Of a degradation of gold made by an anti-elixir : a strange chymical narrative / [Anon].

  • Boyle, Robert, 1627-1691
Date:
1678
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Of a degradation of gold made by an anti-elixir : a strange chymical narrative / [Anon]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    _ [u]. pointment were that (as I formerly intimated) this Vkluofos hafte or defign made him leave me in the dark $ or whe¬ ther it were that finding my felf in want of fufficient dire¬ ctions, I happily pitcht upon fuch a proportion of Mate¬ rials, and way of operating, as were proper to make a new Difcovery, which the excellent Giver of the Powder had not Defigtfd, or perhaps thought of# I (hall not at all wonder, faith Cratippus, either at vour Friends amazement, or at your furprize, if your further tryals did in any meafure confirm what the fuperfcial change that appeared in your Metal could not but incline you to conjecture. You will beft judge of that (replies Tyrophilus) by the account I was going to give you of what we did with our odd Metal. And Firji, having rubb’d it upon a good Touchftone, whereon we had likewife rubb’d a piece of Coynd Silver , and a piece of Coynd Gold , we manifeftly found that the mark left upon the Stone by our Mafs be¬ tween the marks of the two other Metals, was notorioufly more like the Touch of the Silver than to that of the Gold. Next, having knockt our little lump with a Hammer, it was, (according to my prediction) found brittle, and flew into feveral pieces. Thirdly, (which is more) even the in- fides of thofe pieces Iqokt of a bafe dirty colour, like that of Brafs or worfe , for the fragments had a far greater re¬ ft mol a nee to Bell-Metal, than either to Gold or to Silver. To which we added this fourth, and more confiderable, Ex- amen$that having carefully weigh’d out one dram of our ftuff3 (referving the reft for trials to he fjggefted by fee on d thoughts) and put it upon an excellent new and well-neal’d Cupel, with about half a dozen times its weight of Lead,we found, fomewhat to our wonder, that though it turn’d very well like good Gold, yet it continued in the fire above an hour and an half,(which was twice as Jong as vve expeCted)and yet almoft