ca(OH)₂ * Marcasite – a mineral; iron disulfide. In moist air it turns into green vitriol, FeSO₄. * Massicot – lead monoxide. PbO :*

Litharge Litharge (from Greek , 'stone' + 'silver' ) is one of the natural mineral forms of lead(II) oxide, PbO. Litharge is a secondary mineral which forms from the oxidation of galena ores. It forms as coatings and encrustations with internal tetr ...

– lead monoxide, formed by fusing and powdering massicot. :* Minium/ red lead – trilead tetroxide, Pb₃O₄; formed by roasting litharge in air. :* Naples yellow/ cassel yellow – oxychloride of lead, formed by heating litharge with sal ammoniac. * Mercurius praecipitatus – red mercuric oxide. * Mosaic gold – stannic sulfide, formed by heating a mixture of tin filings, sulfur, and sal-ammoniac. *

Orpiment Orpiment, also known as ″yellow arsenic blende″ is a deep-colored, orange-yellow arsenic sulfide mineral with formula . It is found in volcanic fumaroles, low-temperature hydrothermal veins, and hot springs and may be formed through sublimatio ...

–

arsenic trisulfide Arsenic trisulfide is the inorganic compound with the formula . It is a dark yellow solid that is insoluble in water. It also occurs as the mineral orpiment (Latin: auripigmentum), which has been used as a pigment called King's yellow. It is produc ...

, an ore of arsenic. *

Pearl white Pearl Fay White (March 4, 1889 – August 4, 1938) was an American stage and film actress. She began her career on the stage at age 6, and later moved on to silent films appearing in a number of popular serial film, serials. Dubbed the "Queen ...

– bismuth nitrate, BiNO₃ * Philosophers' wool/ nix alba (white snow)/ Zinc White –

zinc oxide Zinc oxide is an inorganic compound with the Chemical formula, formula . It is a white powder which is insoluble in water. ZnO is used as an additive in numerous materials and products including cosmetics, Zinc metabolism, food supplements, rubbe ...

, formed by burning zinc in air, used as a pigment *

Plumbago ''Plumbago'' is a genus of 23 species of flowering plants in the family Plumbaginaceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the world. Common names include plumbago and leadwort (names which are also shared by the genus '' Ceratostig ...

– a mineral,

graphite Graphite () is a Crystallinity, crystalline allotrope (form) of the element carbon. It consists of many stacked Layered materials, layers of graphene, typically in excess of hundreds of layers. Graphite occurs naturally and is the most stable ...

; not discovered in pure form until 1564 * Powder of Algaroth – antimony oxychloride, formed by precipitation when a solution of butter of antimony and spirit of salt is poured into water. * Purple of Cassius – formed by precipitating a mixture of gold, stannous and stannic chlorides, with alkali. Used for glass coloring *

Realgar Realgar ( ), also known as arsenic blende, ruby sulphur or ruby of arsenic, is an arsenic sulfide mineral with the chemical formula α-. It is a soft, sectile mineral occurring in monoclinic crystals, or in granular, compact, or powdery form, ...

– arsenic disulfide, an ore of arsenic. * Regulus of antimony * Resin of copper –

copper(I) chloride Copper(I) chloride, commonly called cuprous chloride, is the lower chloride of copper, with the formula CuCl. The substance is a white solid sparingly soluble in water, but very soluble in concentrated hydrochloric acid. Impure samples appear gr ...

(cuprous chloride), formed by heating copper with corrosive sublimate. * Rouge/

crocus ''Crocus'' (; plural: crocuses or croci) is a genus of seasonal flowering plants in the family Iridaceae (iris family) comprising about 100 species of perennial plant, perennials growing from corms. They are low growing plants, whose flower stem ...

/ colcothar –

ferric oxide Iron(III) oxide or ferric oxide is the inorganic compound with the formula . It occurs in nature as the mineral hematite, which serves as the primary source of iron for the steel industry. It is also known as red iron oxide, especially when us ...

, formed by burning green vitriol in air. *

–

antimony Antimony is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol Sb () and atomic number 51. A lustrous grey metal or metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite (). Antimony compounds have been known since ancient t ...

antimony trisulfide Antimony trisulfide () is found in nature as the crystalline mineral stibnite and the amorphous red mineral (actually a mineraloid) metastibnite. It is manufactured for use in safety matches, military ammunition, explosives and fireworks. It is ...

