Home Page

Stefan's Florilegium

Arch-Chem-Nms-art



This document is also available in: text or RTF formats.

Arch-Chem-Nms-art - 10/2/08

 

"Archaic Chemical Names and Modern Equivalents" by Baron Ibrahim ibn Abih al Thaalibi, OP, OL.

 

NOTE: See also the files: lapidary-msg, A-Lapidary-art, metal-etching-msg, Rock-Crystal-art, urine-uses-msg, wood-finishes-msg, charcoal-msg, p-cleaning-msg, p-petroleum-msg.

 

************************************************************************

NOTICE -

 

This file is a collection of various messages having a common theme that I have collected from my reading of the various computer networks. Some messages date back to 1989, some may be as recent as yesterday.

 

This file is part of a collection of files called Stefan's Florilegium. These files are available on the Internet at: http://www.florilegium.org

 

I have done a limited amount of editing. Messages having to do with separate topics were sometimes split into different files and sometimes extraneous information was removed. For instance, the message IDs were removed to save space and remove clutter.

 

The comments made in these messages are not necessarily my viewpoints. I make no claims as to the accuracy of the information given by the individual authors.

 

Please respect the time and efforts of those who have written these messages. The copyright status of these messages is unclear at this time. If information is published from these messages, please give credit to the originator(s).

 

Thank you,

    Mark S. Harris                  AKA:  THLord Stefan li Rous

                                          Stefan at florilegium.org

************************************************************************

 

To: EKMetalsmiths at yahoogroups.com

Subj: Archaic Chemicals

Posted by: "Ron Charlotte" ronch2 at bellsouth.net   al_thaalibi

Date: Thu Jan 3, 2008 4:30 pm (PST)

 

The following is an article I compiled a couple of years ago. The

discussion on researching chemically treating lapidary materials made

me remember it:

 

Archaic Chemical Names and Modern Equivalents

Baron Ibrahim ibn Abih al Thaalibi, OP, OL MKA Ron Charlotte

 

The following list is not exhaustive by any means, but it's a pretty

good representation of some of the chemical and compounds that might

be found in historical artist and craftsman formulas and recipes.

There are several instances when the same chemical or compound is

called by multiple names; this is because chemistry has only become

truly standardized in the last century or so.

 

Alabaster-Calcium sulphate

Anhydrite-Anhydrous calcium sulphate

Aqua Metallorum-Mercury

Aqua Vitae-Unrectified alcohol; sometimes refers to unflavored brandy.

Baking soda-Sodium bicarbonate

Baryta-Barium oxide

Bleach-Sodium hypochlorite

Bleaching powder-Calcium hypochlorite

Blue vitriol-Copper sulphate

Boracic acid-Boric acid

Borax-Sodium tetraborate

Brimstone-sulphur

Calamine-Zinc carbonate

Caliche -sodium nitrate

Calomel-Mercuric chloride

Caustic Potash-Potassium hydroxide

Caustic soda-Sodium hydroxide

Chile saltpeter-Sodium Nitrate/ Sodium Nitrite

Chloride of iron-Ferric chloride

Condy's crystals-Potassium permanganate

Copperas-Ferrous sulphate

Cream of tartar-Potassium hydrogen tartrate

Dragon's Blood-Tincture of Antimony

Dragon's Blood II-Sap of draconea draco

Drikold-Solid carbon dioxide

Epsom salts-Magnesium sulphate

Flowers of sulphur-Sulphur in powder form

Fuller's earth-Non plastic clay

Glauber's salt-Sodium sulphate

Gypsum-Calcium Sulphate

Horn silver-Silver chloride

Hypo, photographic-Sodium thiosulphate

Ivory black-Carbon (from bones or other skeletal material)

Kaolin/ China clay-Aluminium silicate

King's Yellow-Arsenic trisulphide

Lime sulphur-Calcium polysulphide

Litharge-Lead trioxide

Lithopone-Zinc sulphide and barium sulphate

Liver of sulphur-Potassium polysulphide

Lunar caustic-Silver nitrate

Lye-Sodium hydroxide

Magnesia-Basic magnesium carbonate

Marsh gas-Methane

Massicot-Lead monoxide

Mohr's salt-Ferrous ammonium sulphate

Muriatic acid-Hydrochloric acid

Nitre-Potassium nitrate

 

