V I T
Vitriol is niofe properly rank'ci among trie Clafs of Semi-metals, as having a metallic Matter mixt of combin'd with its Salt. See Semi-metal.
Vitriol is defined by Bocrbaave, a faline, metallic, tranfparent Glebe ; diffbluble in Water, and fufible and cal- cinabie by Fire.
It acquires different Names, according to the different Places where it is dug : and the Vitriols of thofe alio, differ from each other in Denomination and Colour, fome being White, othets Blue, and othets Green.
Roman Vitriol, for Inftance, is White ; that of Cyprus, Blue ; and that of <Pifii mAGermany, greenifh,
White Vitriol partakes but little of any Metal, Blue partakes of Copper, and Green of Iron. See Iron, igc.
Monfieur Geoffrey, the elder, obferves, that they all confift of an acid Salt, like that found in Alum and Sulphur; ex- cepting that in Alum, the Acid is mixt with an abforbent Earth, ot Calx : in Sulphur it is united with certain fat, bi- tuminous Parts ; and in Vitriols, with metallic Parts.
According to Boerhaave, Vitriols confift of a metallic Patt with a Sulphur adhering, a tnenflruous Acid, and Water. _ In Blue Vitriol, the Metal, wherewith the Acid, if,c. is join d, is Copper. See Venus.
In White Vitriol, commonly call'd White Copperas, it is mixt with Lapis Calaminaris, or fome ferruginous Earth, in- termix d with Lead or Tin. See Copperas.
In Green Vitriol, the Acid is join'd with Iron. See Mars.
The Antients give the Name Chalcitis, or Chalcite, to native Vitriol ; or that which acquires its full Perfeflion in the Entrails of the Earth, and which is a kind of mineral Stone, of a reddifh Colour. — Of this they obferv'd three different States, or Transformations : Chalcitis, in its firll State, they call'd Mifl ; this afterwards turn'd into Melan- teria, and that into Jon. See Chalcitis.
The Moderns take this Chalcitis to be the fame with the Colcothar brought from Sweden and Germany, the bell whereof is of a brownifh-Red Colour, and a vitriolic Tafte, and diffolves eafily in Water ; and, when broke, is of the Colour of Alining Copper. See Colcothar.
All the other Vitriols above-named, are really factitious, being only a kind of Cryflals, drawn, by means of Water, from a fort of Marcafite otdinatily found in Mines, and call'd, by Naturalifls, 'Pyrites, or ghiis. See Pyrites.
Roman Vitriol is made by expofin'g thefe Pyrites to the Air, till fuch time as they calcine, and change into a greenifh, acid, vitriolic Calx, or Dull ; in fuch State they are thrown into the Water, and are afterwards, by boiling and evapo- ration, reduced into that kind of Cryflals fent us from Italy.
All the other Vitriols are made after the fame manner, that is, much after the fame manner as Alumn is made in England, or Salt-petre in France. See Alum, and Salt-
PETRE.
For Green Vitriol, they add a great number of pieces of Iron to the Liquor in the boiling ; thefe raife a great Ebulli- tion. As foon as the Iron is difTolved, they evaporate the DifTolution to a certain Degree ; and fo letitcryftalize.— -The Cryflals being form'd, there remains a thick, reddifh, unau- ous Styptic, and aftringent Liquor, which Monfieur Geof- frey calls Eau-mere de Vitriol, as containing all the Princi- ples of the Mineral, tho difunited.
The Powder of this Vitriol is exceeding ftyptic, and ex- cellent for the cure of Wounds, and the flopping of Blood. — Its Effects this Way, have been rais'd by the knavery of fome, and the credulity of others, to a kind of Miracle ; it being this that makes the Ban's of the famous Sympathetic Powder. See Sympathetic
The medicinal Virtues of Vitriol are very great ; but all owing to the Iron, or other metallic Parts mixt with it, and therefore follow the kind of Metal.
Thus, thofe of Green Vitriol depend on the ftypticity or aftringency of Iron, or Mars. See Mars, i£c.
The Eau-mere drawn from Green Vitriol, Monfieur Geof- frey obferves, does not differ any way, effentially, from a great Number of Preparations which the Chymifts have given us o( Vitriol, Iron, and the Lapis Hematites : As the fix'd and anodyne Sulphurs of Vitriol or Mars ; Arcana, and Magifterics of Vitriol ; Tinflures, (gc. of Vitriol, Mars, &.C. The common Bafis of all which is Iron ex- ceedingly fubtilizcd and attenuated. See Iron.
A Solution of Vitriol mix'd with a Tincture of Gails, be- • comes inflantly exceeding Black : and 'tis this is the com- mon Writing-ink. See .Ink.
Monfieur Leinery, theyounger, hasa pretty Hypothefis to account for this Blacknefs : he imagines, that as the Vitriol whereof Ink is made, is Iron diflolved by an Acid, and inti- mately mix'd therewith ; and as Gall is an Alkali, or Abfor- benr, this Alkali meeting the Acids which hold the Iron dif- folved, unites with them, and makes them let the Iron loofe, which thereupon revivifies, andrcfumes its natural Blacknefs. So that in ftrictnefs, 'tis Iron we write withal.
