Alchemical Substances

Substances found to be beneficial to Soulweaving:

Salt: Earth spells

Sulfur: Fire spells

Mercury: Water spells

Blood (Human): Air spells

Aether: Arcane spells

Alchemical studies produced a number of substances, which were later classified as particular chemical compounds or mixtures of compounds.

Alchemy Symbol: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alchemical_symbol

Metals and metalloids

Further information: Metals of antiquity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metals_of_antiquity ismuth) – Antimony/Stibnium – Sb Bismuth (German: Wismuth) – Bi Copper/Cuprum – associated with Venus. Cu Gold/Aurum – associated with the Sun. Au Iron/Ferrum – associated with Mars. Fe Lead/Plumbum – associated with Saturn. Pb Quicksilver/Hydrargyrum – associated with Mercury. Hg Silver/Argentum – associated with the Moon. Ag Tin/Stannum – associated with Jupiter. Sn

Minerals, stones, and pigments

Bluestone – mineral form of copper(II) sulfate pentahydrate, also called blue vitriol. Borax – sodium borate; was also used to refer to other related minerals. Cadmia/Tuttia/Tutty – probably zinc carbonate. Calamine – zinc carbonate. Calomel/Horn Quicksilver/horn mercury – mercury(I) chloride, 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 – calcium oxide; was also used to refer to other metal oxides. Chalk – a rock composed of porous biogenic calcium carbonate. CaCO3 Chrome green – chromic oxide and cobalt oxide. Chrome orange – chrome yellow and chrome red. Chrome red – basic lead chromate – PbCrO4+PbO Chrome yellow/Paris Yellow/Leipzig Yellow – lead chromate, PbCrO4 Cinnabar/Vermilion – refers to several substances, among them: mercury(II) sulfide (HgS), or native vermilion (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. BaSO4 Flowers of antimony – antimony trioxide, formed by roasting stibnite at high temperature and condensing the white fumes that form. Sb2O3 Fool's gold – a mineral, iron disulfide or pyrite; can form oil of vitriol on contact with water and air. Fulminating silver – principally, silver nitride, formed by dissolving silver(I) oxide in ammonia. Very explosive when dry. Fulminating gold – 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. Galena – lead(II) sulfide. Lead ore. Glass of antimony – impure antimony tetroxide, SbO4 formed by roasting stibnite. A yellow pigment for glass and porcelain. Gypsum – a mineral; calcium sulfate. CaSO4 Horn Silver/Argentum Cornu – a weathered form of chlorargyrite, an ore of silver chloride. Luna cornea – silver chloride, formed by heating horn silver till it liquefies and then cooling. King's yellow – formed by mixing orpiment with white arsenic. Lapis solaris (Bologna stone) – barium sulfide – 1603, Vincenzo Cascariolo. Lead fume – lead oxide, found in flues at lead smelters. Lime/Quicklime (Burnt Lime)/Calx Viva/Unslaked Lime – calcium oxide, formed by calcining limestone Slaked Lime – calcium hydroxide. Ca(OH)2 Marcasite – a mineral; iron disulfide. In moist air it turns into green vitriol, FeSO4. Massicot – lead monoxide. PbO Litharge – 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 – arsenic trisulfide, an ore of arsenic. Pearl white – bismuth nitrate, BiNO3 Philosophers' Wool/nix alba (white snow)/Zinc White – zinc oxide, formed by burning zinc in air, used as a pigment Plumbago – a mineral, graphite; 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 – arsenic disulfide, an ore of arsenic. Regulus of antimony Resin of copper – copper(I) chloride (cuprous chloride), formed by heating copper with corrosive sublimate. Rouge/Crocus/Colcothar – ferric oxide, formed by burning green vitriol in air. Stibnite – antimony or antimony trisulfide, ore of antimony. Turpeth mineral – hydrolysed form of mercury(II) sulfate. Verdigris – Carbonate of Copper or (more recently) copper(II) acetate. 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 subliminating arsenical soot from the roasting ovens. White lead – 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. Zaffre – impure cobalt arsenate, formed after roasting cobalt ore. Zinc Blende – zinc sulfide.

