4 ome. wipe ‘ . wF *\ B J 4 sda - : » ® - ‘7 ~~. 4 4 * 8 - ' oF . . c i he zy v 1 —z a ¥ 6 4 s “Be ie ee k= vo ci wes MAD 04 a tS - Ww “ec :14:1878 : Y: sefisn ath. Spark. /I3O , LIBRARY aa lite D= Tees J C Ma ry ‘ 0m they Ga 6 ‘dm LU a s Uw ket fi : /) i Le Goonge Tee. Pharonel? Si DINU Whe aes —+{WERALD OF SCIENCE No. VA | ‘| SS BURNDY LIBRARY Chartered in 1941 7 i GIFT OF BERN DIBNER The Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION LIBRARIES stot ia SDL ae os shy 5 My ye Rae Ge 1 ae wf h* ; ~ Experiments, fRotes, &c. j ABOUTTHE Mechanical Origine or Production a Of divers particular QUALITIES: Among which is iaferted a Difcourke of the IMPERFECTION O.F THE "ing ‘CHYMISTs Doétrine QU A re § T IE S; ae Together with fome Refle&tions upen the HYPOTHESIS — - Atcatt and Act DUM. tn ' By the Hoiidarable Robert Boyle, Eas | afl | _ Fellow of the R. cece ZEOND 0 N, | _ Printed by E. Flefher, for R. Davis . Bookfeller i in Oxford. 1675: r a se ~ a i a 2p york tixlod A ay Sy Us 30? 9) § a cr deh ie) x «bir for the Book. binder ; «© to be put immediately after the general Title Page. HE fev eval Traéts of this Book are to be bound in the order following, viz. After the Preface of the Publifher - fothe Reader, and the Advertifements - relating to the whole Treatife, is to fol- low; oa. The Tra& of Heat and Cold. 2. Of Tafis.. 3. Of Odours. .-- 4. Of the imperfection of a Chy- ‘ ip Dodrine of Qualities... 5. Reflexions upon the Hy pothefis ig of Alcaliand Acidum. _ 6. Advertifments relating to Chy- gnical Qualities to be bound next af- . the Title Page to Volatility. . OF Volatility. 3. (Of Fixinefs. — _ 9. OF Corrofiveness o Corrof Gbilit;: 10. Of Chymical Precipitation. a1, OF AMageetifm. t2; OF Eledricity. eat aa | | Gl ERRA — =. p> 4° put a comma a ~ Inahe Lrak of Corvofivenefs and Corrofib sar P Sees s * x 2 eRe ons + oR” \ - &s oe : 173 54 ; ‘ “bt 3 3 : » Tae . Niche ‘Tract.of Heat of the page dele F |. 21. 5. degree of in thé current Title on the top of p, 2+ and 3. Corrofivencfs and Corrofibility, not ore 7 ™ ~ é - : We . whe oe oe eee 2 ee rn he “3 ASS ik i | * ‘ 4 of ¥ int and Cold; p. 28. art ve a ~ ¥ ‘Eee eee Nee > s, and go on to Exp. 1X. — yapidnefs. Pp. 102. Tig. frer the word before. = 3 . = ot LS | ’ ¥ * - . egg. a 4 ee es ee “* ilityread, THE PUBLISHER gd Lee eader. “XO keep the Reider rin deve at _ call farpriz’d at tie Date of the - Title-Page, 1 muft inform bint, me a good part.of the enfiting Tratts were. Printed off; and. in my cuftody, the laft.year 3 and the reft had come ont. with them divers moneths ago , the Noble Author had not been hinder’ from committing them to the Prefs by the defire and hope.of being able in a hort time to fend thene abroad more numerous, and by bis being hinder’d to do fo partly by Remove, partl; by the want of fone Papers that were odly loft or fpoil'd , and partly by the fick- nels of biml, 2% rai of his. a , elg- aes To the Reader, Rebrioes, And fome. of the a ete diments do yet fupprefe what the Z wei thor intended fhould have. made a be as of the Book, which uow he fiffers to — be publifh'd without them, though de: a. vers of his Papers about fome other particular Qualities have beex written fo long ago, as to have lain for many years neglected among other of bis old Writings : Which that he may have both leafire and health to review, and — jit for publication, is the ardent wih of the fixcere Lovers of Real Knowled who have reafon to look on it as no _ mtean proof of his conftant kindness to E.xperinental Philofophy, that in thefe Tras he perfeveres in his courfe of freely and candidly communicating bis: Experiments and Obfervations to the publick, notwithftanding the liberty. that hath been too boldly taken to men- tion them as their own by fome later . Writers 5 as particularly by the Compi= ler of the Tveatife, entitul a Polygra-" phice, who ix two Chapters hath allow'd’ istiit{e lf 10 prefent his Reader with a-- love F ifty cc iceman g. taken. ont of | | To'the Reader: our Authors Book. of Colours, without owning any one of then to Him, or fo. much as nanting hine or his Book in e- ther of thofe- Chapters, nor, that I re- member, in any of the others. Nor did I think thes practice juftified by the con- felfion made in the Preface, importing, that the Compiler had taken the parti- eulars he deliver’d from the Writings of others. For, this general and per- funGory acknowledgment neither doth right to particular Authors, nar, by za- ming thent, enables the Reader to know, Gi. eek Py au 3 rf - whether the things deliver'd come fron perfons fit to be credited or not : And therefore, ince “tis but too likely, that Such Concealment of the Names, if not ‘ra is ie ws ' Oftrpation q the Labours of the Be- — nefacors to hilofophy, will prove much more forbidding to many others to im- part their Experiments, than as yet they have to our generous Author 5 it feems to be the Intereft of the Com- monwealth of Learning openly to dif- countenance fo difcouraging a practice, and to fhew , that they do not think it ft that Poffeffors of ufeful pieces of “a A 2 | kvow- Cok To the badge’ r hnowledge foould be ftrongly aan to envy the to the Publick, tothe tnd onely that a few Compilers fhonld nok be put upon fo reafonable and eafie ‘a work, as by a few words or names to fhew thenzfelves juft, if not grateful. — But not to heep the Reader any lon. ger fron the pernfal of thefe Tracts themfelves, I fhall conclude with inti- mating onely , that what our Author faith in one of then concerning the In- tuficiency of the Chymical Hypothe- fis for explaining the EF eds of Nature, is not at all intended by hin to dero- bab frone the fober Profeffors of Chy~ mifiry, or to difeourage thene frome ufe- ful Chymical Operations + forafianch: a 1 had the fatis faction, fome years ince, to fee in the Authors hands a Difcourse of his about the Ufetulnefs of Chymi- {try for the Advancement of Natural Philofophy 5 with which alfo “tis ho- ped he will e’re long sets the Pub- lick, AD- (1), ADV. ERTISEMENTS Relating to the following TREATISE 0“ ‘okyiate fome mifapprehenfions that may arife concerning the enfuing, Notes about Particular Qualities, it may not be improper to. adde fomething in this place to what has been {aid in another + Paper + See Trad&s about in reference to thofe Cofmical Qualities, e nt- &e.to which is prefixt RgERe> and cont as an Introdudion to the ly to. premife to the Hiftory of Particular’ particular Experiments . Qualities; Printed at fome few general Ad- Oxford 1671. vertifements, about them. And I..we may confider , that there may be three differing ways of treating Hiftoricaily of Particular Qualities. For either one may i a full and methodical Hittory profecute the Phanomena 3 or one may make a ColleGtion of various Expe- riments and Obfervations whence may be gathered divérs, Phenomena to illsftrate feveral, but not all of, the Heads cr Parts of fuch an ample or methodical Hiftorys of (in the thizd place }.oue may ina more A 4 con- \ ee ony 3 (a) : a confin’d way contentones felf to deliv fuch Experiments and Obfervations of the Production, or the Deftrucion or Change of this or that Quality, as, being’ duly reafon'd on, may fuffice to fhew — wherein the nature of that Quality doth contift, efpecially in oppofition fo thole erroneous coxceits that have been enter- tained about it. Of the Fir of thele three ways of. treating of a Quality I pretend not to have given any compleat example; but you will find, that I have begun fuch Hittories in my Specimens a- bout Fluidity and Firmnefs, and in the Experiments, Obfervations, &c. that I have put together about Cold. The Second fort of Hiftorical Writings I have given an Snftance of in my Experiments about Co- jours; but in thefe enfuing Notes, the occafion I had to make them having ob- liged me chiefly to have an eye to the dif-. proval of the errours of the Peripateticks - and the Chymifis about them, I hope I fhall not be thought to have fallen very short in my Attempt, if I have ¢ here and there) perform’d what may be re- quired in the Third way of writing Hifto- rically of a Quality 5 my prefent Defign being chiefly to give an Intelligent and Hiftorical Account of th2 Poffible Me- chanical Origination, not of the variows Phas Leg. _ Phenomena of the particular Qualities fuccinétly mentioned in thefe Notes ; though, my fecondary end being to become a Benefactor to the Hiltory of Qualities by providing Materials for my felt or bet- ter Architeéts, I have not fcrupled to adde to thofe, that tend more dire@ly to difcover the Nature or Effence of the Quality treated of, and to derive it from Mechanical Principles, {ome others (which ‘happen’d to come in my way) that ac- quaint us but with fome of the lefs luci- ferous Phenomena. IJ. That you may not miftake what is driven at in many of the Experiments and Reafonings deliver’d or propos’d in the enfuing Notes about Particular © ualities, ¥muft defire you to take notice with me, _ ‘what it is that I pretend to offer you fome proofsof. For, if Etook upon me to de- — monftrate , that the Qualities of bodies _ gannot proceed from (what the Schools call’) Subfantial Forms, or from any other Caufes but Mechanical, it might be rea- fonably enough expected, that my Argu- ment fhould dire@tly exclude them all. But fince, in my Explications of Qualities, I pretend only, that they may be explica- ted by Mechanical Principles , without en~ quiring, whether they are explicable by anyother; that which I need to prove, is, | not ane aN ® a not that Mechanical Principles ate. sy necefJary and onely things. whereby | ties may be explain’d, but tha: probat ly they wiil be found fufficient for their eX= plication. And fince thefe are confefledly more maifeft and more intelligible than fabftantial Forms and ather Scholaftic En- tities (if I may fo call chem) tis obvi- ous, what the confequence will be of our — not being oblig’d to. have recourfe to — things, whofe exiftence is very difputable, and their nature very obfcure. | There are {zveral ways that may be em- x ployéd, fome on one occafion, and fome on another, esther more diretly to reduce Qualities (as well.as divers other things in nature ) to Mechanical Principles 3..or, by fhewing the infufliciency of the Peripa- tetic and Chymical Theories of Qualities, to recommend the Corpufcularian Do- rine of them. For further Illuftration of this Point, I fhall adde on this occafion, that there are three diltiné& forts of Experiments ( be- fides other proofs ) that may be reafon- ably employ’d, (though they be not e- , qually efficacious ) when we treat of the Origine of Qualities. _ For fome Inftances may be brought to thew, that the pro- pos’d Quality may be Mechanically aniro- duc’d intoa portion of matter » where it was 9) was not before. Other Inftances there may be tofhew, that by the fame means an Quality may be notably varied as to i ae or other not effential Attributes, And by fome Inftances alfo it may appear, Fv the Quality is Mechanically expell’d from, or aboli/h’d in, a portion of matter that was endow’d with it before. Some- times alfo by the fame Operation the for- mer quality is deftroyed, and a new one is produc’d. And each of thefe kinds of Inftances may be ufefully employ’d in our Notes about Particular Qualities. — For, as to the firftof them, there will be fcarce any difficulty. Andas tothe (econd, fince the permanent Degrees as well as other Attnbutes of Qualities are faid to flow, from (and do indeed depend upon ) the fame Principles that the Quality it {elf does; if, efpecially in bodies inanimate, a change barely Mechanical does notably ‘and permanently alter the degree or other confiderable attribute, it will afford, though not a clear proof, yet a probable prefumption, that the Principles whercon the Quality it felf depends are Mecha- nical. And Jaftly, if, by a bare Me- chanical change of the internal Difpofiti- on and Atructure of abody, a permanent Quality , contefs’d to flow from its fub- ftantial Form or inward Principle, be ab- olifh'd, = pe rage + Se asym a ene ere inh = ‘olith’d, and perhaps alfo immediately fic ceeded by a new Quality Mechanically $ ta Fis ae: Ue BA 4 producible; if, I fay, this come to pafs in 3 ; ; _ @ poh TRAM ERs FON - ag WA ha ‘ Wey * ey? Piet ‘I ‘a ay a 7 bh ? s. ; § 10.) ae aii. Wik of a body Inanimate, efpecially if it be alfo, as to fenfe fimilar, fuch a Phenomenon will not a little favour that Hypothefis which — , teaches, that thefe Qualities depend upon ~ certain contextures and other Mechanical Aff:@ions of the {mall parts of the bo- dics, that are indowed with them, and. -confequently may be abolifh’d when that neceflary Modification is deltroyed. This is thus briefly premis’d to fhew the perti- nency of .alledging differing kinds of Ex- periments and Phenomena in favour of the Corpufcular Hypothefis about Qualities. _ What has been thus laid down, may, I hope, facilitate and fhorten moft of the remaining work of this Preamble, which isto fhew, though but very briefly, that ‘there may be feveral ways, not .imperti- nently employable to recommend theCor- pufculartan Doctrine of Qualities. | For co he may fometimes be fhewn, that a Subjtential Form cannot be pre- tended to be the neceflary Principle of this or that Quality; as will (for inttance) hereafter be made manifeltin the Afperity and Smoothnefs of bodies, and in the Mag- netical Vertwe refiding ‘in a piece of Tron that has been impregnated by a Load- | x4 | ftone. C11) Rone. *Tis true, that the force of fuch Inftancesis indired, and that they donot _ exprefly prove the Hypothefis in whofe fa-- ~ vour they are alledged, but yet they may do it good fervice by difproving the _ Grounds and Conclufions of the Adver- © —faries , and