Page:Cyclopaedia, Chambers - Supplement, Volume 1.djvu/101

 A L K

A L K

and deduces from it the whole myftefy of the Alkaheji : it was not much more eafy for him to divine the preparation from Starkey's words, than it was for Starkey to difcover it from Van Helmont's. According to this author, urine is the remote matter of the Alkaheji. The next matter of it is, three different fpirits procurable from urine. The iff. a vi- nous and inflammable fpirit. The 2d. an urinous, or burning fpirit. The 3d. a fermented fpirit, which, according to Hel- mont, diflolves without corrofton the duelec, or flone formed in the human body. The three fpirits being indicated in the ^enigmatic paflage, cited from Starkey, it is inferred they are the next matter, whereof the Alkaheji is compofed. It may be added, that thofe three fpirits never appear but in form of two, the one fimple, the other double, for that the volatile and vinous are never the one without the other in fermented urine.

Pelletier defcribes at large the procefs, whereby the Alkaheji is to be procured on his principles, viz. by fetting a quan- tity of urine of young healthy people, who drink only wine, to ferment thirty or forty days ; then diftilling it by a fand heat, till one third part of it is raifed 5 fetting the fasces, which remain, to ferment thirty or forty days more ; rectifying fe- veral times the fpirit procured by the former operation, and only faving what rifes firft: : to which is to be put, an equal quantity of highly rectified fpirit of wine ; the whole to be ihaken together in the vefle!, till a white coagulum is formed ; then an equal quantity of fpirit of nitre, to be added to the mixture, by which the whole will fix into a kind of fal armo- niac. The faeces of the firft: diftillation, which had been fet to ferment de novo, are next diftilled a fecond time ; and only a fourth part faved : this to be continued, till the re- fidue is found of the confiftcnce of honey; and the phlegm being thrown away, a cohobation is next to be made of this re- fidue, with the fourth part of the fpirit laft extracted ; and this cohobation to be continued, till the whole become of an uniform confidence. The fpirit thus procured is next to be reclined, and poured on fal armoniac ; and the whole fet to digeft in dung, for eight days. By which the fait will be reduced into a liquor. This being diftilled in Balnea mar'tes, to get out the phlegm, and what is left at the bottom be- ing re-diftilled to a drinefs ; if nothing remain after this diftil- lation, you have the Alkaheji in perfection : if any thing does re- main, it muft be diftilled and cohobated, till fuch time as the whole rife in one homogeneous uniform liquor. The chief objections to it are, that the fpirit of wine in this cafe will not make a coagulum with the rectified fpirit of urine, at leaft, unlefs it have been firft fermented with the urine, and feparated again, by diftilling the urinous fpirit: And that it may be doubted, whether fpirit of nitre, poured on fuch a coagulum, will fix it into a fal armoniac. It does not appear, whether M. Pelletier has made" the ex- periment ; at leaft, he fecms to decline the reputation of it, as frankly foregoing his pretentions to be an adept l . Some are not inclinable to take him at his word ; while others m note certain defects in his procefs, which intimate that it was not altogether out of modefty, that he declined the title. — Others n are faid to have tried it without effect. But it is further objected to the whole procefs, that it does not anfwer Van Helmont's defcription ; for that a mixture of three bodies of different kingdoms, can never produce a liquor perfectly ho- mogeneous. — [' Mem. deTrev. ubi fupra, p. 1876. m Mar- //«/, in Mem. de Trev. 1707. p- 1454- tea,- " De la Gaze, Lett, in Mem. de Trev. 1707. p. 1465-] A later chemift adopts likewife Starkey's hypothefis of urine; but gives an explanation, and a procefs fomewhat different from thofe of Pelletier. The material principles, of which the ■Alkaheji is immediately to be compofed, he fuppofes to be three; a volatile urinous fpirit ; an intermediate fpirit, which is the effential oil of urine ; and an acid not corrofive, which is the vinous fpirit of urine itfelf. The oily fpirit is to coagulate the fait, and the vinous fpirit to diflblve both, but to be united with them by fermentation. This operation is to be repeated, till the whole is reduced to an effence, en- tirely fpirituous and firy; in a word, to a fait without phlegm. In this fyftem, the preparation of the Alkaheji is reduced to the fame operations as the volatilization of fixed alkalies. In effect, that fixed alkalies volatilized, which are the ufual fubftitutes of the Alkaheji, have a great diffolving power, appears owing to the mixture of effential oils, fpirit of wine, and fal alkali. From whence it is inferred, that the Alkaheji alfo derives its quality and power from the mixture of the ef- fential oil, and vinous fpirit of urine, united with the volatile fait of it. Mem. de Trev. 1708. p. 327. feq. Hence it is, that the Alkaheji volatilizes the bodies diffolved by it, by reafon the urinous fait ftill retains its volatility ; whereas fixed alkalies volatilized coagulate the bodies they diflblve, by reafon they ftill retain Something of the fixity of the fait they were made from. Van Helmont gives an in- timation of this fvftem, when he fays, if you cannot attain the fecret of our fire, i. e. the Alkaheji, at leaft, learn a thing which comes next it in excellence, viz. to render alkalies vo- latile, that by means of the fpirits of thefe, you may be able to make your diflblutions. Starkey, in fpite of all his myf- tery, has left fome things that confirm the doctrine : imme- Svppl, Vol, I,