Oils and spirits

Butter (or oil) of antimony – antimony trichloride. Formed by distilling roasted stibnite with corrosive sublimate, or dissolving stibnite in hot concentrated hydrochloric acid and distilling. SbCl3 Butter of tin – hydrated tin(IV) chloride; see also spiritus fumans, another chloride of tin. Oil of tartar – concentrated potassium carbonate, 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 – sulfuric acid, a weak version can be formed by heating green vitriol and blue vitriol. H2SO4 Spirit of box/Pyroxylic spirit – methanol, CH3OH, distilled wood alcohol. Spirit of hartshorn – ammonia, formed by the decomposition of sal-ammoniac by unslaked lime. Spirit of salt/Acidum salis – the liquid form of hydrochloric acid (also called muriatic acid), formed by mixing common salt with oil of vitriol. Marine acid air – gaseous form of hydrochloric acid. Spirit of nitre − nitric acid Spiritus fumans – stannic chloride, formed by distilling tin with corrosive sublimate. Salts Glauber's salt – sodium sulfate. Na2SO4 Sal alembroth – salt composed of chlorides of ammonium and mercury. Sal ammoniac – ammonium chloride. Sal petrae (Med. Latin: "stone salt")/Salt of Petra/Saltpetre/Nitrate of potash – potassium nitrate, KNO3, typically mined from covered dungheaps. Salt/Common salt – A mineral; sodium chloride, NaCl, formed by evaporating seawater (impure form). Salt of tartar – potassium carbonate; also called potash. Salt of hartshorn/Sal volatile – ammonium carbonate formed by distilling bones and horns. Tin salt – hydrated stannous chloride; see also spiritus fumans, another chloride of tin.

Vitriols

Blue vitriol – copper(II) sulfate pentahydrate. Green vitriol – a mineral; iron(II) sulfate heptahydrate. (or ferrous sulfate) Red vitriol - cobalt sulfate. Sweet vitriol – diethyl ether. It could be made by mixing oil of vitriol with spirit of wine and heating it. White vitriol – zinc sulfate, formed by lixiviating roasted zinc blende.

Waters

Aqua fortis – nitric acid, formed by 2 parts saltpetre in 1 part (pure) oil of vitriol (sulfuric acid). (Historically, this process could not have been used, as 98% oil of vitriol was not available.) Aqua ragia/Spirit of turpentine/Oil of turpentine/Gum turpentine – turpentine, formed by the distillation of pine tree resin. Aqua regia (Latin: "royal water") – a mixture of aqua fortis and spirit of salt. Aqua tofani – arsenic trioxide, As2O3 (extremely poisonous) Aqua vitae/Spirit of Wine – ethanol, formed by distilling wine.

Others

Alkahest – universal solvent. Azoth – initially this referred to a supposed universal solvent but later became another name for Mercury. Bitumen – highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. Blende Brimstone – sulfur Flowers of sulfur – formed by distilling sulfur. Caustic potash/Caustic wood alkali – potassium hydroxide, formed by adding lime to potash Caustic Soda/Caustic marine alkali – sodium hydroxide, NaOH, formed by adding lime to natron. Caustic volatile alkali – ammonium hydroxide. Corrosive sublimate – mercuric chloride, formed by subliming mercury, calcined green vitriol, common salt, and nitre. Gum Arabic – gum from the acacia tree. Liver of sulfur – formed by fusing[clarification needed] potash and sulfur. Lunar caustic/lapis infernalis – silver nitrate, formed by dissolving silver in aqua fortis and evaporating. Lye – potash in a water solution, formed by leaching wood ashes. Potash – potassium carbonate, formed by evaporating lye; also called salt of tartar. K2CO3 Pearlash – formed by baking potash in a kiln. Milk of sulfur (lac sulphuris) – formed by adding an acid to thion hudor (lime sulfur). Natron/Soda Ash/Soda – sodium carbonate. Na2CO3 Nitrum flammans – ammonium nitrate. Sugar of Lead – lead(II) acetate, formed by dissolving lead oxide in vinegar. Thion hudor – lime sulfur, formed by boiling flowers of sulfur with slaked lime.

Central to the great scholars known as the Alchemists.