fo (by removing Prejudices ) making way for the better entertainment of the truth. © | Secondly, we may (innbtienes obtain the fame or the like Quality by Artificial and _ fometimes even temporary Compofitions, which, being but factitious bodies, are by Learned Adverfaries confefs’d not to have Subftantial. Forms, and can indeed rea- ~ fonab!y be prefum’d to have but refulting Temperaments: As will be hereafter ex- emplif'd in the production of Greens by > compounding Blew and Yellow, and in ~ the Eledirical Faculty of Glafs, andin the temporary whitenels produc’ d by beating clear Oyl and fair Water into an Oint- ‘ment, and by beating water into a froth, and, More permanently, in making Coral white by flawing it with heat; and in divers other Particulars , that will more properly be elfewhere mention’d. = * Thirdly then, in fome cafes the Quality eiohios d's may be cither introduced,or vary'd, or dcffroy’d in an inanimate body, when no rp iaad appears to be made in the bo- i | OMe es dy, except what'is Mechanical, and wl might be produc’d in it, fappofing fach : parcel of matter were “artifi tcially fran and. conftituted as the body is, thegeh without any Sw#bffantial Form, or other ~ fuch like internal Principle. So. when a piece of Glafs, or of clarify’d Rofin, is, by being beaten to powder , deprived of its Tranfparency, and made.white, there appears no change to be made in the pul- veriz’'d body, butacomminution of it in- to a multitude of Corpufcles , that by their number and the various fcituations of their furfaces are.fitted copioufly to re= fic& the fincere Light feveral ‘WayS> or ive’ fome peculiar, Modification to its R. es; and hinder, that free paflage of the beams of. Light, that is requifite to Tran{parency. Foarthly, as in the cafes belonging to the foregoing number there appears not to intervene in the Patient or Subje@ of the change, any thing, but a Mechanical diteration of. the Mechanical Structure or Conftitution ; fo in, {ome cther cafes it ap- pears not, that the Agent, whether natu- ral or fa@titious, operates on the Patient otherwife than Mechanically, employing — onély fuch 2 way of acting as may pro- ceed from the Mechanifme of the matters which it felf confifts of, and that of the body : ) (13) body it acts upon. As when Goldfmiths burn fh a Plate or Veffel of Silver, that ha- ving been lately boil’d looke white before, though they deprive it of the greateft part of its colour, and give it anew power ~ of reflecting the beams of Light and vi- fible Objects > in the manner proper to {peculiar bodies; yet all this is done by the imtervention of a burnithing Tool, which often is but a piece of Steel or Iron conveniently fhap’d ; and alf that this - Burnifher does, is but to depre {sthelit~ tle prominencies of the Silver, and reduce them, and the little cavites of it, to one phyfically level or plain Superficies. And fo when a Hammer firiking often on a Nail, makes the head of it grow hot, the Bammer is but a purely Mechanical A- gent, and works by local motion. And when by ftriking a lump of Glafs, it breaks it into a multitude of {mall parts that compofe a white powder, it acts das Me- chanically in the produgtion of that Whitenels as it does in driving in a Nail td the head. And fotikewife, when the powder’d Glafs or Colophony Jately men- ion’d is, by the fire, from a white and Gpacous body, reduc’d into a colourlefs (or 4 reddifh) and tranfparent one, it apptats not, that the fire, though a na- tural Agent, ‘need work otherw:fe than ere ) Mecha- (14) : Mechanically , by colliquating. the into: — herent grains of powder into one. mals 5 wherein, the ranks of pores not being. broken and interrupted as before, the i ins cident beams, of Light are allow’d every way afree paflagethrough them, Fifibly , the like Phenomena to thofe of a Quality to be explicated, or, at leaft as dificult i in the fame kind, may be pro- duc’d in bodies and calés.,. wherein ’tis plain we need not recurre to Subftantial Forms. Thus a varying Colour, like that which is admired.in a Pigeons Neck, may be produc’d in changeable Taffety , by a. particular way of ranging and connedt- ing Silk of feveral Colours. into one piece of Stuff. .Thus we have known Opalsca-_ {ually imitated and almoft ‘excell’d by Glafs, which luckily degenerated in. the Furnace. . And fomewhat the like change- able and very delightful Colour I remem- ber to have introduced into common Glafs with Silver or with Gold and Mer- | cury. So likewife mcerly by blowing fine Cryftal-Glafs at the flame of a Lamp to a very extraordinary thinnefs, we have made it to exhibit, and that vividly, all the Colours (as they fpeak ) of the Rain- ee bow ; and this power of pleafing by die ) verfifying the Light, the Glafs, if well Preigryees may keep fox a long time. Thus ——— alfo ae C15) | alfo. by barely beating Gold into fuch thin leaves as Artificers and Apothecaries are wont to employ, it will be brought to exhibite a green Colour, when you hold it againft the Light, whether of the _ day, or of a good Candle 5 and this kind of Greennefs as ’tis permanent in the fo- - Tiated Gold , fo I have found by trial, that if the Sun-beams, fomewhat united by a Burning-glafs, be trajected through the expanded Leaf, and caft upon a piece of white paper, they will appear there as if they had been tinged in their paffage. Nay, and fometimes a flight and almof - momentany Mechanical change will feem to over-rule Nature , and introduce into a body the quite oppofite Quali:y to that . fhe had. given it: As when a piece of black Horn is, onely by being thinly fcra- ped with the edge of a knife or a piece _ of glafs, reduced to permanently white Shavings. And to thefe Inftances of Colours, {ome Emphatical and fome Per- manent, might be added divers beiong- ing to other Qualities, but that I ought hot to anticipate what you will elfewhere _ There is yet another way of arguing in favour of the Corpufealarian Doctrine of Qualiies, which, though it do not afford dire& proofs of its being the beft S mer one Hypo- cee | weno! o> es nate ft ‘ a Oe Hypothefis, yet it may much ftrengthen the Arguments drawn from other To- - picks , and thereby ferve to recommend — the Doctrine it felf. For, the ufeof an Hypothefis being to render an intelligible account of the Caufes of the Effects of Phenomena propos’d , without croffing the Laws of Nature or other Phenothena, the more numerous and the more vari- ous the Particulars are; whereof fome are explicable by the aflign’d Hypothefis , and fome are agreeable to it, or at leaft are not diffonant fromit, the more valuable is the Hypothefis, and the more likely to betrue. For ’tis much more difficult, ta finde an Hypothefis that is not true which willfuit with many Phenomena, efpeci- ally if they be of various kinds, than but with few. And for this Reafon I have fet down among thé Inftarices belonging to pafticular Qualities fome fuch Experi- ments and Obtervations, as we are now fpeaking of; fince, although they ke not» direct proofs of the preferrabienefs of ov¥- DoGiine, yet they may ferve for Confir- mation of it; though this be not the only or perhaps the chief Reafon of. their be- | ing mention’d. For whatever thty may be. as Arguments, fince they are matters of | fac, I thought it not amifs to take this — cécafion of preferving them from tte sa ap 3 —— dofts —s 7 (19) Joft; fince, whether or no they contri* bute much to the eftablifhment of the Me chanical Do@rine about Qualities, they will at leaft contribute to the Natural Hi- -ftory of them. | | _ MIL I thall not trouble the Reader with a Recital of thofe unlucky Accidents, that have hinder’d the Subjects of the following Book from being more nume- - gous, and I hope he will the more eafily excufe their paucity, if he be advertifed, that although the particular Qualities, a- bout which fome Experiments and Notes, by way of Specimens, are here prefented, be not near half fo many as were intend. ed ta be treated of; yet I was careful to chufe them fuch as might comprehend in a {mall number a great variety ; there be- _. ing {carce one fort of Qualities, of which there is not an Inftance given in this {mall Book , fince therein Experiments and thoughts are deliver’d about Heat and Cold, which are the chief of the four FIRST QUALITIES, about Tats and Odours, which are of thofe, that, be- ing the immediate obje&s of Senfe, are wont to be calld SENSIBLE QU A- LITIES; about Volatility and Fixity, Corrofivenefs and Corrofibility , which,as they are found in bodies purely natural, ave xeferrabie tothofe Qualities,tha: many Be Phyti- Phyficaly ‘Writers call SECOND { ZA Bet bi : -LITIES, and which yet, as they maybe produced and deftroyed by the Chymitis se Art, may be fli'ed Chymical Qualities, and the Spagyrical ways of introducing of ex- pelling them may be referr'd to Chymical _ Operations, of which there is given amore ample Specimeninthe Mechanicalaccount _ of Chymical Precipisations.. And laftly, fome Notes are added about Magneti{fmand — Elvdricity, which are known to belong: to the. Tribe of Oceult Qualities. Iv. If a want of apt Coherence and exaée Method be difcover’d in the follow- ing Effiys, ’tis hop’d,, that defe& will be eafily excus’d by thofe that remember _ and confider, that thefe Papers were ori= ginally little better than a kind of Rapfos dy of Experiments, Thoughts, and Ob- {exvations, occafionally thrown together by way of Annotations upon fome .Paffa- ges ofa Difcourfe, ( about the differing Parts and Redinttgration of Nitre) where-— in fome things were poiuted at relating to the! particular Qualities ‘that: are here -more.largely treated of.° And though the — Particulars (chat concern fome: of thefe Qualities, were afterwards (to fupply the © place af ithofe borrow’d by other Papers _ whilft thefe lay by me.) increas’d in num-~ bers yet it was not to: be expected, that c A : their , 4 ; é ey) » ( 19 a. a | their Acceffion fhould as well corre& the Form as augment the Matter of our An- notations. And as for the two Tra@s, that are inferted among thefe Effays about Qualities 5 1 mean the Difcourfe of the Im- perfeltion of the Chymical Dotivine of them, and the Reflections on the Hypothefis. of Acidum and Alcali, the occation of their being made parts of this Book is fo'far exprefs’d in the Tracts themfelves , that I need not here trouble the Reader with a particular Account of it. | | V. Ido not undertake, that all the: fol- lowing Accounts of Particular Qualities. would prove to be the very true ones, nor every Explication the beft that can be de- vis’'d. For befides that the difficulty’ of the Subje&, and Incompleatnefs of the Hiftoty we yet have of Qualities, may well deterre aman, Jefs diffident of his own abilities than I juftly am, from affu- ming fo much to himfelf, it is not abfo- lutely neceflary to my prefent Defign. For, Mechanical Explications of natural ‘Phanomena do give fo much more fatis- - fa&ion to ingenious minds, than thofe that rouft employ Sabftantial Forms, Sym- pathy, Antipathy, &c. that the more judi- cious of the vulgar Philofophers them- felves prefer them before all others; when they can be had} (as is elfewhere fhewn -auuchal | at ; ie 10) i oa at latge,.) but then ad look upon. them either.as. confined to Mechanical:Engines; _oratleaft. but as reaching to very fewof — Nature’s Phenomena, and, for that reafon, — — unfit.¢o be received as, Phyfical, Principles. Toxemove therefore this grand, Prejudice : and,ObjeC:ion,which feems to be thechief — - thing that has kept off Rational Inquirers from clofing with the Mechanical Philo- fophy, it may be very conducive, if not fufficient, to.propofe fuch Mechanical.ac+ — counts of Particular Qualities chemfelycs, as are intelligible and poflible, and are a-- greeable tothe Phenomena whereto they | are applied. And to this it. is no moxe neceflary that the account propos'd fhould be the trueft and beft that can poflibly be given , than it is to the proving that a (lock is not aed by a vital Principle, (as -thofe Chinefes thought, who took the firf, that-was brought them out of Exrope, for an Animal, ) but ats as an Engine, todo more than aflign a Mechanical Structure madeup of Wheels, a Spring, a Hammer, and other Mechanical pieces, that will re- gularly, fhew_and firike the hour, whether this Contrivance be or be not the very fame with that. of the Particular Clock propos’d ; which may indeed be made to move either with Springs or Weights, and may confift of a greater or lefler number af Wheels, (21) “Wheels, and thofe differingly {cituated and connected; but for all this variety *cwill fill be but an Engine. I intend not therefore by propofing the Theories and Conjectures ventur'd at in the fol- lowing Papers, to debar my felf of the Li- berty either of altering them, or of fubtti- - tuting others in their places, in cafe a fur- ther progrefs in the Hiftory of Qualities fhall fuggett better Hypothefes ox Explica- tions. And ’twasbut agreeable to this In- tention of mine, that I fhould, as I have done, on divers occafions in the following Notes, imploy the word Or, and exprefs my felf fomewhat doubtingly , mention- ing more than one Caufe of a Phenomenon, or Reafon of an opinion, without dogma- tically declaring for either, {ince my pur- pofe in thefe Notes was rather to thew, it was not neceflary to betake our felves to the Scholaftick or Chymical Doctrine a- bout Qualities, than to a&t the Umpire be- | tween the differing Hypothefes of the Cor- pufeularians; and, provided | kept my felf within the bounds of Mechanical Philofo- phy, my delign allowed me a great lati- tude in making eXplications of the Pheno- mena, 1 had occation to take notice of, FINIS. | mie | | 3) ilsuO, fo. ofipel off a9! rR weal gy: ty 10 vis8 Hagel yoied" hod fi. Sitit: oi mit aoe yt aa Ih de awry B Rey Ae org I 28. ¢ So alte ipey cua de adie! \ FOUOL oy 1) Ge 1 cits 340 ab ot | srqv9 bas . 