, ore of antimony. *

Turpeth mineral ''Operculina turpethum'' (syn. ''Ipomoea turpethum'') is a species of plant in the Convolvulaceae, morning glory family, known commonly as turpeth, fue vao, and St. Thomas lidpod. It is large, robust, Perennial plant, perennial, Herbaceous plant ...

– hydrolysed form of

mercury(II) sulfate Mercury(II) sulfate, commonly called Mercury sulfate, mercuric sulfate, is the chemical compound Mercury (element), HgSulfur, SOxygen, O4. It is an odorless salt that forms white granules or crystalline powder. In water, it separates into an inso ...

. *

Verdigris Verdigris () is a common name for any of a variety of somewhat toxic copper salt (chemistry), salts of acetic acid, which range in colour from green to a blue-green, bluish-green depending on their chemical composition.H. Kühn, Verdigris and Cop ...

– Carbonate of Copper or (more recently)

copper(II) acetate Copper(II) acetate, also referred to as cupric acetate, is the chemical compound with the formula where is acetate (). The hydrated derivative, , which contains one molecule of water for each copper atom, is available commercially. Anhydrous co ...

. The carbonate is formed by weathering copper. The acetate is formed by vinegar acting on copper. One version was used as a green pigment. * White arsenic – arsenious oxide, formed by sublimating arsenical soot from the roasting ovens. *

White lead White lead is the basic lead carbonate 2PbCO3·Pb(OH)2. It is a complex Salt (chemistry), salt, containing both carbonate and hydroxide ions. White lead occurs naturally as a mineral, in which context it is known as hydrocerussite, a hydrate of ...

– carbonate of lead, a toxic pigment, produced by corroding stacks of lead plates with dilute vinegar beneath a heap of moistened wood shavings. (replaced by blanc fixe & lithopone) * Venetian white – formed from equal parts of white lead and

barium sulfate Barium sulfate (or sulphate) is the inorganic compound with the chemical formula Ba SO4. It is a white crystalline solid that is odorless and insoluble in water. It occurs in nature as the mineral barite, which is the main commercial source of ...

. * Zaffre – impure cobalt arsenate, formed after roasting cobalt ore. *

Zinc blende Sphalerite is a sulfide mineral with the chemical formula . It is the most important ore of zinc. Sphalerite is found in a variety of deposit types, but it is primarily in sedimentary exhalative, Mississippi-Valley type, and volcanogenic mas ...

–

zinc sulfide Zinc sulfide (or zinc sulphide) is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula of ZnS. This is the main form of zinc found in nature, where it mainly occurs as the mineral sphalerite. Although this mineral is usually black because of various i ...

Salts

Glauber's salt Sodium sulfate (also known as sodium sulphate or sulfate of soda) is the inorganic compound with formula Na2SO4 as well as several related hydrates. All forms are white solids that are highly soluble in water. With an annual production of 6 mill ...

–

sodium sulfate Sodium sulfate (also known as sodium sulphate or sulfate of soda) is the inorganic compound with formula Na2SO4 as well as several related hydrates. All forms are white solids that are highly soluble in water. With an annual production of 6 mill ...

. Na₂SO₄ * Sal alembroth – salt composed of chlorides of ammonium and mercury. * Sal ammoniac –

ammonium chloride Ammonium chloride is an inorganic chemical compound with the chemical formula , also written as . It is an ammonium salt of hydrogen chloride. It consists of ammonium cations and chloride anions . It is a white crystalline salt (chemistry), sal ...

. * Sal petrae (Med. Latin: "stone salt")/ salt of petra/

saltpetre Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with a sharp, salty, bitter taste and the chemical formula . It is a potassium salt of nitric acid. This salt consists of potassium cations and nitrate anions , and is therefore an alkali metal nitrate ...

/ nitrate of potash –

potassium nitrate Potassium nitrate is a chemical compound with a sharp, salty, bitter taste and the chemical formula . It is a potassium salt of nitric acid. This salt consists of potassium cations and nitrate anions , and is therefore an alkali metal nit ...

, KNO₃, typically mined from covered dungheaps. *

Salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

/ common salt – a mineral,

sodium chloride Sodium chloride , commonly known as Salt#Edible salt, edible salt, is an ionic compound with the chemical formula NaCl, representing a 1:1 ratio of sodium and chloride ions. It is transparent or translucent, brittle, hygroscopic, and occurs a ...

