List of alchemical substances

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

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

## Contents

* 1 Metals and metalloids
* 2 Minerals, Stones, and Pigments
* 3 Salts
* 4 Vitriols
* 5 Waters, oils and spirits
* 6 Others
* 7 See also
* 8 References
* 9 External links

## Metals and metalloids

* 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.
* Chalcanthum – The residue produced by strongly roasting Blue Vitriol (Copper Sulfate); it is composed mostly of Cupric Oxide.
* 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, Sb2O4 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 sublimating 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.

## 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.[1]
* Sweet vitriol – diethyl ether. It could be made by mixing oil of vitriol with spirit of wine and heating it.[2]
* White vitriol – zinc sulfate, formed by lixiviating roasted zinc blende.

## Waters, oils and spirits

* Aqua fortis/spirit of nitre – 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/aqua vita/spirit of wine, ardent spirits – ethanol, formed by distilling wine[2]
* 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.
* Spiritus fumans – stannic chloride, formed by distilling tin with corrosive sublimate.
* 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.

## 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.

## See also

* Alchemical symbol
* List of alchemists

## References

1. ↑ "Vitriol | chemical compound | Britannica". 18 August 2023. https://www.britannica.com/science/vitriol.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Gray, Theodore (2014). Molecules. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers. pp. 27–31. ISBN 978-1-60376-396-7.

## 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). Classic Chemistry.
* Giunta, Carmen. A Dictionary of the New Chymical Nomenclature. Classic Chemistry. Based on Guyton de Morveau, Louis Bernard; Lavoisier, Antoine; Bertholet, Claude-Louis; Fourcroy, Antoine-François de (1788) [1787]. 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.

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Alchemy

Concepts|

* Alkahest
* Azoth
* Chrysopoeia
* Classical planets (Suns)
* Classical element
* Elixir of life
* Homunculus
* In art and entertainment
* Philosopher's stone
* Substances
* Symbols

Branches|

* Daoist
* Hindu
* Islamic
* Spagyric
* Iatrochemistry
* Chemistry

Magnum opus|

* Nigredo
* Albedo
* Citrinitas
* Rubedo

Processes|

* Calcination
* Ceration
* Cohobation
* Congelation
* Digestion
* Distillation
* Fermentation
* Filtration
* Fixation
* Multiplication
* Projection
* Solution
* Sublimation

Alchemists|

* Agastya
* Arthur Dee
* Cleopatra the Alchemist
* Fulcanelli
* Ge Hong
* Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa
* Isaac Newton
* Jābir ibn Hayyān
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* Michael Maier
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* Ostanes
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* Robert Boyle
* Roger Bacon
* Wei Boyang
* Zosimos of Panopolis

Works|

* Alchemical Studies
* Atalanta Fugiens
* Aurora consurgens
* Baopuzi
* Bibliotheca Chemica Curiosa
* Buch der heiligen Dreifaltigkeit
* Cantilenae Intelectuales de Phoenice Redivivo
* Cantong qi
* Chymical Wedding of Christian Rosenkreutz
* Cyranides
* De Alchemia
* Den vises sten
* Deutsches Theatrum Chemicum
* Emerald Tablet
* Fasciculus Chemicus
* Greek Magical Papyri
* Hermetic Definitions
* Hermetic Journal
* Hermetica
* Kitab al-Kimya
* Leyden papyrus X
* Liber Ignium
* Musaeum Hermeticum
* Mutus Liber
* Occult Chemistry
* Papyrus Graecus Holmiensis
* Parabola Allegory
* Picatrix
* Psychology and Alchemy
* Rosary of the Philosophers
* Septimana Philosophica
* Splendor Solis
* Suspicions about the Hidden Realities of the Air
* The Hermetical Triumph
* The Mirror of Alchimy
* The Twelve Keys of Basil Valentine
* Theatrum Chemicum
* Theatrum Chemicum Britannicum
* Tripus Aureus
* Turba Philosophorum
* Treatise on the Apparitions of Spirits

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