10 brow of) YOIqame arte, | “goimedt , yiguiidyob« cow ond | Ji >. Veeokasronaa & J Shar 500 sate ae | esmmaob wrod ti Ww oii 8 3 yi a Aoie9 é Aug. Yer gat! < Aoty! ; 4, eon OAM a : , “ OPesvist 3HO oi $a ton Sey - tee Bod fry 2 2 ie ns ier a : 4 et ; ag) dU) 10 ache: agg 3th ‘hitb $4 Fe Bae so ik iyo biwoig «ba celal bea * plot [soit i a Hog nes pe | ets abil 46919 i ei Aouriis 9s Ba’ wag © i , : ot ae ¢ > \ Na AX sai io 2 senilans: arith ah Wnt Shea | eta >| + Ini ant & 8 7" Ts tz ; 2 / Se cae - ; _ hie wh ‘ed edie k 1h ne Hee . £ shh s Satie, = a : rs y : he F 5 iq . a ? i ?*2 ~ - oy pur: ; -” MECHANICAL ORIGINE - OF HEAT and COLD. | By the Honourable ; ROBERT BOYLE Ef; ae Fellow of the R, Society. LONDON, Printed by E. Flefher, for R. Davis _ Bookfeller in Oxford. 1675. Pye USD | Experiments and Notes ABOUT THE | Mecuantcat ORIGINE OR PRODUCTION OF HEAT and COLD. About the Mechanical Production of Cold. : ‘WeAT& COLD ing generally lookt upon as the moft active - among Qualities,from which ; many other Qualities aré deducible;, and by which many of Nature’s Phenomena, efpecially among the Aaa. Peris 2 Of the Bechanital Deigine Peripateticks, are attempted to be — - explicateds I fuppofe it will be very proper to begin with Inftances of — them to thew, that Qualities may be — Mechanically produced or deftroy- ed. A not ufelefs Paraphrafe of which expreflion may be this, That a portion of matter may come to be _ endowed with a Quality , which it | had not before, or tobe deprived oft — one that it had, or (fometimes) to ac- quire or lofeadegree of that Qua- | lity 3 though onthe part of the Mat- | ter Cor, as {ome would fpeak, of the ~ Patient ) there donot appear to In- tervene any more than a change of Texture, or fome other Mechanical Alteration 3 and though the Agents Contheir part ) donot appeartoatdt uponit otherwife, than after a Me- chanical manner, that is, by their big- nefs, fhape, motion, and thole other Attributes by vertue whereof -Me- chanical Powers and Engines per- form their operations; and_ this without having recourle to the Peri. patetic Subftantial Forms and Ele. — ments, ° of beatand old, = 3 ments, or to the Hypoftatical Princt- plesof the Chymifts. And having here (as In a proper place) to avoid ambiguity, premi- fed once’for all, this *Summary Declarati- on of the fenfe,agree- ably whereunto I would have thefe Terms underftood in the following Notes about the Origine of Particu- Jar Qualities; I proceed now to fet down fome few examples of the Me- chanical Produétion of Cold & Heat, beginning with thofethat relate tothe former, becaufe by reafon of their Paucity they will be quickly dif- patcht. And I hope I fhall not need to make an Apology for mentioning no greater number; fince I fcarce remember to have met with any In- ftances of this kind in any of the Claffick Writers of Natural Philo- fophy. 7 | * See more of this in the Preamble. — A 3 EX- ‘ i ¢ , ct 4 - { q ey ; ‘ee Deg Ney Pe X Pp E 5 : ” , a , , e @ . ‘ . pi ; r m ; “ i” : " J A AY firft Experiment is afforded. “V4 me by the Diffolution of Sal. Armoniac, which I have fomewhat_ wonder’d, that. Chymifts having of- ten occafion to purifie that Salt by the help of Water, fhould nothave, — long fince, and publickly, taken no-, tice of. For if you put into three or four times,its, weight of Water a pound or but halfa pound (or even lefs) of powder’d Sal Armoniack; and {tir it about)to haften the diflo- Intion, there will be produc’d in the mixture avery. intenfe degree of Coldnefs,.fuch as will not be onely very. fenfible to his hand that.holds the, Glafs .whilft the Diflolution 18 making ; -but will very. manifeltly, difcover it felf by its Operation up= on a Thermofcope. Nay, I have more than once by wetting the out- fide of the Glafs, where the diflo- tution was making, and nimbly ftir a ring of eat and Cold, 5 ringthe Mixture, turn’d that exter- nally adhering water into real Ice, ( that was fcrapd off with a knife’) in lefs than. a minute of an hour. And this thus generated Cold con- _ tinued confiderably intenfe, whilft the action of diffolution lafted 5 but afterwards by degrees abated , and _ within a very few hours ceas’d. Phe particular Phenomena I have noted in the Experiment, and the practical ufesthat may be made of 1¢ I referve foranother place*, the ,,., | Riadiaiotot them be- Pogninian et ing not neceflary in 0 tls Exper _this, where what [have wards prinved already related, may Numb.1g. of the fuffice for my prefent er ab Argument. _ Andto thew, that not onely a far more intenfe degree of Cold may e- merge in this Mixture, than was to be found in either of the Ingredients before they were mingled, but a confiderable Coldnefs may be sega to be producd between Bodies that Were neither of them actually Cold — A4 before TN ) 6 Of the Wechanical Daigine q - before they were put together; [ _ will fubjoin a Tranfcript of what I find to this purpofe among my Ad> —werfaria. o pag Sa * ‘EXPER. If. [JRememberthat oncefhadamind fi to try, Whether the Coldnefs produced upon the Solution of bea- ten Sal Armoniac in water, might not be more probably referr'd to fome change of Texture or Motion — refulting from the action of the Li- quor upon the Salt, than to any In- frigidation of the water made by the fuddain difperfion of fo many Saline — rains of powder, which by reafon ~ of their Solidity may be fufpected | to be actually more cold than the Water they.are put into 5 I therefore provided a Glafs full of that Liquor, — and having broughtit to fuch a Tem- per, that its warmth made the Spirit ef Wine in the feal’d Weather-glafs ne | ma- , _ of beatanddold, 7 manifeftly, though not nimbly , a- {cend3 I took out the Thermofcope, and laid it in powdered Sal Armonie ac, warm d beforehand; fo that the tinged Liquor was made to afcend much nimblier by the Sale than juft before by the Waters and having . prefently remov‘d the Inftrument in- to that Liquor again, and poured the fomewhat warm. Sal Armonijac into _ thefame, I found, as I imagin’d, that within a {pace of: time which I guefs'd to be about half a minute or lefs , the Spirit of Wine began ha- ftily to fublide, and within a few mi- nutes fell above’a whole divifion and a quarter below the mark at which it {tood in. the water, before that Liquor or the Salt were warm cd. Nor did the Spirit ina great while reafcend to the height which it had when the water was cold. © | .The fame Experiment, being at another time reiterated, was tried . with the like fuccels 5 which fecond may therefore ferve for a Confirma- tion of the firit. | Gureni- pau | | EXPER. Oa 8 DF the Bechanical Daigine EXPER. IIL ER YAviog a mind likewife to thew — f & fomeIngeniousmen, how much ~ . the productionof Heat and Coldde- — _ pends ce ay aNE and other Me- chanical Affections, 1 thought fit to - make again a Sal Armoniac by a way I formerly publifh’d, that I might be fure to know what Ingredi- ents I employ’d, and fhew theiref- — fects aswell before conjunction as af- ~ terit. Itook then Spirit of Salt; and Spirit. of fermented or rather putrifi- ed Urine; and having put a feald ~ Weather-glafs into an open Veflel; where one of them was pourd in, I put the other by degrees to it, and obferv’d, that,as upon their mingling they made a great noife with man bubbles, foin this confli& they loft their former coldnefs, and impell’d up the Spirit of Wine in the feal’d Thermofcope: Then {lowly evapora- ting the fuperfluous moifture, I ob- — Roe tained of eat and Colt og tained a fine fort of Sal Armoniac for the moft part figur’d not unlike the other, when being diflolv’d and filtrrated, itis warily coagulated. This new Sale being gently dry’d'! put in- toa wide Gla{s of water, wherein I — had before plac’d a feal’d Weather- giafs, that the included Spirit might acquire the temper of the ambient Liquor, and having ftirr’d this Sale — in the water, though I took it then off the mantle-tree of a Chimney that had had fire in it divers hours before, it-did, as | expected, makethe tinted Spirit haftily fubfide and fall confi- derably low. { ae oe 3 eae RARER be . Qnce if twobodies upon their mix- a) ture acquire. a greater oegree of Cold than either of chem bad. be- fore there is.a productign of this additional degree of that Quality, i iiv | | will Ras a A. Ba Ait ie 10 ‘of the wBechanicat Drigine ) will be proper to add onthis occafi- on the enfuing Experiment. - : We took a competent quantity ab acid {pirit diftill’d from Roch-allom, Cthat, though redtifi'd, was but weak, ) which, in the fpirit of that” falt, is not ftrange. Of this we put into a wide mouth’d Glafs (that was not great) more than was fufficient: to cover the globulous part of agood’ feal’d Thermofcope, and then fuffer- ing the inftrument to ftay a pretty while in the liquor, that the Spirit _ of wine might be cool’d as much as the ambient was, we put in litle by — — jittle fome volatile fale fublimed from, Sal Armoniac anda fixt Alcali , and notwith{tanding the very numerous € bue not great) bubbles, and the noife and froath that were produced, as isufual upon the reaction of Acids and Alcalys, the tincted {pirit in the « Weather-glafs, after having continu> ed a good while at a ftand, began a little to defcend, and continued € though but very flowly ) to do fo, tillthe f{pirit of Allom was oath wit _- of eat any Cold, © ox with the volatile falt ; and this de- {cent of the tincted liquor in the In- {trument being meafur’d, appear’d to be about an inch (for it manifeftly exceeded feven eighths. ) By com- paring this Experiment with the firft part of the foregoing,we may gather, that when Volatile and Urinous Salts or Spirits (for the faline. particles appear fometimes io a dry and fome- times in a liquid form) tumultuate upon their being mixe with Acids, _ neither the Heat nor the Cold that enfues is produc’d by a Conflict with the Acids precifely as it is Acid, fiance we have feen that an urinous ({pirit -produc’d an actual Heat with (pirit of Sale, and the diftill'd Salt of Sal Ar- moniac,which ts alfo Urinous,with the acid fpirit of Roch-Allom produces not a true effervefcence, but a mani- feft Coldnefs : As the fame Salt alfo . _ didina Trial of another fort, which | was this. : | E X- 412 Dl the PechanitalDegine we? IOSD: EXPER. V. on > { 7E took one part of Oyl of — Vitriol, and fhaking it into — twelve parts of water we made a > “mixture , that at firft was fenfibly © warm; then fuffering this to cool, © we put a fufficient quantity of it nto a wide mouth’d glafs,andthen we pat a good Thermofcope Hermetically feal’d , above whofe Ball the com- pounded liquor reached a pretty way. After fome time had been allowed that che liquor in the Thermometer might acquire the temper of the am- bient; we put in by degrees as much volatile Salt of Sal Armoniac’ as would ferve to fatiate the acid {pirirs of the mixture :. for, though’ thefe two madéa notable conflict with tu- mult, noife, and froth, yet «was but a cold ebullition (if I may fo {tile it,) for the fpirit in the Thermefcope defcended about an inch beneath the mark it refted at, when the feeming — ¢ffervefcence began: EX- of beat and Cold. 13 -e—-"Is known that Salt-peter bes i sing put into common water produces a fenfible Coldnefs init, as it alfo-does in many other Liquors : But that the fame Salt put into a Li- guor of another Conftitution may have a quite differing efieé&, I have _ coavinc’dfome inquifitive perfons by - mingling eight ounces of fine Salet- peter powder’d with fix ounces of Oyl of Vitriol: For by that com- mixture with a Salt that was net only actually, but, as to many other bodies, potentially cold, the Oy! of | Vitriol, that was fenfibly cold before, guickly conceived a confiderable de- _gree of Heat, whofe Effects alfo be- came vifible in the copious Fumes that were emitted by the incalefcent Mixture. ae E X- A eats 8 a4 OF the Beebanical Deigine — . . ERP ERTS ee fently into flame capable of promo- ting the deflagration of the Char- coal, and kindling divers bodies 1t meets. with in its way 5 yet if fome ounces of Gunpowder reduced to powder be thrown into four or: five times as much water, it will very manifeftly impart a Coldaels toi, as experience made with, as weil as without, afeal’'d Thermofcope has af- {ured me. uN This and the foregoing Experi- ment do readily fuggeft an Inquiry “His brings intomy mind; that — . §- though Gunpowder feems to be of fo igneous a nature, that, when ‘tis put upon a Coal, itis curmd pre- — ‘ rs ~ into the nature of the Coldnefs,; | which Philofophers are wont to op= -pofe to that which immediately and upon the firft contact affect the or- gans of fenfe, and which therefore The © they call Actual or Formal. of eat and Cole. 5 The fuccefs of this Experiment upon a fecond trial ferv’d to confirm it, which is the more {trange,becaule Ihave found, that a {mall quantity of Oyl of Vitrio],; not’ beforehand mingled with water, would produce a notable heat in its conflid with a. fall portion of juft fuch Salt as Lem- ployed before (both the parcels ha- - ving been, if I well remember, ta- ken ,out! of the fame Glafs.) -And this heat did. upon trial; made with the former Thermofcope, make the ,undted Spirie afcend much, further - than the. lately recited Experiment - made it fubfide. pe — 4 , “ he : MG 16 Df the Bechan ‘ i, ? ‘ ( ie ae ae % . 4 ae 4 ‘ e “ON i A Sint, : Mg gt 3 -. eae oe | y My . 4 ‘ } ; : : Aine ; we 3 3 Su Ll e% -_— a } a K rk 7 | " ; ‘ 3 ‘ \p ¥ " , x o / , ; ) “Te ed ae a a “% t ee owt fe ¥' x My , = b.