diately after explaining the method of volatilizing fixed (alts, he fubjoins, « that the fame operation is to be performed for procuring the Alkaheji ; " he adds, " underftand but this well v, c * and the fecret of the Alkaheji will not be unknown to you." Now it is certain the way of volatilizing fixed fait, is by means of eflential oils, and vinous fpirits, confequently, &r>, The preparation of Helmont's Alkahe/l, or Ignis gebenna^ according to Cnoeffelius's fyftem, which fuppofes it the fame with Paracelfus's Specijicum corrojvum, is as follows. — "Take " Aqua for tis, rectified from its caput tnortuum, one pound ; " fublimate mercury, and fal armoniac, each two ounces; " mix them, that they may confume each other; then take " aqua mercurialis, ad fondus omnium, and referve the liquor " for ufe ; this corrofive is irrefiftable by the diamond itfelf." — Thus far is from Paracelfus himfelf. But what this aqua ?nercurialis is, might create much doubt ; to remove which we have the following procefs given by Paracelfus, in the ap- pendix to his greater furgery, under the title of, aqua ?nercu- rii maximum arcanum. " Take mercury fublimatcd from " fait of tartar fo often, till it rifes, which will be the feventh " time ; alfo arfenic fublimated, and fal ammoniac, each one " pound ; let them be drenched feveral times with oil of fait of " tartar : after which diflblve them on a marble into water." This is aqua mercurialis. Vid. Paracelf. Chirurg. Magn. App. 1685. Fol. p. 15.

"Whether this celebrated Alkaheji will perform all the won- ders which Helmont has related of it, we will not fay : hut it is certainly no ways probable, that with fuch a fiery pre- paration, Paracelfus could pretend to cure, or reftore the liver ! Glauber's Alkaheji, known iti the {hops by the title, Alka- hejlum Glauberi, is a preparation of fixed or alkalized nitre, the procefs of which follows. — Melt a quantity of nitre in a crucible, by a vehement fire, and add from time to time a quantity of powdered charcoal ; by this means the fulphure- ous acid of the nitre being kindled by the fulphur of the char- coal, a conflict and deflagration enfues. When it will no longer deflagrate, it is found a fixed alkaline fait of nitre ; which expofed to the open air, in a low, calm, cool place, will prefently begin to melt. As it runs, pour it off into a glafs veffel, and expofe the refidue a fecond time to the air. Repeat this till the whole fait is liquified. The liquor thus procured being {trained, is found limpid, alkaline and thickifli, refembling oil of tartar per deliquium ".■ — This liquor Glauber impofed on the world, for an univerfal diffolvent j as being found effectual for diffolving bodies of all the three kingdoms* But fince the fecret of its preparation has been difcovered, its value is much abated. Boerhaave affures us, that in all the experiments he has made with it, he has found nothing in it, but what is equally found in uil of tartar per deliquium. — Only that the former is more difficult of preparation, and cofts more, Its principal ufe is for diffolving refins and gums, which it opens in fuch amanner, that with the further help of fpirit of wine, a genuine tincture maybe procured from them. —The method of applying it is, by fetting the refin to digeft with the Alkaheji y in an open glafs, for the fpace of twenty four hours, or to a drinefs ; then pouring on the fpirit of wine, fonie inches deep above the refin p .— [° Teichrney, Inftit. Chem. c. 13. p. 177, Beerh, Elem. Chem, F. 3.* T. 2, Proc. 131, &. 138. ? Jmck. Lex, Chym. Pharm. P. 1.

P- I3-] L, ,

Zwelfer's Alkaheji, Alkaheflum Zwelferi, is a preparation of verdigreafe, made by diffolving it in fix times the quantity of diftilled vinegar ; then filtrating, and fetting it to cryftalize. Thefe cryftals being diffolved in fpirit of wine, {trained thro* paper, and fet on fire, the fine particles of the copper are ex- haled; or if the cryftals be diftilled, they yield a very con- centrated vinegar, part of which burns like fpirit of wine, the other part being acid, yet in fome meafure volatile : So that almoft the whole of it may be again feparated. — This vinegar is a very powerful diffolventj in fo much that it pafled on Zwelfer for the Alkaheji of Helmont. Junck. Confpect. Chem. Tab. 35. p. 309. Boerhaav, New Meth. Chem.

P- 2- P-355-, ri.

But it mould feem natural, before men put themfelves into the fearch of the Alkaheji, that they enquire into the poflibility of it?

Tho' we have the exprefs teftimonies of Paracelfus, Helmont, Philalethes, Starkey, Faber, and others, that they were ac- tually poffeffed of the fecret, yet many among the later writ- ers, as Boyle 1, Wedelius r, Major, Martini s , and others, perflft in holding it impoflible, and even to involve contra- dictions. — [« Ufefulnefs of experim. Philof. P. 2. Sect. 1. r Pharmac. in Art. Form. Redact. 1. 2. Sect. 6. c. 19. s Gen. Errant, c. 19.]

In effect, we find qualities directly contrary afcribed to the Alkaheji .- fome will have it very fubtile, others extremely pon- derous, fo that it will not rife in diftillation. If it diflblve all bodies, what can contain it, or hinder it from diffolving its own veffel ? How can it be immortal, and unchangeable, while it contains falts, the points of which muft wear away by continual friction againft the bodies to be diffolved ? If it be volatile, it muft evaporate when employed ! If fatty, or vifcous, it muft adhere to the bodies diflblved by it, and thus lofe many of its parts ! Martini, ubi fupra, p. J452.

x B b The