, NaCl, formed by evaporating seawater (impure form). * Salt of tartar –

potassium carbonate Potassium carbonate is the inorganic compound with the formula . It is a white salt, which is soluble in water and forms a strongly alkaline solution. It is deliquescent, often appearing as a damp or wet solid. Potassium carbonate is mainly used ...

; also called potash. * Salt of hartshorn/sal volatile – ammonium carbonate formed by distilling bones and horns. * Tin salt – hydrated stannous chloride; see also , another chloride of tin.

Vitriols

* Blue vitriol –

copper(II) sulfate Copper(II) sulfate is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It forms hydrates , where ''n'' can range from 1 to 7. The pentahydrate (''n'' = 5), a bright blue crystal, is the most commonly encountered hydrate of copper(II) sulfate, whi ...

pentahydrate. * Green vitriol – a mineral;

iron(II) sulfate Iron(II) sulfate or ferrous sulfate (British English: sulphate instead of sulfate) denotes a range of salts with the formula Fe SO4·''x''H2O. These compounds exist most commonly as the heptahydrate (''x'' = 7), but several values for ...

heptahydrate. (or ferrous sulfate) * Red vitriol - cobalt sulfate. * Sweet vitriol –

diethyl ether Diethyl ether, or simply ether, is an organic compound with the chemical formula , sometimes abbreviated as . It is a colourless, highly Volatility (chemistry), volatile, sweet-smelling ("ethereal odour"), extremely flammable liquid. It belongs ...

. It could be made by mixing oil of vitriol with spirit of wine and heating it. * White vitriol –

zinc sulfate Zinc sulfate is an inorganic compound with the formula ZnSO4. It forms hydrates ZnSO4·''n''H2O, where ''n'' can range from 0 to 7. All are colorless solids. The most common form includes water of crystallization as the heptahydrate, with the che ...

, formed by lixiviating roasted zinc blende.

Waters, oils and spirits

* /spirit of nitre –

nitric acid Nitric acid is an inorganic compound with the formula . It is a highly corrosive mineral acid. The compound is colorless, but samples tend to acquire a yellow cast over time due to decomposition into nitrogen oxide, oxides of nitrogen. Most com ...

, formed by 2 parts

in 1 part (pure) oil of vitriol (

sulfuric acid Sulfuric acid (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphuric acid (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth spelling), known in antiquity as oil of vitriol, is a mineral acid composed of the elements sulfur, oxygen, ...

). (Historically, this process could not have been used, as 98% oil of vitriol was not available.) * / spirit of turpentine/ oil of turpentine/ gum turpentine –

turpentine Turpentine (which is also called spirit of turpentine, oil of turpentine, terebenthine, terebenthene, terebinthine and, colloquially, turps) is a fluid obtainable by the distillation of resin harvested from living trees, mainly pines. Principall ...

, formed by the distillation of

pine A pine is any conifer tree or shrub in the genus ''Pinus'' () of the family Pinaceae. ''Pinus'' is the sole genus in the subfamily Pinoideae. ''World Flora Online'' accepts 134 species-rank taxa (119 species and 15 nothospecies) of pines as cu ...

tree

resin A resin is a solid or highly viscous liquid that can be converted into a polymer. Resins may be biological or synthetic in origin, but are typically harvested from plants. Resins are mixtures of organic compounds, predominantly terpenes. Commo ...

. * (Latin: "royal water") – a mixture of aqua fortis and spirit of salt. * – arsenic trioxide, As₂O₃ (extremely poisonous) * /aqua vita/ spirit of wine, ardent spirits –

ethanol Ethanol (also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound with the chemical formula . It is an Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol, with its formula also written as , or EtOH, where Et is the ps ...

, formed by distilling wine * Butter (or oil) of antimony – antimony trichloride. Formed by distilling roasted

stibnite Stibnite, sometimes called antimonite, is a sulfide mineral, a mineral form of antimony trisulfide ( Sb2 S3). It is a soft, metallic grey crystalline solid with an orthorhombic space group. It is the most important source for the metalloid an ...

with corrosive sublimate, or dissolving

in hot concentrated hydrochloric acid and distilling. SbCl₃ *

Butter of tin Tin(IV) chloride, also known as tin tetrachloride or stannic chloride, is an inorganic compound of tin and chlorine with the formula SnCl4. It is a colorless Hygroscopy, hygroscopic liquid, which fumes on contact with air. It is used as a precurso ...