< a : ’ im. ; ~ # ; thew i , ia x 4 ' #4 ’ » -F ;. = ; . ; . / ‘a : but f 4 a : e 4 ae ‘ } ~ Potentiat Cotpness. Otential Coldnefs has been ge- Pp nerally logkt tipon, and that | partly perhaps upon the {core © of its very name, as fo abftrufe a Quality 5 that ‘tis not onely rational but neceffary to derive it from the fubftantial Forms of bodies. But I confefs I fee no neceflity of belie- | ving it not to be referrable to Me- — chanical Principles. For as to the ' chief Inftances of Potential Cold- nefs, which are taken from the ef- fe€ts of fome Medicines and aliments in the bodies of men, it may be faid without improbability, that the pro- duced Refrigeration proceeds chief- ly from this, that the potentially | | cold of beat and Col. 7 cold body is made up of Corpufcles of fuch fize; fhape; &c. that being refolved and disjained by the Men- _ {truum of the ftomach, or the fluids it may elfewhere abe with, they _ do fo aflociate themfelves with the | fmall parts of the blood and other liquors, as; by cloggingthem or o- therwife, to leffen their wonted agi- _ tation, and perhaps make them att in a peculiar way as well as lefs _ briskly on the nervous and fibrous parts; and the perception of this imminution (and perhaps change ) of motion inthe organs of feeling is that,which, being referr’d to the bo- _ dy that produces it,we call its Poten- tial Coldnefs. Which Quality ap>= _ . pears by this account to be, asl _ was faying before, but a Relative thing, and. is wont to require the diffufion: or difperfion of the {mall parts of the Corpufcles of the Ae gent, and their mingling themfelves — with the liquors or the fmall parts _ of the body they ate to refrigerate. And therefore, if it be granted, that’. ee Ba 1 a8 DE the Bechanical Deis ‘y in Agues there is fome morbifick y matter of a vifcous or not eafily diffl- pable texture, that is harbord in iome part of the body, and requires. bo, v ¥ Me on fuch a timetobe made fluid and ree folvables the Cold Fits of Agues — need not be (o much admired as they ulually are 5 fince, though juft be= fore the Fit the fame parcel of mat- ter that isto produce it were actually in the body, yet it was not by rea-- fon of its clamminefs a€tually refol- _ : ved into {mall parts, and mingled with thole of the bloud, and confe- quently could not make fuch a change tn the motion of that liquor Ps as is feltia the Cold Fit of an Ague; — C for, of the further. Change that occafions the Hot Fit, 1am not here to fpeak ) And in fome other Dif » eafes a {mall quantity of matter, be- ing refolved into minute parts, may be able to produce a great fenfe of — Coldnefs in fome part of a body, which by reafon of the ftru@ure — of that part may be peculiarly. aifpo'ed to ke aficGted thereby 3 as es ei of ibeat and@oln == 19 I have known Hypochondriack and Hyfterical women complain of great Degrees of Coldnefs, that would fuddenly invade fome particular part, chiefly of the Head or Back, and be for a good while trouble- fome there. And that, if a frigori- fic vapour or matter be exceeding fubtile, an. inconfiderable Quantity © of it being difperfed through the bloud may fuffice to produce a no- table Refrigeration , I have learnt ‘by Inquiry into the Effects of fome Poyfons 5 and ’tis not very material, whether the Poyfon, generally | fpeaking, be cold or hot, if it meet with .a body difpos’d to have thofé affections that pafs for cold ones _ produced init. For IT have made a -‘Chymical Liquor, that was pene- _ trant and fiery enough to the Tafte, and had acquired a Subtlety and — brisknefs from Diftillation , with which I could almoft in a trice, gi- | ving it but in the quantity of about a drop, caft an Animal into that which appear’d a Bae , and the like ) mie * ' algenti iti Jf 1 & % Peniven. caps eminent Phyficians.*F a=. | 56. Abditoram wnulune babi, Cfaith Be= d Schenk. Lets. tae hoe i nen. Obferv. 24. ome idius, tam fubito ac | ‘ ; aki / ‘ . : ) Rp, \ , WATT a a if ‘a t= er i ie a +) hoe ay : i a P a i? rs 4 iat ff 2 Oo oe l a ee oy ‘ . ys ‘we Vi or ’ ‘ Re a Ck a! . 2s > 4 4 Ca . Po a Bs) 4 tam frigido [ydore toto corpore perfufus — c/7 a. 4 ; yo ig yi LCs eff, ut algentilfima wive atque glacie fe-. ‘fe opprimz Yt del Verym cya olawe Theriacam ex vino | potentiore exhibuiffem, ilico curatus eff: Thus farhe; To whofe Narsa- tive Tadde this of Amatus-Lafitanus. t By Vir 2 -_ of deat andDCol, 24 Vir qui a Scorpioue in any ., Cent.6. Obferve . Manns digito punt us fuit, oa iy 4 vaultum dolebat, G» refrigeratus tolus contremebat, & per corpus dolores, en- te tota quali acu puntta, forwicantes par — _ thebatur, Ke. ime / T cannot now-ftay to enquires Whether there may not be in thefe great Refrigerations, made by fo {mall a quantity of Poyfon, fome {mall Concretions or Coagulations made of the minute particles of the bloud into little clots, lefs agile and ‘more unwieldy thanthey were when _ they moved feparately : which may be illuftrated by the litele. Curdlings that may be made of the parts of Milk by a very {mall proportion of ~ KRunnet or fome acid liquor, and the little coagulations made of the Spi- rit of Wine by thatof Urine: Nor _ will Inow enquire, whether, befides _the retardment of the motion of the blouds fome poyfons and other ana- _logous Agents may not give the mo- tion of it anew modification, (as if fome Corpufcles that ufually are B 4 more “more ‘whita' or + brandith’d: ‘be put - into a more direct Motion) that: may give it a peculiar kind of gra- | mre or Other aGion upon the ners vous and fibrous parts of the body: Thefe, I fay , and other fufpicioas that have fometimes come into my : thoughts » 1 mutt not ftay to exa-— mine; but fhall now rather offer to Confideration, Whether, fince fome . parts of the humane body are very differing from others in their ftru- cture and internal Conftitution; and fince alfo fome Agents may abound in Corpufcles of differing thapes, ‘ bulks, and motions, the fame Me- dicine may not in reference to the - fame humane body be potentially cold or potentially hot, according as *tis applied 5 or perhaps may, upon _ one or both of the accounts newly mentioned, be cold in reference to one part of thebody, and hot in re- — ference totheother. Andthefe ef- — fe&ts need not be always afcrib’d to the meer and immediate adtion of . the Corputcles of the Medicine, but — fomes a &: ae ee pf beatandold,. 23 fometimes to the new Quality they acquire in their Paflage by affoci- ating themfelves with the bloud or other fluids of the body , ‘or to the expulfion of fome calorific or frigo- _ rific Corpufcles, or to the Difpofiti- - onthey give the part on which they _ operate, to be more or lefs perme- ated and agitated than before by — -_ fome fubtile ethereal matter, or o- ther Efficients of Heat or Cold. - Some of thefe Conjectures about the Relative Nature of Potentially cold » bodies, may be either confirmed or illuftrated by fuch Inftances as thefe; that Spirit of Wine being inwardly taken is potentially very hot, and _ yet being outwardly applied to fome Burns and fome hot Tumours does notably abate the Heat of the inflamed parts, though the fame Spi- - rit applied even outwardly to a tender eye will caufe a great and dolorous agitation in it. And Cam- phire, which inthe Dofe of lefs than a half or perhaps a quarter of a ‘Scruple, has been obferved to dif- bOeH 3 ae fufe a4 DE the Pechanie cf OD ee oat ng EADS ae REVIEWER Alda Whos ehh ad ‘ Wis te A Nit” tes a Ci Me, ey ’ mv si f Sa Me. im, y ¥ as ee ye < ’ aly a fufe a Heat through the body, i9 with fuccefs externally applied by Phyficians and Chirargeons in refri- gerating Medicines, But [leave the further Inquiry in- to the Operations of Medicines to Phyficians, who may poflibly, by what has been faid, be aflifted to compofe the differences#~between fome famous Writers about the tem- perament of fome Medicines, as Mer. cury , Gamphire, @c. which fome | will have to be cold, and others maintain to be hot; and fhall onely | | offer by way of confirming, in gene- ral, that Potential Coldnefs is onely 4 a Relative Quality, a few Particu- lars; the firft whereof is afforded by comparing together the VI. and the VII. Experiment before-going, — ( which have occafion’d this Digref- fion about Potential Coldnefs; ) fince by them it feems probable, that the fame thing may have it in reference to one body, and not'to another, according to the difpofition of the body it operates upon, or that ope- rates «pf peat and Golo O25 yates upon it. And the Fumes of Lead have been obferved fometimes (for Ihave not found the Effe& to fucceed always) to arreft the fluidi- ty of Mercury, which change is fup- pofed to be the effect of a Potential - Coldnefs belonging tothe Chymitfts Saturn in reference to fluid Mercu- ry, though it have not that operati- on onapy other liquor that we know of. | } And laftly, Cfor I would not be too prolix) though Nitre and Sal’ -Armontac be both apart and joynt- ly Cold in reference to Water, and though, however Nitre be throughly | melted in a Crucible, it will not take fire of it felf, yet if, whilft itis in Fufion, you fhall by degrees caft on © it fome powder’d Sal Armoniac, it - will take fire and flafh vehemently, almoft as if Sulphur had been in- jected. | But — ‘ /’ But our Excurfion has, I fe: ed too long, and therefore I { prefently re-enter into the way , proceed to fet down fome Trials a~ bout Goldy 5 on ies / ~_ ‘ . . A “7 ‘ 5 rf ; ‘ ‘ : "| ~- ‘ | \ - | ’ ~ \ - ah ‘ ba da . o “1 ‘ WRC + ) ~, pF Z : iF , ; - 7 ‘ i : ra | | | ee De / " os } Ms rey, r Doe ere? wr tue" : a 4 ry c Ws / . ’ a 3 | “i i s ; ‘ : 4 ~~ 4 4 ° ) ~~» . } a , i " : } x 6. ' ; " f i. NN ' ‘ my, ¢ so , 2 i Vi #. i / ‘of peat and Cald, sb 27 _ EXPER. VII. EN the fief Experiment we ob- ‘ferved, that upon the pouring of water upon Sal Armoniac there en- fued-an intenfe degree of Cold, and we haveelfewhere recited, that the like effect was produc’d by putting, -inftead of common water, Oy]! of V1- triol to Sal Armoniac 5 but now, to thew further, what influence Motion and Texture may have upon fuch _ Trials, it may not be amifs to adde the following Experiment : To | twelve ounces of Sal Armoniac we put by degrees an equal weight of - water, and whilft the Liquor was diffolving the Salt, and by that adie on producing a great Coldnefs, we | warily pour'd in twelve ounces alfo of good Oy]! of Vitriols of which new mixture the event was, that a notable degree of Heat was quickly produced in the Glafs wherein the _ Ingredients were confounded, as un- likely as it feemed, that, whereas | : each © ~ each of ae two Liquors ie a Sal. Armoniac’ to produce ae | intenfe Cold , both of them a ing on it. together thould produce, th - contrary Quality. But the reafon I | had to expect the faccefs, I met with, was this, that “twas probable the Heat arifing from the mixture of the two Liquors would overpower-the Coldnefs produceable by the opera- _ tion. of, either, or both, of thes oe | on the Salt. z ee re i : e } 2 ¥ 5 age Oe by ; ~ { Won ea ie 9 1 ie hs “ 4 Ny Bag . ns J 4 Y , i py ° = hae aN ohh \ 4 tis my t wit PBih » . wo:7 sf Pik : ‘ ¥ 7 ‘ ve ee ; ( ers ; > , ' ‘ « | ~~ ; S e r ‘ Us 3 } “4 ‘ : t , ~ t t | \ } . s e*f / ) e x oa P| Poe Tee. re ae oa ; : Uae Se Sd f 1,2 * oe ‘4 k nub ‘ait. 9 yh / i : ee . : a 4 ‘ - a: ‘ \ a” os A Rot ‘ ‘ \ i. oe se vy Ve . 2 : oy > 4 ‘4 , 4 “% ™ ~ P ; ‘ . s \ \ > ee - ~ . . . ¢ os f° ' +) ys eA - ‘2 Lae 4 ; ‘ ’ - f Beat a an cot » 49 EXPER. IX. 7N moft of the Experiments that we have hitherto propoted, Cold is wont to be regularly producd ina Mechanical way; but I fhall now _adde, that in fome fort of Trials I found that the Event was waried by unobferv’d Circumftances 3 fo that fometimes manifeft Goldnefs would be produced by mixing two Bodies together, which at another time would upon their Congrefs difclofe a. “manifeft Heat, and fometimes again, though more rarely, would have but : avery faint and remifs degree of ei- ther, OF this fort of Experiments, whofe ‘Events I could not confidently un- dertake for, I found to be, the diffo- lution of Salt of Tartar in Spirit of Vinegar , and of fome other Salts, ‘that were. not acid, in the fame Men- ftruum, and even Spirit of Verdi- it Amade per 49 ptneuph a more , | potent | 30 Di the Berhanical Origine — potent Menftruum than common Spi- rit of Vinegar, would not conflantly — produce near fuch a heat at the be- ginning of its operation, as the great- nefs of the feeming Effervefcence, _, then excited, wouid make one exe ’ pect, as may appear by the follow-— ing Obfervation tran{crib'd verbatim out of one of my Adverfaria. [ Into eight ounces of Spirit of © Verdigreafe (into which we had put . a while before a ftandard-Thermo-- {cope to acquire the like temper with — the Liquor ) we put in a wide-moue thed Glafs two ounces of Salt of Tar- tar,as faft as we durft for fear of ma- king the matter boil over; and though there were a great commoti- on excited by the action and reatcti- on of the Ingredients, which was ate tended with a copious froth and a. hiffing noife 5 yet twas a pretty while ere the Glafs was fenfibly warm on the outfide; but by that time the falt was ail diffolv’d, the Liquor in the Thermofcope appear’d to be im- | een pell’d of dpeat and Calo)! 