This Syftem is confirm'd hence : that of the five forts of Vitriol, that of Cyprus or Hungary is the only one whofe
( v? )
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Bafe is Copper • that of the reft is Iron: and accordingly they all ferve to make Ink withal; excepting that. Vitriol ailo enters the Compofuion of Aquafortis. See
AOJJAFORTIS:
What we cail Calcanthum is only Vitriol rubified, and is not the lame with Colcothar, as fome have imasincd. See Calcanthum.
Some take the Word Vitriolimt to be ufed, quafi vitri oleum, becaufe of its mining Colour ; but Menage rather derives its Name, k mtreo colore : the Latins call it, Atra* mentum ; and the Greeks, Calcanthus.
Some Naturalifts hold Vitriol to be the Root, or Matrix of Copper ; becaufe in the Copper- Mines they never dig deeper than the Glebe out of which the Vitriol is drawn.
Vitriol affords feveral Chymical Preparations, as Spi- rit of Vitriol, procured by firfl Calcining, then Diitiiiing "■——Oil of Vitriol, which conies out af er the Spirit, by heightning the fire wherewith that had been rais'd.
• Whar remains after both, is the Colcothar of Vitriol.
— — Tartar of Vitriol is had by mixing Oil of Vitriol with Oil of Tartar per deliquium ; a Salt precipitating to the bottom, which being fet to exhale and cryftalize, is theTar- tar of Vitriol. See Tartar.
From the Colcothar of Vitriol is prepared the Eiis Vene- ris. See Ens Veneris.
Metallic Vitriols : All Metals, it is to be obferved, may be converted into Vitriols, by diffolving 'em with acid Spi- rits, and letting 'em ftand ; tho 'tis very difficult to obtain Vitriol of Gold or Silver, by reafon thefe Metals are not eafily diflolved by the Spirit ; but Vitriols of lion and Cop- per are eafily had.
Vitriol of Mars, is a Preparation made by diffolving Iron, or Steel, in a proper acid Menftruum, then evaporating or drawing off the Moifture, and bringing the Matter to cryftalize, via. by fetting it in a cool place. See Mars.
It is alio call'd Salt of Steel. See Steel.
Vitriol of Lima, or the Moon, is the Body of Silver chy- mically opened, and reduced into the Form of Salt by the fharp Points of Sprit of Nitre. See Luna, and Silver.
Vitriol of Venus, is a Preparation made by a folution of Copper in the Spirit of Nitre, evaporated and cryftallizedj to gain the Salt ; call'd alfo Vitriol of Copper. See Cop- per, iSc.
Thefe fact itious Vitriols being only Metals diflolved and cryftallized in faline Menftruums, are frequently call'd, by way of diflinction, Metallic Vitriols, and Metallic Salts.
VITRIOLATED, among Chemifts, turned into Vitriol, or having Vitriol infufed in it.
'Tartar Vitriolated. See Tartarum Vitriolatumi
VITRIOLIC, fomething that has the Quality of Vitriolj or partakes of the Natureof Vitriol.
In this Senfe we fay, a Vitriolic Spring, Vitriolic Stonei Vitriolic Spirits, Sic.
If Iron be thrown into a Vitriolic Water, and the red Ruff arifing on rhe Surface of the Iron be melted down, it will be found real Copper ; which is an Inftance ' of rhe Tranf- mutation of one Body into another. See Transmutation.
VITRIOUS Humour, in Anatomy, is the third Humour of the Eye, call'd Vitrious, i. e. glaffy, from its refem- blance to melted Glafs. See Humour.
It lies under the Cryftalline; by the Impreflion of which, its fore-part is rendred concave. See Crystalline, and Eye.
For the Office of the Vitrious Humour, fee Vision.
Some Authors call the Coats or Membranes that contain this Humour, the Vitrious 'Tunics.
VITTA, among Anatomifts, a Fillet or Hcadl«„, ufed for that part of the Amnion which flicks to the Infant's Head when it is jufl born. See Amnion.
VITUS'* Ztezcc, in Medicine. See Chorea Sanlli Viti.
VIVA Pecunia, was antiently ufed for live Cattle. See Pecunia.
Vivi Voce, q. d. by Word of Mouth. See Depositions
VIVARY, in our Law Books, is fometimes ufed for a Park, Warren, or Fifh-pond, wherein living Creatures are kept, fgc. See Park, Warren.
VIVIFICATION, in Medicine, the Art of Vivifyingj that is, of contributing to the Action that gives Life, of maintains Life. See Life.
The Chymifts alfo ufe the Word in fpeaking of the new' Force, Vigour, and Luftre which by this Art they give to natural Bodies, particularly to Mercury ; which afrer having been fix'd or amalgamated, they reflore to its firft State. See Revivification.
VIVIPAROUS, in Natural Hiftory, an Epithet applied to fuch Animals as bring forth their Young alive, and per- fect : in contradiftincfion to fuch as lay Eggs ; which are call'd, Oviparous Animals. See Animal, Oviparous, and Egg.
Vipers are diflifigui fried from Snakes, in that the latter lay Eggs in Dunghills, to be hatch 'd by the Warmth there- of j but the former are Viviparous, that is, lay their Eggs M m m m within