– hydrated

tin(IV) chloride Tin(IV) chloride, also known as tin tetrachloride or stannic chloride, is an inorganic compound of tin and chlorine with the formula SnCl4. It is a colorless hygroscopic liquid, which fumes on contact with air. It is used as a precursor to other ...

; see also , another chloride of tin. * Oil of tartar – concentrated

, K₂CO₃ solution * Oil of tartar per deliquium – potassium carbonate dissolved in the water which its extracts from the air. * Oil of vitriol/ spirit of vitriol –

, a weak version can be formed by heating green vitriol and blue vitriol. H₂SO₄ *

Spirit of box Spirit(s) commonly refers to: * Liquor, a distilled alcoholic drink * Spirit (animating force), the non-corporeal essence of living things * Spirit (supernatural entity), an incorporeal or immaterial being Spirit(s) may also refer to: Liquids ...

/ pyroxylic spirit –

methanol Methanol (also called methyl alcohol and wood spirit, amongst other names) is an organic chemical compound and the simplest aliphatic Alcohol (chemistry), alcohol, with the chemical formula (a methyl group linked to a hydroxyl group, often ab ...

, CH₃OH, distilled wood alcohol. * –

stannic chloride Tin(IV) chloride, also known as tin tetrachloride or stannic chloride, is an inorganic compound of tin and chlorine with the formula SnCl4. It is a colorless hygroscopic liquid, which fumes on contact with air. It is used as a precursor to other t ...

, formed by distilling tin with corrosive sublimate. * Spirit of hartshorn –

, formed by the decomposition of sal-ammoniac by unslaked lime. * Spirit of salt/ – the liquid form of

hydrochloric acid Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid or spirits of salt, is an aqueous solution of hydrogen chloride (HCl). It is a colorless solution with a distinctive pungency, pungent smell. It is classified as a acid strength, strong acid. It is ...

(also called muriatic acid), formed by mixing common salt with oil of vitriol. *:*

Marine acid air The compound hydrogen chloride has the chemical formula and as such is a hydrogen halide. At room temperature, it is a colorless gas, which forms white fumes of hydrochloric acid upon contact with atmospheric water vapor. Hydrogen chloride g ...

– gaseous form of

Others

Alkahest In Renaissance alchemy, alkahest was the theorized "universal solvent". It was supposed to be capable of dissolving any composite substance, including gold (then not considered an element), without altering or destroying its fundamental compone ...

– universal solvent. * Azoth – initially this referred to a supposed universal solvent but later became another name for Mercury. *

Bitumen Bitumen ( , ) is an immensely viscosity, viscous constituent of petroleum. Depending on its exact composition, it can be a sticky, black liquid or an apparently solid mass that behaves as a liquid over very large time scales. In American Engl ...

– highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. * Blende * Brimstone –

sulfur Sulfur ( American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphur ( Commonwealth spelling) is a chemical element; it has symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms ...

:* Flowers of sulfur – formed by distilling sulfur. *

Caustic potash Potassium hydroxide is an inorganic compound with the formula K OH, and is commonly called caustic potash. Along with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), KOH is a prototypical strong base. It has many industrial and niche applications, most of which utiliz ...

/ caustic wood alkali –

potassium hydroxide Potassium hydroxide is an inorganic compound with the formula K OH, and is commonly called caustic potash. Along with sodium hydroxide (NaOH), KOH is a prototypical strong base. It has many industrial and niche applications, most of which utili ...

, formed by adding lime to potash. * Caustic Soda/

caustic marine alkali Caustic most commonly refers to: * Causticity, the property of being able to Chemical burn, corrode Tissue (biology), organic tissue ** Sodium hydroxide, sometimes called ''caustic soda'' ** Potassium hydroxide, sometimes called ''caustic potash'' ...

–

sodium hydroxide Sodium hydroxide, also known as lye and caustic soda, is an inorganic compound with the formula . It is a white solid ionic compound consisting of sodium cations and hydroxide anions . Sodium hydroxide is a highly corrosive base (chemistry), ...