2 31 pell’ a wp about three inches and : an half: | And yet, if my memory da not much deceive me, [havefound, that by mixing Sale of Tartar with an other Salt , the Texture of the fixt Alkali was fo alcer’d ,'that upon the affufion of fpirie of Verdigteafe, ( made without {pirivof Vinegar and {pirit of Wine, ) though there enfir- eda @reat conflid with noife and bubbles, yet, inftead of an Incale- feence , a confiderable degree of Coldnefs was prodded: EXPER. xX. Ts. very ptabatsle that fiinetned © Trials will furnith us with ‘more Inftances to fhew how the Pro- duction of Cold may in fome cafes bs effetted, varied 5 or binder’d by Mechanical Circumttances that are | eafily and ufually overlook’d. Tre- seed this'oc -calion, thatthough att 2 in 28 Mi the Pechanical Deigine ~ inthe Experiment above re 4 obferv’d, that Oy] of Vitriol and was) — ter being firft (haken together, the volatil:falt of Sal. Armoniac being — afterwards put tothem, produced a: _ fenfible Coldnefs5 yet I found, thatif — a little Oy] of Vitriol and of the vo-. — Jatile Salt were firft put together, though foon after a confiderable pro- portion of water were added, there - would be produc’d not a Coldnefs, but.a manifeft degree of Heat, which. would impell up the liquor in the Thermofcope to the height of fome — inches. And I remember too, that: — though Sale of Tartar will, as we fhall fee e’re long, grow hot in the water, yet having diftill’d fome Sale of Tartar and Cinaber in a ftrong _ fire, and put the whole €aput mors tuum into diftill’d or Rain-water , it made indeed a hiffing there as if it. had been Quick-lime, but produced no Heat, that I could by feeling per- — ceive. I fhall adde, that not onely, as we have {een already , fome un- heeded Circumftances may promote: | Or |, of beatand Cold... 33 - or hinder the artificial Production of Cold by particular Agents, but, which will feem more ftrange, fome unobferv d, and perhaps hardly: ob- fervable, Indifpofition in the Patient may promote or hinder the effects of the grand and Catholick Effictents of Cold, whatever thofe be. This fuf- Ppicion! reprefent asa thing that fur- ther experience may poflibly ‘coun- _ tenance, becaufe I have fometimes found,: that the degree of the Ope- ration of Cold has been much vari- ed by latent Circumftances , fome bodies being more wrought upon, and others lefs, than was upon very probable grounds expected. And - particularly [ remember, that though Oy! of Vitriol be one of the firieft liquors that is yet known, and ‘does perform fome of the Operations of fire it felf; Cas we thall elfewhere have Occafion to fhew) and will thaw Ice fooner than Spirit of Wine or a- ny other liquor, asI have tried 5 yet having put about a pound or more, by our eftimate, of choice reGifie PYRG tes dt Qep Oy! 34 OF the Dechanical Deigine Oyl of Vitriol into a ftrong Glafs- Vial proportionableto it, we found, that,.except a little that was fluid at the top , it was all congeal’d or cos agulated into a mafs like Ice, though the. Glafs {tood inva Laboratory where a fire was conftantly kept not - farfrom it, and where Oyl of Vi- trigl_very feldomor never has before -or-fince been obferv'd to congeal or coagulate fo much as in part. . And the cdnefs of our Phenomenon was increas d_ by this Circumftance, that’ the Mals continued. folid; a, good while after the weather was grown too mild to, have:fuch Operations upon Liquors far lefs indifpos'd.to — lofe their fluidity by Cold, than. es ven common Oyl of Vitriol.is. On the other fide, 1 remember, that .a- bout two years ago, I exposd fome Oy! of {weet Almonds. hermetically feal'd up in a Glafs-bubble, to ob- ferve what Condenfation an intenfe cold could make of it, ( for though Cold expands water, it condenfes - common oyl;) but the next day I _, OF beat and Cold. 35 found to my wonder, that not onely the oy! remain‘d unfrozen by the fharp froft it had been exposd to, but that it had not its tranfparency troubled, though ‘tis known, that oyl will be brought to concrete and turn opacous by a far lefs degree of Cold than is requifite to freeze water; notwithftanding which this liquor, which was lodged in .a lafsfo thin, that ‘twas blown at the om of a Lamp, continued fluid and diaphanous in very frofty wea- ther, fo long till I loft the expectati- on of feeing it congeal’d or concre- ted. And this brings into my mind, that though Camphire be, as I formerly noted, reckon'd by ma- ny potentially cold, yet we kept fome oyl of it, of our making, wherein the whole body of the -Camphire remain‘d, being onely by fome Nitrous Spirits reduc’d to the form of an Oyl; we keptit, I fay, in fuch intenfe degrees of Cold, that would have eafily frozen water, without finding it to lofe its Tran{- | C 4 parency ‘And here I fhall put an endto't 1¢ firft SeGtion, ( containing our Notes — about Cold) the defign of which may be notalittle promotedby coms paring with them the beginning of the enfuing Section. For if it be true, that (as'we there fhew) the — nature of Heat confifts either one- — ~ ty ot chiefly in the local motion of the {mall parts of a body Mechanically modified by certain conditions , of — - which the principal is the vehemen- - cy of the various agitations of thofe — infenfible’ parts 3° and if it be alfo | true,as Experience witneffés tt to be, that,when the minute parts of a body | are inor artive at fuch a‘ftate, that they are more flowly or faintly agi- © tated than thofe of our fingers or other organs of fecling, we judge them cold: Thefe two things laid together feem plainly enough to ar- - gue, that a Privation or Negation’of © that Local Motion that is requifite to conftiture Heat, may fuffice for the denominating a body Cold, as‘Gold- dott ee BES Be ks nefs ‘nefs is a quality of the Obje&,(which as "tis perceiv’d by the mind, is alfo an affection of the Sentient: ) And therefore an Imminution ‘of fuch a degree of former motion as is ne- eeflary to make ‘a body’ Hot’ as to fenfe, and which is fufhcient to the ProduGion of fenfible Coldnefs,may be Mechanically made’, fince Slow- nefs as well as Swiftnefs being a ‘Mode of Local motion ts'ai'Mechani- “eal thing: ‘And though its effec, “whichis Coldnefs; feem a:-Privation ‘or Negation; yet the Caufe’ of it “may be a pofitive Agent ating Me- ~chanically , by clogging the Agile -Calorific Particles, or deadning their ‘Motion, or perverting their determi- ‘nation, or by fome other intelligible ‘way bringing them toa {tate of Cold- “nefs as to fenfe’: I fay Coldnefs as — ‘to fenfe; becaufe as ’tis ‘a. Tadile Quality, in the popular acceptionof | ‘it , *tis relative to our Organs of Feelings as we fee that the fame luke-warm water will appear hot _ and cold tothe fame mans hands, if, aba : when when both are plung’d into it.; one — of them fhall have been newly held - to the fire, andthe other be benum- — med with froft.:..And. indeed the cuftom of fpeaking,has introduced — an ambiguity into the word,.Cold, — which often occafions miftakes., not . eafily without much attention. and fometimes circumlocution alfo to.be | avoided 3 fince ufually by Cold is _ meant that which immediately .af- fects the fenfory of him that. pro- nounces a body Cold, whereas {ome- times. ‘tis taken in a more general notion for fuch a Negation or Immi- nution of motion, as though it -o-: perates not perceivably on our fen- fes, does yet upon other bodies 5 and fometimes alfo it is taken ( which is perhaps the more Philofophical fenfe }. for a perception, made.in ~ and by the mind, of .the alteration produced in the Corporeal Organs | by the operation of that, whatever jt be, on whofe account a body 1s found: to be cold. es wage - ~ pf beat and@eld, 39 But the Difcuffion of thefe Points is here purpofely. omitted, as for o- ther Reafons, fo. principally becaufe they may be found Ts handled in a fitter Place. ic SECT, so OF the @eshanical Pain : pe lh | sf c tT. I iq sod at 3 or Re, J + 2 iv “the I Mechanicall « Oréi= gine or Produttion | f HME AP o« 38 Frer having difpatched the In- A (tances I had to offer of the | Production of Cold, it remains that — Talfo propofe fome Experimeats of Heat, which Quality will appear the more-likely. to-be Mechanically-pro- ducible , if we confider the nature. of it, which feems to confift mainly, if not onely, in that Mechanical af- fection of matter we call Local mo- tion mechanically modified , which modification, as far as I have obfer- ved, is made up of three Conditi- — ons. The firft of thefe ts, that the agi- tation of the parts be webement, by which degree or rapidnefs, the mo- tion proper to bodies that are hot diftin- 908 pfpeatatin Cov 2 gt diftinguithes*them from bodies thae are'barely laid: Fot thefe, as fueh, require not near fo brisk an agitati- on, as is wont to be neceflary to — make bodies deferve the name of hot. ‘Thus we fee that the particles of water in its ‘natural ( orufual ) ftate, move fo calmly, that we donot feelie at all warm , though it could not be a liquor unlefs they were in a reftlefs motion; but when water comes'to be aQually hot, the motion does manifeftly and proportiona- bly appear more vehement, fiance it does not onely briskly {trike our organs of feeling, but’ ordinaril _, produces ftore of very {mall bubbles, and will melt butter or coagulated oyl, caft uponit, and will afford va- pours, that, by the agitation they {uffer, will be made to afcend into the air. Andif the degree of Heat ~ be fuch as to make the water boil, then the agitation becomes much more manifeft by the confus'd moti- ons, and waves, and noife, and bub- bles, that are excited, and by other obvious it e' i Cal G2ame 42 «DE the D } ening obvious effects and Phenomena of — the vehement and tumultuous moti- on, which is able to throw up wifi. bly into the air great {tore of. Cor- pufcles, inthe form of vapours/or {moak. Thusin.alheatedIron the — vehement agitation of the partsmay be eafily inferr'd from the motion | and hiffing noife it imparts to drops of water or fpittle that fall uponit. — For it makes them hifs and boil, and quickly forces their particles to quit: the form of a liquors and flye into the air in the form of fteams.. And laftly, Fire,whichis the hotteft body we know, confifts of parts fo vehe- mently agitated, that they perpetu- ally and {wiftly flye abroad in {warms, and diflipate or fhatter all the .combuftible bodies they meet with in their way 5 fire making fo © fierce a diffolution, and great a dif- perfiou of its own fuel, that we may fee whole piles of folid wood (weighing perhaps many huodred pounds ) {o diflipated in very few hours into flame and fmoak, that of- tentimes oo pf beat and Colt, — 43. tentimes there will not be one pound of Afhes remaining. And this is the firft Condition required to eee ee oe ) Phe'fecond'is this, that the deter- minations be very variows , {ome par- ticles moving towards the right, fome to the left, hand, fome directly up- wards, fome downwards, and fome obliquely, &c. This variety of de- terminations appears to be in hot bo- dies both by fome of the Inftances newly mention d, and efpecially that of flame , which isa body 5 and by the diffufion that metals acquire, when they are melted, and by the operations of Heat that are exer- cisd by hot bodies upon others, in what pofture or {cituation foever the body to be heated be applied to © them. As a thoroughly ignited Coal -willappear every way red, and will melt wax, and kindle brimftone, whether the body be apply d to the _ upper or tothe lower, or to any o- ther part of the burning Coal. And congiuoully: to this Notion, though air \ air and water. bia hoa neve finer q hemently, asin high Winds a and:Ga- tarads , yet we are not .toj expe@ that they fhould be poet heel | _ becaufe the vehemency, belongs: to the progreffive motion of the.whole body 5 notwith{tanding which,, the parts it confifts of may, not be,near, fo. much quickned in their motions — made according to. other determina-. tions, as to become fenfibly hot, And this Confideration may keep it from feeming ftrange, that infome — cafes, where the whole body, though. rapidly moved, tends but one way,, ‘tis not by that. (wift, motion peroain ved to be made Hot. | Nay, though the agitation be very, variows as well as vehement, there is yet a third Condition required: to. make it Calorific, namely, that the, agitated. particles, or at leat, the, greateft number of them, be. fo mi-.. nute as to be fingly: infenfible. For... though a heap of fand or duft it felf were vehemently and confufedly a-. agitated Py. a whitlwiad,: the bulk ite | : the = ’ of abeatand Colt. = 43 the grains or Corpufcles, would keep their agitation from being properly Heat, though by their numerous {trokes upon a man’s face, and the briskcommotion of the fpirits and o- ther {mall particles that may thence enfue, they may perchance occafion the productio# of that Quality. _ If fome attention be employ‘d io confidering, the formerly propos’d Notion of the nature of Heat, it may not be difficult to difcern , that the Mechanical production of it may be divers ways effected. For, ex- cepting in fome few Anomalous ca- fes, ( wherein the regular courfe of things happens to be over-rul’d,) by whatever ways the Infenfible parts of a body are put into a very confusrd and webement agitation , by the fame ways Heat may be introduc’d inte that body: agreeably to which Do- Cirine, as there are feveral Agents and Operations by which this Calo- rific Motion Cif I may fo call it) may be excited , fo there may be feveral ways of Mechanically. producing | | D Heat, familiar Inftances, applicable to our prefent purpofe, have been long finace colle&ted by our juftly famous Verulam in his fhort , but excellent, Paper de forma calidi , wherein ( though I do not acquiefce in every thing [ meet with there) he feems to have been, at leaft among the Mo- derns, the Perfon that has firft hand- led the Dottrine of Heat like an Exe peritentall. Philofopher. I fhall therefore decline accumulating a multitude of Inftances of the Pro-. duction of Heat, and I fhall alfo for- bear to infift on fuch known things, asthe Incalefcence obfervable upon the pouring either of Oy! of. Vitriol upon Salt of Yartar, (inthe making — of Tartarum Vitriolatum _) or of Aqua fortis upon Silver or Quickfilver, (in the diflolution of thefe Metals ae all of deat and Gold, == 45 