A L K
(62 )
A L K
Hence Tome imagine it formed of Jlkidi eft ; and accord- 5 , 'Tis incapable of Mixture, and therefore remains frcp.
ingly, that it was the Alkaline Salt of Tartar volatiliz'd. from Fermentation and Putrefaftion ; coming off as pur e
This feems to have been Glauber's Opinion; who indeed from the Body it has diffolved, as when firft put there?
performed furprizing things with fuch a Mcnftruum upon on ; without leaving the leaft Foulnefs behind.
Subjects of all the three Kingdoms. ALKALY, Alkali, or Alcaly, in Chymiftry, a Name
Others will have it the German Word Algeifi, q. d. originally given, by the Arabians, to a Salt extracted from
wholly fpirituous, or volatile : Others are of Opinion, that the Allies of a Plant called Kali ; and by us Glafs-wort
Alkahejl is taken from Salls-geijl, which dignifies Spirit of becaufe ufed in the making of Glafs. Sec Kali and'
Salt ; for the Univerfal Menflruum, 'tis laid, is to be Glass.
wrought from Water ; and 'Paracelfiis himfelf calls Salt Afterwards, the Term Alkaly became a common Name
the Centre of Water, wherein Metals ought to die, i£c. — for the lixivious Salts of all Plants ; that is, for fuch Salts
In efteft, Spirit of Salt was the great Menllruum he ufed as are drawn by Lotion from their Alfies. See Lixivious
on moil Occafions. — The Commentator on Paracelfiis, who and Ashes. '
gave a Latin Edition of his Works at Delft, affures that And hence, again, in regard the original Alkali was
the Alhiheft was Mercury, converted into a Spirit.— pmelr found to ferment with Acids ; the Name has fince become
fer judg'd it to be a Spirit of Vinegar reflify'd from Verdi- common to all volatile Salts, and all terreflrial Subftanccs
grcafe.— And Starkcy thought he difcover'd it in his Soap. which have that Effefl. See Acid.
There have been Tome fynonymous and more fignificant Alkaly, then, in its modern extenfive Senfe, is any Sub
Words ufed for the Alkahejl.— The elder Hclmont mentions fiance, which being mixed with an Acid, an Ebullition and
the Alkahejl by the compound Name of Igms-aqua, Fire- Effervcfcence enfues thereon. See Effervescence & c
Water : But he here feems to mean the circulated Liquor And hence arifes the grand Divifion of Natural 'Bodies
of Paracelfiis ; which he terms Fire, from its Property of into the two oppofite Claffes of Acids and Alkalies. See
containing all things ; and Water, on account of its liquid Acid.
form. The fame Author calls it Igms-gehenn<e, infernal Zoerbaave fcarce takes this Circumflance to be enough to
Fire ; a Word ailo uled by 'Paracelfiis : He alfo intitles it conftitute any determinate Clafs of Bodies.— In effeS Al
' Summum p fchcifjimum omnium falium, the principal kalies are not of one fimilar homogeneous Nature • ' but
' and moll fuccefsful among Salts, which having obtained there are two feveral forts.
' the higheft degree of Simplicity, Purity, and Subtility, The firft obtain'd from Vegetable and Animal Subilances
alone enjoys the Faculty of remaining unchanged and un- by Calcination, Difiillation, Putrifeaion, £S?c fuch are Spirit
j impaired by the Subjects it works on, and of diflblving f Urine, Spirit of Hartihorn, Salt of Tartar &c — The fe
the mottflubborn and untraflable Bodies, as Stones, Gems, cond are of the terreflrial Kind = as Shells, Bole 13c
Glals, Earth, Sulphur, Metals, (5c into real Salt, equal
' in weight to the Matter diffolved ; and this with as much ' eafe as hot Water melts down Snow.' — ' This Salt, coa- ' times be, by being feveral times cohobated with Paracel- 4 fus's Sal circulation, lofes all its Fixednefs 5 and at length 6 becomes an infipid Water, equal in quantity to the Salt ' it was made from.'
Helmont is exptefs that this Menflruum is intirely the Product of Art, and not of Nature. — ' Tho, fays he, a ho- L mogeneal Part of elementary Earth may be artificially con- 4 verted into Water, yet I deny that the fame can be done " by Nature alone ; for no natural Agent is able to tranf- c mute one Element into another.' And this he offers as a Reafon why the Elements always remain the fam may let fome light into this Affair, to obferve that Hclmont, as well as 'Paracelfiis, took Water for the univerfal Inflru- ment of Chymiflry, and Natural Philofophy ; and Earth for the unchangeable Bafis of all Things : That Fire was deligned as the efficient Caufe of all Things ; that fe- minal Impreflions were lodged in the Mechanifm of Eatth ; and that Water, by diffolving and fermenting with this Earth, as it does by means of Fire, brings every thing to light ; whence originally proceeded the Animal, Vegetable, and Mineral Kingdoms ; even Man himfelf being thus at firft created, agreeably to the account of Mofes.