, NaOH, formed by adding lime to natron. * Caustic volatile alkali –

ammonium hydroxide Ammonia solution, also known as ammonia water, ammonium hydroxide, ammoniacal liquor, ammonia liquor, aqua ammonia, aqueous ammonia, or (inaccurately) ammonia, is a solution of ammonia in water. It can be denoted by the symbols NH3(aq). Although ...

. *

Corrosive sublimate Mercury(II) chloride (mercury bichloride, mercury dichloride, mercuric chloride), historically also sulema or corrosive sublimate, is the inorganic chemical compound of Mercury (element), mercury and chlorine with the chemical formula, formula H ...

–

mercuric chloride Mercury(II) chloride (mercury bichloride, mercury dichloride, mercuric chloride), historically also sulema or corrosive sublimate, is the inorganic chemical compound of mercury and chlorine with the formula HgCl2, used as a laboratory reagent. ...

, formed by subliming mercury, calcined green vitriol, common salt, and nitre. *

Gum Arabic Gum arabic (gum acacia, gum sudani, Senegal gum and by other names) () is a tree gum exuded by two species of '' Acacia sensu lato:'' '' Senegalia senegal,'' and '' Vachellia seyal.'' However, the term "gum arabic" does not indicate a partic ...

– gum from the acacia tree. * Liver of sulfur – formed by fusing potash and sulfur. *

Lunar caustic Silver nitrate is an inorganic compound with chemical formula . It is a versatile Precursor (chemistry), precursor to many other silver compounds, such as those used in photography. It is far less sensitive to light than the silver halide, halide ...

/ –

silver nitrate Silver nitrate is an inorganic compound with chemical formula . It is a versatile precursor to many other silver compounds, such as those used in photography. It is far less sensitive to light than the halides. It was once called ''lunar causti ...

, formed by dissolving

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

in aqua fortis and evaporating. *

Lye Lye is the common name of various alkaline solutions, including soda lye (a solution of sodium hydroxide) and potash lye (a solution of potassium hydroxide). Lyes are used as cleaning products, as ingredients in soapmaking, and in various other c ...

– potash in a water solution, formed by leaching wood ashes. :*

Potash Potash ( ) includes various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water- soluble form.

–

, formed by evaporating lye; also called salt of tartar. K₂CO₃ :* Pearlash – formed by baking potash in a kiln. * Milk of sulfur () – formed by adding an acid to thion hudor ( lime sulfur). * Natron/

soda ash Sodium carbonate (also known as washing soda, soda ash, sal soda, and soda crystals) is the inorganic compound with the formula and its various hydrates. All forms are white, odourless, water-soluble salts that yield alkaline solutions in water ...

/ soda –

sodium carbonate Sodium carbonate (also known as washing soda, soda ash, sal soda, and soda crystals) is the inorganic compound with the formula and its various hydrates. All forms are white, odourless, water-soluble salts that yield alkaline solutions in water ...

. Na₂CO₃ * –

ammonium nitrate Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound with the formula . It is a white crystalline salt consisting of ions of ammonium and nitrate. It is highly soluble in water and hygroscopic as a solid, but does not form hydrates. It is predominantly us ...

. * Sugar of lead – lead(II) acetate, formed by dissolving lead oxide in vinegar. * – lime sulfur, formed by boiling flowers of sulfur with slaked lime.

References

External links

* Eklund, Jon (1975).
The Incompleat Chymist: Being an Essay on the Eighteenth-Century Chemist in His Laboratory, with a Dictionary of Obsolete Chemical Terms of the Period
' ( Smithsonian Studies in History and Technology, Number 33). Smithsonian Institution Press. * Giunta, Carmen.
Glossary of Archaic Chemical Terms: Introduction and Part I (A-B)
'

* Giunta, Carmen.

'. Classic Chemistry. Based on Guyton de Morveau, Louis Bernard; Lavoisier, Antoine; Bertholet, Claude-Louis; Fourcroy, Antoine-François de (1788) 787 ''Method of chymical nomenclature, proposed by Messrs. de Morveau, Lavoisier, Bertholet, and de Fourcroy: To which is added A new system of chymical characters adapted to the nomenclature by Mess. Hassenfratz and Adet''. Translated by St. John, James. pp. 105–176. {{DEFAULTSORT:Alchemical substances Chemistry-related lists

Metals and metalloids

Minerals, Stones, and Pigments

Salts

Vitriols

Waters, oils and spirits

Others

See also

References

External links