fhall rather chufe to mention fomeé few Inftances not fo notorious as th¢ | former, but not unfit by their variety to exemplifie feveral of the differing waysof exciting Heat. And yet I fhall not decline the mention of the moft obvious and fa- milhar Inftance of all, namely the Heat obferved in Quick-lime ypoa the affufion of cold. water, becaufe among learned men, and efpecially Peripateticks, I find caufes to be af- fign’d that are either juftly queftion- able or manifeftly erroneous. For as to what is inculcated by the Schools about the Incalefcence of a mixture of Quick-lime and water by vertue of afuppoled antiperifiefis or Invigoration of the internal Heat of the Lime by its being invironed by cold water, I have ellewhere fhewn, that this is but an Imaginary Caufe, by delivering upon Experiment Cwhich any man may eafily make ) that, if inftead of cold water the li- quor be poured on very hot, the e- bullitton of the Lime wilt not be the a | D 2 - Jefs, mH ma of ptosis which isalight- _ er, and is lookt upon asa fubtiler li- _ quor-than water, though itbe pour- ed quite cold-om Quick-lime, will riot, that) have’ obferved 5 Brow: fo ' much as-fenfibly hot with it. | 15 */ And now I have mentioned the In- calefeence: of. Lime, which, though — an -abvious Phénomenow, has exer-' cifed the wits of divers Philofophers : and Chymi{ts; Iv will adde two or three Obfervations in order to an Taquiry that may be fome other time _ made into the genuine Caufes of '1t 5. whiclrare not fo eafie to: be found as’ many’ learned men may. at firft fight: imagine. Phe acute Helwoxt indeed and Chis followers have ingenioufly enough attempted toderive the Heat’ under confideration from the conflict of fome Alealizate and Acid falts,’ that are tobe found in Quick-lime, and are ‘diffolved, and fo fet at liber- tyto fight with ene another by the; water that: {lakes the: Lime. But eo. _ manifett ww ; OF OF deatand Colts; > = 47 of an vibbedlivere Salt in Limes 3) yet that it contains alfo an Acid Salt, -has not, that !remember, been proved$ and if the emerging of Heat be-a _ fafficient reafon to prove a Jatent -a* cid Salt in Lime, I know not, why 1 may not inferr, that.the like Saltilies conceal’d in other bodies, which the Chymifts take tobe of the: oon meereftfort of Alcalys.) 5; For IT have purpofely: EXPER. t tried, that by putting a. 5 pretty quantity of dry Salt of a i tar in the palm of my hand, and wet+ ting it well in cold water ,. cthere'has been a very fenfi ble Heat. produced in ‘the mixtures and:when I -have made the trial wich a more confider= able quantity of fale and» water ina — Viol, the! heat proved troublefome- ly imeente , ‘and continued to be at Teaft fenfible a.good whileafter..) |. This: Experiment feems to faved the opinion, ‘that the Heat: produced in Lime whillt ‘cis quenchiag, : pro= ceeds from: the Ewpyreuma, as the Chymifts:call it ,! or impreflion Jefe AEG? D my re ” ~ by the violent e, that ' e ploy’d to reduce'the ftone toLime. — But if by Expyreuma be meantabare — clare iotelligibly, in what that im- preflion confifts, and how it operates to produce fuch confiderable effects. And if the effe& be afcribed to impreflion made by the fire De will | | be more requifite than eafie, to de- | r ee ae ae: Sere as a me {warms of Atomes of fire, that re- tain adherent to the fubftance of the © Lime, and are fet at liberty to flye away by the liquor, which feemsto be argued by the flaking of Lime without water, if it be for fome time left in the air, whereby the Ae © tomes of fire get opportunity toflye © away by little and little: If this, I fay, be alledged, I will not deny but — there may be afenfe, ( which [ cane fotexplicate in few words) wherein — the Cooperation of a fubftantial Ef- — fluvinms, for fol call it, of the fire, — may be admitted’ io giving an ac- q eount of our Phenomenon. But the Caufe formerly «afligned, ‘as “tis — crudely propofed, leaves ia my mind — we! gf beatand Gol. = 49 fome Scruples.. For ‘tis not fo eafie to apprehend,that {uch light and mi- mute bodies as thofe of fire are fup- ofed, fhould be fo long detained as y this Hypothefis they muft be al- lowed tobe, in Quick-lime, kept in _well-ftopt veffels, from getting out of fo laxe and porous a_ body as Lime, efpecially fince.we fee not-a great Incalefcence or Ebullition en- fue upon the pouring of water upon Minium, or Crocus, Adartis per fe, though they have been calcined by violent and lafting fires, whofe Ef- fluviums or Emanations appear to adhere to them by..the increafe of weight, that Lead, if not,alfo Azars, does manifeftly receive from the O- peration. of the Fire... fo, which I fhall adde,. that, whereas one would think that the igneous Atoms fhou!d either flye away, or be extinguith- ed by the fupervening. of water, I know, andelfewhere..-—. —., give account, of an EXPER. If, E-xperiment,in which _ two Liquors, whereof one was fur- ; D 4 ~ nifhed se 8 not foodd; Ppar- pofely fought and foundin Salt of ~ Tartar, from which, after it had — been once heated by the affufion of — water, we abftracted or evaporated — the Liquor without violence'of fire, _ tillthe Salt was again dry 5 and then — utting on water a fecond time, the me Salt grew hot again in the Vial, and, if Imifremember not, it pro- duced this Incalefcence’ the third | time, if not the fourths and might — robably have'done it oftner, if : fad had occafion to profecute the Experiment) Which feems at leaft — to argue, that the great violence of fire is not neceflary to imprefs a afles for an Empyreum upon al calcined bodies that will heat with | water, BN oe Se coe fa is 429 And i SS) S pipeatand Geto, 51 “(nd on this occafion I thall ven- ture to adde , that I have fometimes doubted, whether the Incalefcence may not much depend upon the par- ticular Difpofition of the calcined _ 3 which being deprived of its former mioifture , and made more porous by the fire, doth by the help of thofe igneous Effluviums, for the — moft part of a faline nature, that are difperfed through it, and adhere to it, ‘acquire fuch a Texture, that the water impell’d by its own weighr, and ‘the preffure‘of the Atmofphere, isableto get intoa multitude of its pores at once, and {uddenly diffolve the Igneous and Alcalizate ‘Salt it e- / very where meets with there , and briskly disjoyn the earthy ‘and folid particles, that were blended with thems which being exceeding nume- rous ,' though each of them perhaps be very minute, and moves but a he ry little way, yet their multitude _ makes the confufed agitation of the whole aggregate of them, sof the 3 particles of the water and falt vehe- : ment ment enough to produce a fenfible Heat ; efpecially if we admit, that there is fuch a change made in the © Pores, as occafions a great increafe of this agitation, by the ingre aCtion of fome fubtile ethereal mat- (sand — ‘ ce eae - . ter, from we alone Monficur ens Cartes ingenioully attempts to derive the Incalefcence of Lime and wa- ter, as well as that of metals diifol- ved in corrofive Liquors; though as to the Phenomena we have been con- fidering, there feems at leaft to con- cur a peculiar difpofition of . body, wherein Heat is to be produced to do one or both of thefe two things, — namely, to retain good ftore of the — igneous Effuvia, and to be, by their adhefion or fome other operation of the fire, reduced to fuch a Texture of its component Particles, asto be fit to have them eafily penetrated, and briskly as well as copioufly diffi- pated, by invading water. And. this Conjecture Cfor I propofe itag no other ). feems favour’d by divers — Phenomena, {ome whereof I fhall now | at beatandCold, = 533 now annex. For here it may be ob- ferved , that both the diffolved Sale of Tartar lately mentioned, andthe artificial Liquor that grows hot with the natural, reacquires that Difpofi- tion to Incalefcence upon a_ bare Conftipation or clofer Texture of the parts from the fuperfluous moi- fture they were drowned in before : ~ The Heat that brought them to this Texture having been fo gentle, that *tisno way likely that the igneous Exhalations could themfelves pro- duce fuch a Heat, or at Jeaft that they fhould adhere in {uch numbers as muft be requifite to fuch an effect, unlefs the Texture of the Salt of Tartar (or other body ) did pecu- liarly difpofe it todetain them 5 fince Thave found by Trial, j that Sal Armoniac dil- EXPER. IV. —folv’dinwater,though boiledup with a brisker fire to a dry falt, would, uponits being again dif- folved in water, not produce any Heat, but a very confiderable de- gree of Cold. TI fhall adde , that tii * ee AK | though though one will rerien: lew i Cognation between the particles: of — Fire adhering to Quick-Lime , » and thofe’ of high redified ‘Spirit of Wine, which is of fo igneous:a na-— | ture, ‘28 to ‘be totally inflammable 3 yet I have not found, that the affu- fion of ‘Alkaol: of. ‘Wine upon Quick-Lime , would produce: any fenfible Incalefcence , or any vifible — diffolution or diffipation of the Lime, -as common water would have: done, though it feemed to be greedily:e- nough: foaked. in by ‘the: lumps of Lime.» And I further tried, that, if on this Lime fo drenched 1 poured cold water, there infued no manifeft — Heat , nor did I fo:much as find: the lump {welled, andothereby broken, | till fome hours afters: which feems to argue , that the Texture of ithe Lime was fuch, asto admit the par+ — ticles of the Spirit: of .Wine>into fome of its pores, which were et- ther largerormore congruous, with- ont: admitting it into che moft.nu- ‘merous ‘ones, Whereinto the Liquor vee mutt ¢ 1e ‘e of) pf ibeat and Colt, 55 muft be received, to be able fudden: ly to diflipate. ‘the Corpufcles of Lime into their minuter particles, into. which ( Corpufcles ) it feems that the: change that. the aqueous particles received by aflociating with the fpirituous ones, made them far lefs fit to penetrate and move brisk- ly there, cana if they had enter’d alone. I made allo : an Experiment that feems to favour our Conjecture, by thewing how much the Difpofi- tion of Lime to Incalefcence may depend upon an idoneous Texture, andthe Experiment, asl find it re- i rena ee my thr ak is Hiebot Geass \. ) Tae ut} 3 at TOW E 13 Us : :" Lanoal bfesve3 low | Un 0) ‘PXPER. Bae, ji Pont Quick-lime we put In a A Retort as much moderately trong Spirit of Wine as. would drench it, and {wim a pretty way a- bove it 5 and then. diftilling with a gentle _ penile: fires sesideewtodt Samana of Wine much ftronger peri ; which had been put on, and thenthe | 4 Phiegm following it; the fire was in- -creasd, which brought over a good deal ar phlegmatic ftrengthlefs Li- I quor 3 by which one would have thought that the Quick-lime had been flaked; but. when the remain- ing matter bad been taken ont of the Retort, and fufier’d to cool, it appeard to have a fiery difpofition that it had not before. For if any Jump of it as big asa Nutmeg or an Almond was caft into the water, it would hifs as if a coal of fire had been plunzed into the Liquor, which was foon thereby fenfibly heated. Nay, having kept divers lumps of this prepared Calx well cover’d from the air for divers weeks, to try whether it would retain this proper- ty, I found, asT expected, that the Calx operated afcer the fame man- ner, if not more powerfully. For fometimes, efpecially when twas re- duced tofmall pieces, it wouldupon its = an of eat and@oln, = 57 its coming into the water make fuch a brisk noife, as might almoft pafs for a kind of Explofion. | Thefe Phenomena {eem to argue, that the Difpofition that Lime has to grow hot with water, depends much on fome peculiar Textures fince the aqueous parts, that one would think capable of quenching all or moft of the Atomes of Fire that are fuppo- - fed toadhere to Quick-lime, did not near fo much weaken the difpofition of it to Incalefcence, as the acccfli- on of the fpirituous Corpufcles and their Contexture, with thofe of the Lime, increafed that igneous Difpo-. fition. And that there might inter- vene fuch an affociation, feems to me the more probable , not onely becaufe much of the diftill’d Liquor _ wasas phlegmatick, as if it had been robb’d of its more active parts, but becaufe I have fometimes had Spirit of Wine come over with Quick-lime - notin unobferved {teams, but white fumes. Towhich I thal! adde, that, befides that the-Tafte, and perhaps beh) ie 8 Odour ind vee fhe or ha in ‘thole ; above recited , in reg Te that I have found. Quick-limes t differ much, not onely according to the degree of their Calcination,, and to their Recentnefs , but allo, and that efpecially, accordin to thedif — fering natures of the fhones and Or ther bodies calcined, . Which Ob= — fervation. engages me, the more to propofe what hath: ‘been hitberto.des liver'd about Quick; lime, as onely; Narratives and a Coije@ures which — Tnow perceive has.detain’d usfo longs: that I am oblig’d to haften to che re- maining Experiments, and to be. we more faccind i in delivering them... 5. Se ov ES F ~ «ie Se oaamammmer tessa, ee, gf eat and Cot, = 59 . ak dh Rann, re or 3 1] Beare oF EXPER. VI. A Nd it will be convenient to be- f-} gin with an inftance or two of the Production of Heat, wherein there appears not to intervene any thing tn the part of the Agent or Patient but Local Motion, and the natural Effects of it. And as to this fort of Experiments, a little attenti- on and reflection may make fome fa- miliar Phenomenon appofite to our prefent purpofe. When, for ex- ample, a Smith does haftily hammer a Nail or fuch like piece of itron,the hammer'd metal will grow exceeding hot, and yet there appears not any thing to make it fo,fave the forcible | motion of the hammer which im- preffes a vehement and vartoufly de- termin’d agitation of the {mall