The great Character or Property of the Alkahefl, we have obferved, is to diffolve, and change all fublunaty Bo- dies ; Water alone excepted. — The Changes it induces pro- ceed thus : i°, The Subject expofed to its Operation, is con- verted into its three Principles, Salt, Sulphur, and Mercury 5 afterwards, into Salt alone ; which then becomes volatile 5 and at length is wholly turned into infipid Water. — The manner of Application is by touching the Body propofed to be diffolved, c. g. Gold, Mercury, Sand, or the like, once
The two Species, Soerbaave obferves, differ widely from each other ; having fcarce any thing in common, but their being effervefcible with Acids. — The one is a Clafs of na- tive, fixed, fcentlefs, infipid, mild, aftringent, foffil Bodies: The other a Set of fuch as are volatile, odorous, fapid, cau- ftick, aperitive, and procured by Art.
Hence, adds the fame Author, mere Eftervefcence with Acids, mill be allow'd to be of it felf infufficient to detet- mine the Nature o{ an Alkaly: and that fuch a Name, which properly denotes a cauftick fiery Subftance, ihould not be affixed to any mild and gentle Body, as Chalk, ci?c. but other Properties and Confiderations are to be taken in a and particularly their Tafte, manner of procuring, and the t Change of Colour they produce in Bodies.
With regard to this lafl Circumflance, thofe Liquors which being pour'd on Syrup of Violets, change it of a green Co- lour, are Alkalies ; as thofe which turn it red, Acids.— Thus Oil of Tartar turns it of a kindly green ; and Oil of Vittiol of a Carmine red : And if to the Syrup thus made red by Oil of Vitriol, Oil of Tartar be pour'd, it turns that part wherewith it comes in contafl, green ; leaving the reft red • and the like holds of Oil of Vitriol, pour'd on Syrup made green by Oil of Tartar. ' V
To the like effefl M. Homherg obferves, that ' a mere heat ' and bubbling arifing upon the Admixtute of a Body with ' an Acid, docs not feem an adequate Criterion of the Alka- ' line Nature ; fince diflill'd Oils of all kinds are found to do ' thus much ; and many of 'em with more vehemence than
- -A'foztothemfelves, foasfometim.es even to take fire, which
c Alkalies never do.'
To the Definition and Charafler of an Alkaly therefore, M. Hemherg adds this Circumflance ; ' rhat after the Aftion, ' the Mixtures coalefce and flioot into a Salt, or faiine Mat- ter.'— This excludes the Oils above mention'd ; which do
or twice with the pretended Jikabeji ; and if the Liquor not, after Eflertefcence, unite" with the Adds "into^a'fH be genuine, the Body will be converted into its own Qaan- Subflance, but rather compofe a refinous one tity of Salt _, All lixivious Salts have thefeCharaaersof^&a/y.— And A- 'a J A T f fir °> r| the f = m ' nal \ lrlues °/* e B °- ™t only lixivious, but alfo all urinous Salts ; which ate con- dies diffolved therebv-rhus, Gold is, by us Action, re- flantly found to imbibe Acids with great eagernefs, and af- duced to a Salt ot Gold ; Antimony to a Salt ot Antimony ; ter Ebullition, to unite and cryftallize with 'em. " Saftron to a Salt of Saffron, i$c. of the fame feminal Vir- nods Salt.
tues, or Charaflers with the original Concrete. — By feminal Virtues, Helmont underflands thofe Virtues which depend upon the Conttruaion or Mechanifm of a Body, and which make it what it is. Hence, an aflual and genuine Aurum fotabile might readily be gained by the Alkahejl, as con- verting the whole Body of Gold into a Salt, retaining its feminal Virtues, and being withal foluble in Water.
5°, Whatever it diffolves, may be render'd volatile by a Sand-heat ; and if after volatilizing the Solvend, it be dif- till'd therefrom, the Body is left pure infipid Water equal
in quantity to its °«»nal felf but deprived of its feminal have their peculiar and appropriate'lcids't'o "al V,rtue,-Thus, if GoU be diffo ved by the 40, fbejl, the Gold, Tin/and Antimon^ which on? diffoht
Metal firft becomes Salt, which is potable Gold" ■ but when the Menftruum is diftilled therefrom, 'tis left mere Elementary Water, Whence it appears, that pure Water is the lafl Production or Effea of the Alkahejl.
4°, It fuffers no Change or Diminution of Force by dif-
Sec Uri-
Hence we have two Kinds of Alkaly Salts, viz. Fix'd, or Lixmmis Alkalies ; and Volatile, or Urinous ones. See Salt ; fee alio Fix'd, Volatile, i$c.
But befide Alkaly Salts, there are an Infinity of other Bodies, not falme ; which anlwer to the CharaBers of Al- kaly, l. e. produce much the fame Effefls with Acids,
as the Alkaly Salts above mention'd. And thefe alkaline
Matters arc in other refpefts of different Natures.
Some, e.g. are merely Earthy ; as Quick-lime, Marble, Seal d Earths, (gc.~ Others are Metalline ; among which, fome
on 'em, as y, which only diffolve with .
Aqua
Regia; Sliver, Lead, and Mercury, with Aqua fords ; a'nd the others with otr.er forts of Acids, as Iron, Copper, Zink,
Bilmuth, e?c. There are others of the Animal Clafs ;
confiding, 1% Of ftony Matters found in the Vifcera . ot certain Species ; as the Calculus humamis Be7oards, folving the Bodies it works on, and therefore fuflains no Crabs Eves ' ftc -^— ,° T*l 11 ' f ci 11,
Reactionfromthem.beingtheonlyimmutableMenitruum .TO^Ic^W^i ln - *""■ Coats of Lobfters, Crabs, £i?c— 3 », The Parts of Animals,
which