Oil of Iron-Red Sulphur

Orpiment-Arsenic trisulphide

Oxymuriatic acid-Chlorine gas

Paris green-Copper arsenite

Plaster of Paris-Calcium sulphate

Plumbago-Graphite

Potash-Potasssium carbonate

Purple of Cassius-Colloidal gold

Pyrites (iron)-Ferrous sulphide

Realgar-Arsenic disulphide

Red lead / Minium-Lead tetroxide

Rochelle salt-Sodium potassium tartrate

Sal ammoniac-Ammonium chloride

Sal volatile-Ammonium carbonate

Saltpeter /Sal Petrier-Potassium Nitrate

Saltpeter, Norwegian-Calcium nitrate

Selenite-Calcium sulphate

Spirit of Nitre-Nitric acid

Spirits of salt-Hydrochloric acid

Sugar of lead-Lead Acetate

Table salt-Sodium chloride

Tartar Emetic-Potassium antimonyl tartrate

Tripoli-Diatomaceous earth

Verdegris-Copper Acetate /carbonate

Vermilion-Red Mercuric Sulfide

Vinegar-Acetic acid

Vitriol-Sulphuric Acid concentrated

Washing soda-Sodium carbonate

Water Glass-Sodium silicate solution

White arsenic-Arsenious oxide

White Lead-Lead carbonate

White vitriol-Zinc sulphate

 

My many thanks to Master Magnus of Atlantia, and John Burgess of New

Zealand, for allowing me to mine their respective correspondences for

nuggets of information.

 

Bibliography

 

Agricola, Georgius; De Re Metallica, 1556; Trans. by Herbert C.

Hoover & Lou H. Hoover; 1986, Dover Publications, New York (ISBN 0-486-60006-8)

 

Alexis of Piemont (Ruscelli, Girolamo); The Secretes of the Reverende

Maister Alexis of Piemount ANNO 1558, Reprinted in 1975 by Theatrum

Orbis Terrarum, Ltd., Amsterdam (ISBN 90 221 0707 8)

 

Biringuccio, Vannoccio; The Pirotechnia, 1548; Trans. by Cyril

Stanley Smith & Martha Teach Gnudi; 1990, Dover Publications, New

York (ISBN 0-486-26134-4)

 

Cellini, Benvenuto; The Treatises of Benvenuto Cellini on

Goldsmithing and Sculpture, 1568; Trans. by C. R. Ashbee; 1967, Dover

Publications, New York (ISBN 0-486-21568-7)

 

Diagram Group, The, Handtools of Arts and Crafts, 1981, St. Martin's

Press, New York (ISBN: 0312358601).

 

Hiscox, Gardner, ed. Henley's Formulas for Home and Workshop, 1979

(reprint of 1907 revised edition), Avenel Books, New York (ISBN 0-517-29307-2)

 

Maryon, Herbert; Metalwork and Enamelling, 1971, Dover Publications, New York

(ISBN 0-486-22702-2)

 

McCreight, Tim;

The Complete Metalsmith, 1991, Davis Publications, Inc, Worcester,

MA (ISBN 0-87192-240-1)

Practical Casting, 1994, Brynmorgen Press, Cape Elizabeth, ME (ISBN

0-9615984-5-X)

 

Theophilus; On Divers Arts, c.1122, Trans. by John G. Hawthorne &

Cyril S. Smith; 1979, Dover Publications, New York (ISBN 0-486-23784-2)

 

Ron Charlotte -- Gainesville, FL

ronch2 at bellsouth.net OR afn03234 at afn.org

 

 

Re: Archaic Chemicals

Posted by: "Chris and Barbara Collins" bcollins at fairpoint.net   Bcollins_05471

Thu Jan 3, 2008 4:39 pm (PST)

 

Find a copy of a "Dixie gunworks" cat'lg. In the back, there's all kinds of useful info (labeled as such) Sorry, their site doesn't have it on-line.

 

-Ekk

 

<the end>



Formatting copyright © Mark S. Harris (THLord Stefan li Rous).
All other copyrights are property of the original article and message authors.

Comments to the Editor: stefan at florilegium.org