parts of the Iron; which being a cold body before, by that fuperinduc’d commotion of its {mall parts, be- somes in divers fenfes hots firftin a 4 > more more lax pees ss: of the v -seference to fome other bod refpedt of whom ‘twas cold yefore, _ and then fenfibly hots becaufe this — newly gain’d agitation forpafl S that of the parts of our fin ere. And ino this Inftance ’tis not to — a verlookt,, that oftentimes neither the hammer, dy which, nor the a an- 1 vil, on which a cold piece of Iron 1s forged , (for all iron does not -re- quire precedent i ignition to make it obey the hammer ) continue cold," after the operation is ended 5. which fhews, that the Heat acquir'd by the forged piece of iron was not com- municated by the Hammer or Anvil as Heat, ‘but produc'din it by moti- on, which was great enough to put © fo fmall a body as the piece of iron — into a {trong and confusd motion of © its parts without being able to have © the likeoperation uponfo much grea- — ter maffes of metal, as the Hammer — aud the Anvil ; , though if the percuf fions were often and nimbly renew- ed, and the mck were but a ‘ this =" Stl Ni Bea tips E — = = — si a ome of eat and Gold. ~ 6 this alfo might be heated, (though -_ not fo foonnor fo much as the irons ) by which one may alfo take notices that “tis not neceffary, a body fhould be it felf hot, to be calorific, And now I {peak of ftriking an tron with | a Hammer, I am put in mind of an _ Obfervation that fees to contradict, but does zadeed confirm,our Theory: Namely, that , if a fomewhat large ‘nail be driven by a hammer into a _ plank or piece of wood, ‘it will re- _geive divers ftrokes onthe head be- fore it grow hot; but when tis dri- ven to the head, fo that it can go no further, a. few ftrokes will fuffice to give it a confiderable Heat 5 for _whilft, at every blow. of the ham- ter, the nail enters further and fur- therinto the wood, the motion that | is producdis chiefly progreflive, and as of the whole nail tending.one way 3 whereas, when that motion is ftopt, then the impulfe given by the {troke being unable cither to drive the nail further on, or deftroy its in- tirene(s, muft-be fpent.in making a | Eo Valle aa -yarious vehement and inteftine com- ~ motion of the parts among them- — felves, and in fuch an pose » | e Fi uf merly obferv'd the nature of Heat to confilt. ‘ ‘fe 4 GN cas, ee | i wei Z EXPER. VII. FN the foregoing Experiment the — | brisk agitation of the parts of a — heated iron was made fenfible to the touch; 1 (hall now adde one of the — attempts, that I remember I made to render it difcoverable to the eye it~ felf. In order to this, and that I. might alfo fhew, that not onely a ’ fenfible but an intenfe‘degree of heat _ may be produc’din a piece of cold iron by Local Motion, [ caus’d a bar of that metal to be nimbly ham-— met’d by two or three lufty men ac-_ cuftom’d to manage that Ioftrument3 and thefe ftriking with as much force , and as little intermiflion as they could upon the iron, foon” brought itto that degree of ere that 2: ; 1 “ Siri see of peat and old. = =s—=s«“83 that not onely ‘twas a great deal too hot tobe fafely touched, but proba- bly would, according to my defign, have kindled Gunpowder, if that which I was fain to make ufe of had been of the beft fort: For, to the wonder of the by-ftanders, the iron kindled the Sulphur of many of the grains.of thecornsof powder, and made them turn blue, though I do not well remember, that it made any of them go off. | EXPER. VII. WT) Efides the effects of manifeft and — DP) violent Percuffions, fuch as thofe we have been taking notice of to be made with a hammer, there are among Phénomena obvious enough, | fome that fhew the Produciblenefs of Heat even in cold iron, by caufing aninteftine commotion of its parts: For we find, that, ifa piece of iron of a convenient fhape and bulk be -nimbly filed with a large rough File, a K 3 a 4 DI the aBecbanicat Welgine a confiderable degree of Heat will — be quickly excited in thofe parts of — the iron where the File paffes to — and fro , the many prominent patts of the Infttument giving a multi> tiide of ftrokes or pufhes to the parts of the iron that happen to ftand in © their way, and ‘thereby making them put the neighbouring parts in- to a brisk and. confus’d motion , and fo into aftate of Heat. Norcan it | be well objected, that upon this ac- count the File it felf ought to grow — as hot as the iron, which yet it will © not do; fince, to omit other anfwers, — the whole body of the File being © moved to andfro , the fame patts, — that touch the iron this moment, — pafs off the'next; and befides have ~ leafure to cool themfelves by com- — municating their newly recerved A~ © gitation to the air before they are — brought to grate again upon theiron, — which, being fuppofed to be heldim- thoveable, receives almoft perpetual — hakes inthe fame place. pf beat and Cold. 65 ng) ‘We find alfo,that Attrition, if it be any thing vehement, is wont to pro- duce Heat in the folideft bodies 5 as when the blade of a Knife being nimbly whetted grows prefently hor. And if having taken a brafs Nail, and driven it as far as you canto the end of the ftick, to keep it faft and gain ahandle, you then f{trongly rub the head to and fro againft the floor ora plank of wood, you may quick- ly find it to have acquired a Heat in- tenfe enough to offend , if not burn ones fingers. And I remember, that going once in exceeding hot weather in a Coach, which for certain rea- fons we caus ’d tobe driven very fait, the attrition of the Nave of the Wheel againft the Axel-tree was fo | vehement as oblig dus tolight out of the Coach to feek for water, to cool theover-chafed parts, and ftop the - growing mifchief the exceflive Heat had begun tado. The vulgar Experiment of fhrike- | ing fire with a Flint and Steel fuffici- ently declares, what a heat in a trice Th 4 may may be ead in atoll 1 bold bp Percuffion, or Collifions the later of — which feems but mutual Percuffion. — But Inftances of the fame fort — with the reft mention’d in this Vi a Experiment being obvious enough, | I thall forbear to =e and —" on them. EXPER. IX. — age { he the fake of thofe ere think the Attrition of contiguous _ : air is neceflary to the Produdi- © on of manifeft Heat, I thought a- — mong other things of the follow- — ing Experiment, and made Trial of it. We took fome hard black: Pitch, | and having in a Bafon, Poringer, or fome finch Vefiel , placed it a conve- . nient diitance under water, wecatt on it witha good Burningeglafs the ‘Sun-beams in fuch a manners, that notwithf{tanding the Refraction that — they fuffer'd in the paflage mr a t c Mf bn ene 2 eE eatandsld. = 67 the interpofed water, the Focws fell upon the Pitch, wherein it would produce fometimes bubbles , fome- times fmoak, and. quickly com- aiiindecd a degree of Heat capa- ble to make Pitch melt, if not alfo to boul. ; - EXPER. X. Hough the firft and fecond Ex- -~§ = periments of Setion I. thew, that a confiderable degree of Cold is produc’d by the diffolution of Sai Armoniac in common water; yetby an additament , though bur fingle, the Texture of 1¢ may be fo alter’d, that, inftead of Cold, a notable de- greeof Heat will be produced, if it be diffolved in that Liquor. Forthe manifeftation of which we devis'd the following Experiment. We took Quick+lime, and flake it in Common cold water, that all the igneous or other particles, to _ which its power of heating that Li- | quor quor 18 sfetib’s fie ! tae oe a } . and imbibd, and fo the ¢ Calx f ed, that prreprines ns een oft Sale | | might be wafh’d off. After this, th the 4 thus dulcified Calx, being again well dried, was mingled with an equal © weight of powder’d Sal Armoniac, © and having with a {trong fire melted _ the mafs, the mixture was poured © out; and being afterwards beaten — to powder, having given it a cOm- — petent time to grow. cold, we put — two or three ounces of it into a wide- mouthed Glafs ,.and pouring water — upon it, within about a minute of an hour the mixture grew warm, and quickly attain’d fo intenfe a Hear, that I could not hold the Glafs 1 in my | hand. And though this Heat did — not long laft at the fame height, it continued to be very fenfible for a confiderable time after. ‘ 4 ‘ ax : he + a : / . | of PeatandColy, 69 ‘EXPER. XI. ‘O confirm this Experiment : by a notable variation; we tok finely powder d Sal Armoniac, and filings or {cales of Steel , and _ when they were very diligently mixe ( for that Circumftance ought to be obferv'd) we causa them to be gradually fublim’d in a glafs veffel, giving a fomart fire towards the latter énd. By this Operation fo little of the mixture afcended , that, as we © défired , far the greateft part of the | Sal Araiosiac: {taid at the bottom with the metal; then taking out the “Caput mortuum, I gave it time throughly to‘cool , but in a Glafs well ftope, that it might not imbibe the moifture of the Air , (as it is very apt to do.) And laftly, though the Filings of Steel, as well . as the Sal Armoniac, were bodies actually cold, and fo might be thought likely to increafe, not check, | check, the coldbels wont to be duced in water by chat Sale 5- ‘yet putting the mixture into common — water, there enfued, as we expett- — ed, an intenfe degree of Heat. ‘And I remember, that having fub- — lim’d the forementioned Salt in di- ‘{tin& Veffels, with the Filings of — Steel, and with Filings of Copper, — and for curiofities fake kept one of » the Caput wortuems (for I cannot — certainly call to mind which of the — two it was, ) divers moneths, Cif I =x miftake not, eight or nine, ) we at length took it out of the Veffel, | wherein it had been kept carefully : {topt, and, upon trial, were not de- ceiv’d in having expected , that all that while the difpofition to give cold water a notable degree of Heat was preferved init. * 3 : ¢ * —ae € - aS a es 5 NN oe : is of Heat and Cold, 71 EXPER. XIU. ‘F Experiments were made after ] the above recited manner with Sal Armoniac and other mineral bo- ‘dies than Iron and Copper, ‘tis not improbable, that fome of the emer- ging Phenomena would be found to confirm what has been faid of the Intereft of Texture, ( and fome few other Mechanical Affections) in the Production of Heat and Cold. Which Conjecture is fomewhat favoured by the following Triale Three ounces of Antimony, and an equal weight of Sal Armoniac being diligently _ powder d and mixt, were by degrees of fire fublimed in a Glafs-veffel, by which Operation we obtain‘d three differing Subftances, which we © - eaufed to be feparately powder’d, when they were taken out of the Subliming Glafs, left the air or time fhould make any change in them; — _ and having before put the ball of a ON aa | good good © fell 7 Weather all yr a. while into water , that the Spirit of Wine might be brought to the tem- — per of the external Liquor, we put . On a ‘convenient quantity of the | powder’d Caput mortuum, which a-— mounted to two ounces, and: feemed © to be little other than Antimony, — which accordingly did {carce fenfi- — bly raife the Spirit of Wine in. dg Thermofcope , though that were a tender one. Then laying afide that water, and putting the Inftrument — into frefh, of the fame temper, we put to it a very yellow Sublimate, that alcended higher than the other parts, and feemed to confift of the more fulphureous flowers of the An- timony; with a mixture of the more volatile partsof the Sal Armontac. And this Subftance made the tin@- — ed Spirit in the. Thermofcope de- — {cend very {lowly about a quarter of - an iochs; but when the Inftrument — was put into frefh water of the fame temper, and we had put in fome of — the edge of the lower fort of Subs | limates MER gt si. PSB fimate , which was dark coloured, though both the Antimony and Sal « -Armoniac, it confifted of, had been long expofed to the action of a Sub- liming Heat; yet the water was thereby {peedily and notably cool- éed, infomuch, that the Spirit of Wine in the Weather-glafs haftily defcended , and continued to fink, till by our guefs it had falien not much fhort of three inches. Of ‘thefe Phenomena the Etiology, as fome Moderns call the Theory, which propofesthe Caufes of things, is more eafie to be found by a little confideration , than to be made out in few words. — , _ We made alfo an Experiment like that above’ recited, by fubliming three ounces a piece of Minium and Sal Armoniac; in which Trial we found, that thoughinthe Caput mor- tuum, the Salt had notably wrought upon the Calx of Lead, and was in part aflociated with it, as appear d by the whitenefs of the faid Caput _mortunm, by its {weetith Tafte, and | by by the ese. callah es excee Jed four dean that of all the Minium ). yet a convenient quantity of this pow-— derd mixture being put into water, — wherein the former Weather-glafs q _ had been kept awhile, the tintted — Spirit of Wine was not manifeftly - either raifed or depreft. And when — in another Glafs we profecuted the — Trial with the Sal Armoniac that — had been fublimed from the Adinz- um, it did indeed make the Spirit — of Wine defcend, but {carce a quar- ter fo much as it had been made to fall by the lately mention’d Subli- mate of Sal Armoniac and Anti< — mony. | af eat and Go. = 75 ‘ee kK PER. XII. ‘*—e-\s known that. many learned _ men, befides feveral Chymi- cal Wricers,afcribe the Incalefcences, that are met with in the diflolution of Metals, to a conflict arifing from ‘a certain Antipathy or Hoftility, which they fuppofe bet ween the con- iding bodies, and particularly be- tween the Acid Salt of the one, and the Alcalizate Salt, whether fixt or volatile, of the other. But fince this Dodrine fuppofes a hatred between Inanimate bodies , in which ‘tis hard toconceive, how there can be any true paflions, and does not intelligi- bly declare,by what means their fup- posd Holtility produces Heat 5 ‘tis not likely, that; for thefe and fome other Rreafons, Inquifitive Natura- lifts will eafily acquiefce in it. And on the other fide it may be confi- derd, whether it be not more pro-_ -bable, that Heats, fuddenly produ- ? : EF ced, be every way in great numbers vio- lently {catter'dsor from the fierce and confufed fhocks or juftlings of the 4 Gorputcles of the confli@ing bodies, — or mafles which may be fuppos'd to a = ay ai pt copious diffaio = 10f | the parts of one body through thof e q of another, whereby both are con- ~ fufedly tumbled and put into acalo= — rific motion 5 or from this, that the — parts of the diflolved body come to © have the motions of their parts dif- feringly modified according to their refpective Natures: Or from this, that by the plentiful ingrefs of the © Corpulcles of the one into the al- moft commenfurate parts of the o- ther , the motion of fome etherial — matter that was wont before {wiftly © to permeate the diftinc& bodies, comes to be check’d and difturbed, | —t and forced toeither brandifh or whirl — about the parts ina confus’d man- — ner, tillit have fettled it felf a free paflage through the new mixture, — almo{t as the Light does thorow di- — vers ie vers troubled liquors and vitrified bo- dies, which at length it makes tranf- parent. But without here engaging in a folemn examination of the Hy- pothefis of Alcali and Acidum, and without determining whether any One, or more of the newly men- tion’d Mechanical Caufes; or whe- ther fome other, that I have not yet named, isto be entitled to the effect 5 i¢ will not be impertinent to propofe. divers Inftances of the Production of Heat by the Operation of one A- ‘gent, Oyl of Vitriol, that it may be confider’d whether it be likely, that this fingle Agent fhould upon the fcore of Antipathy , or that of its being an Acid Menftruum, be able to produce anintenfe Heat in many bodies of fo differing natures as are fome of thofe that we fhall have oc- ‘Cafion to name. And now I pro- ceed to the Experiments them- fe Iv es rs ‘ F 2 Take Take fome ounces of ftrong Oy] of Vitriol, and thaking it with three — or four times its weight of common ~ water, thongh both the liquors were — cold when they were put together;: — yet their mixture willin atrice grow — intenfely hot, and continue confi- — derably fo for agoodwhile. -Inthis — cafe it cannot probably be pretend-+ — ed by the Chymifts, that the Heat — arifes from the confli& of the Acid — and Alcalizate Salts abounding inthe — two liquors, fince the common wa- ter is fuppos'd an elementary body ' devoid of all falts 5 and at leaft, be- — ing aninfipid liquor, “twill f{carce be © thought to have Alcali enough to © produce by its Reaction fo intenfe a — Heat. That the Heat emergent up- © on fuch a mixture may be very great, © when the Quantities of the mingled © liquors are confiderably fo, may be t eafily concluded from. one of my Memorials , wherein I find that no more than two ounces of Oyl of i Vitriol being poured (but not all at © once ) into four ounces onely of di- — Of beat and Cold. 79 ftilled Rain-water, made and kept it manifeftly warm fora pretty deal above’ an hour, and during no {mall part of that time , kept it fo hot, ehat ‘twas troublefome to be hand- led. mo EXPER. XIV. "~He former Experiment brings into my mind one that I men- tion without teaching it ia the Hi- ftory of Cold, and it appear’d very furprizing to thofe that knew not the ground of it. For having fometimes merrily proposd to heat cold li- quors with Ice, the undertaking feemd extravagant if not impofli- ble, but waseafily perform’d by ta- king out of a bafon of cold water, wherein divers fragments of Ice were | {wimming, one or two pieces that I perceived were well drenched with the liquor, and immerfing them fud- denly into a wide-mouthd Glafs wherein ftrong Oyl of Vitriol had — eee m3, | heen ‘ rt en eae - = (te ye To: (ee ae eS a Lint . : ‘ ; . eae ; : k Bead Bi : i hha r ’ : a a ¢ a. 4 4 So DMF the Wechanical : ae Bing + aS . ‘been put; for this Menftraum, pre- fently mingling with the water that — adher'dto the ice, produc'd init a brisk heat, and that fometimes — with a manifeft fmoke, which nim- — ‘bly diffolved the contiguous parts | of Ice, and thofe the next, and fo the whole Ice being fpeedily re- duced to water, and the corrofive Menftruum being by two or three fhakes well difperfed through 1, and mingled with it, the whole mix- ture would grow in a trice fo hot, that fometimes the Vial that con- ‘ § ones hand. | ) tain’d it, was notto be endured 10. of beatand@olh, er OU VEXPER, XV. ® TOtwithftanding the vaft diffe- NW rence betwixt common water and high re@tified Spirit of gWine, whereof men generally take the for- mer for the moft coatrary body to fire, and whereof the Chymifts take - _ the later to be but a kind of liquid — _ Sulphur, fince it may prefently be. all reduc’dinto flame 5 yet, as I ex- pected, I found upon trial, that Oyl of Vitriol being mingled with pure Spirit of Wine, would as well grow hot, as with common water. Nor does this Experiment always require - great quantities of the liquors. For when I took but one ounce of firong Oy] of \Vitriol, though I put to it. lefs than half an ounce of choice ~ Spirit of Wine, yet thofe two being lightly thaken together , did in a _ trice conceive fo brisk a Hear, that they almoft fill’d the vial with fumes, and made it fo hot, thar I had una- a 4 wares. wares like ‘to “hee i, my with it before I could: ay é fide. 1 ; Ny) 1 - [made cw, like aa with the | fame Corrofive Menftruum , > # id common Aqua vite bought, at a — Strogg-water-fhop , by the mixture — of which Liquors, Heat was pro- ~ duc’d in the Vial that f could not — well endure. — 4 The like ieee I had i incon 4 periment wherein Oy! of Vitriol — was mixt with common Brandy 3° fave that in this the Heat produced i feem’d not fo intenfe as in the for- — % mer ,Trial , which it felf afforded © not fo fierce a Heat as that which © was made with rectified Spirit of 4 Wine. a0 q \ of peat and@ely, 83 _ EXPER. XVI. “Hofe Chymitts, who conceive - that all the Incalefcencies of bodies upon their being mixt, pro- ceed from their antipathy or hoftili- ty, will not perhaps expe@, that the partsof the fame body, (either nu- merically, or in fpecie, as the Schools phrafe it, ) fhould, and that without | manifeft conflict , arow very hot to- gether. And yet having for trials fake put two ounces of Colcothar fo ftrongly calcind , that it was burnt almoft to blacknefs, 1 into a Retort,we poured upon it two ounces of {trong Oy! of Englifh Vitriol, and found, that after about a minute of an hear they began to grow fo hot , that I | could not. endure to hold my hand tothe bottom of the Veflel, to which the mixture gave a heat, ‘that - continued fenfible on the outfide for between begat and thirty minutes. ama! EF X- ) { K . ' . iy Z Renae ee | 84 Di the ‘ i iat i iis, \ , a , ya on se Perk: PD ay Bi og y ‘a a : ul be RG . EXPER. XVI, % ay ely. vt j if ¥ 4 By gt y ie i Fagus I have not obferv'd a- | ny Liquor to equal Oyl of Vitriol in the number of Liquors” with which it will grow hot 5 yet I have not. met with any Liquor wherewith it cameto a greater In-— calefcence than it frequently enough — did with common Ogi of Tarpen-— tines For when we cauled divers ounces of \each to be well fhaken together ina ftrong veflel, faften'd, to prevent mifchief, to the end of a | pole or ftaff; the Ebullition was great and fierce enough to be not _ undefervedly admired by the Specta- tors. Andthis bringsinto my mind a. pleafant adventure afforded by ~ thefe Liquors, of each of which, having for the Produdion of Heat — and other purpofes, causd a good — bottle full to be put up with other — things into a box, and fent down in- — tothe Countrey witha great se, . | tnat i ve m that care ‘fhould be had of the Glaf- fes ; the Wagon, in which the box © was carried, happend by a great jolt , that had almoft overturnd it, to be fo rudely fhaken , that thefe -Glafies were both broken, and the Liquors, mingling inthe box, made fuch a noife and ftink, and fent forth fuch quantities of fmoke by the vents, which the fumes had open’d to themfelves , that the Paffengers with great outcries and much hafte threw themfelves out of the Wa- gon, for fear of being burnt in it. The Trials we made with Oy] of Turpentine, when ftrong Spirit of Nitre was fubftituted in the ftead of Oy! of Vitriol , belong not to this a. : TEAM Ce , EX. Vo et ig Bh a GLa Va Ae ndeiy : af hie: sy eh : (ONE y S ~ S we y/ . é y a 7 we ‘ \ “ r a) i i ur y wil) et es. wi wf } ¢ : r | be a ’ » pte f " ‘ j . y & y & t 4 . a *, i . / - : : » f tach) , ] ; a “EXPER, XVII ut though ceili pecially when reétified, be, as I have elfewhere noted, a moft fubtile Lid! guor, and the lightett Ihave yet had occafion to try3 yet to fhew you how much the Incalefcence of | Li- quors may depend upon their Tex- ture, I fhall adde, that having mixt by degrees one ounce of redtified | Petroleum, with an equal weight of {trong Oy! of Vitriol, the former Liquor feemed to work upon the Surface of this laft named,almoft like” a Mdenfirvum, upon a metal, innume+ rous and {mall bubbles continually aicending for a while into the Oleum Petre, which had its colour manifeft- ly alter'd and deependby the ope-_ ration of the fpirituous parts, But — by all the adtion and re-adtion of — thefe Liquors, there was produced - no fuch {moaking and boiling, or intenfe heat, as if Oy] of Turpen- | of eat and Cold, 87 tine had been employed inftead of Oy] of Vitriol; the change which was producd as to Qualities being but a kind of Tepidne(s difcoverable by the Touch. | ” Almoft the like fuccefs we had in the Conjunction of Petroleum, and Spirit of Nitre, a more full account whereof may be elfewhere met with. | | Io this and the late Trials I did not care to make ufe of Spirit of Salt, becaufe, at leaft , if it be but ordinarily .ftrong, I found its ope- -yation onthe Liquors above menti- | on’d inconfiderable, (and fometimes perhaps {carce fenfible)in comparifon of thofe of Oyl of Vitriol, and in fome cafes of dephlegm’d Spirit of Nitre. _ E X- cs of the apect EXPER. XIX. ey “ie t a . Xperienced Chymifts will! eafily believe, that *cwere not ‘dif cult to multiply Inftances of Heat producible by Oyl of Vitriol upon folid bodies , efpecially Mineral _ ones. For ’tis known , that in the ufual preparation of Vitriolum Mar-— tis, there is a great effervefcence ex- cited upon the affufion of the Oy] of Vitriol upon Filings of Steel , efpe- ; cially if they be well drench’d in common water. And it will fcaree be doubted, but that, as Oy! of Vi- triol will (at leaft partly) diffolve — a great many both calcin’d and tefta- ceous bodies ; as I have try’d with - Lime, Oyfter-thells, &c. fo it will; during the diffolution, grow fenfi- bly, if not intenfely hot with them, — as I found it te do both with thofe newly named, and others, as Chalk, — Lapis Calansinaedl: &c. with the laft # of which, if the Liquor be cre i¢ will heat exceedingly. Ss E x4 to pew a i mt peat and Con, 89 EXPER. XX; 7 Herefore [ will rather take notice of its Operation up- on Vegetables, as bodies which cor- rofive Menftruums have fcarce been thought fit to diffolve and grow hot with. To omit then Cherries, and divers Fruits abounding in watery juices, with which, perhaps on that very account, Oyl of Vitriol will grow hot; I fhall here take notice, that for trial fake, having mixt a convenient quantity of that Liquor with Raifins of the Sun beaten in: a Mortar , the Raifins grew fo hor, that, if I mifremember not, the Glafs that contain’d it had almoft burnt my hand. Thefe kind of Heats may be alfo produc’d by the mixture of Oy! of Vitriol with divers other Vegetable Subftances3, but, as far asI have ob- ferved, fcarce fo eminently with any. dry body, as with the crumbs of white go DE the Bechanicar Dagine white bread , ( or even of brown) with a little of which we have fome- _ times produced a furprifing degree — of Heat with ftrong or well-de-~ phlegm’d Oy]! of Vitriol, which is — to be fuppos’d to have been ‘eni- ployed in the foregoing Experi-_ ments, and all others mentiond to ~ be made by the help of that Men-~ ftruum in cur Papers about Quali- ties, unlefsit be in any particular cafe otherwife declared. a EXPER. XXL ‘P-eA\Is as little obferved that Cor-~ rofive Menftruums are able to work, as (uch, on the foft parts of. dead Animals, as onthofe of Vege-— tables , and yet I have more than ( once produced a notable Heat by — mixing Oyl of Vitriol with minced fle(th whether roafted or raw. | a of beat and Coin, oF EXPE R. XXII, T Hough common $ea- fale does § iufually impart fome degree, though not an intenfe one, of Cold- nefs unto common water, during the a of Diffolution 5 yet fome Trials have informed me , that if it were caft into a competent quantity of Oyl of Vitriol, there would for the ~ moft part infue an’ Incalefcence, which yet did not appear to fucceed fo regularly, as in moft of the fore- going Experiments. But that Heat | fhould be produc’d ufually, though not perhaps conftantly , by the a- ‘bove-named Menftruum and Salt, feems therefore worthy of our notice, becaufe ‘tis known to Chymifts, that common Salt isone main Ingredient of the few that make up common > factitious Sal Armoniac, that is wont tobe fold inthe Shops. And Thave been inform’d, that the ex- cellent Academians af Floreace have G ob- obferved, that Oyl of Vitriol would not grow hot but cald by being put upon Sal Armoniac: Something like which I took notice of in rectified — Spirit of Sulphur made per Campa- nam, but found the effe& much more — confiderable , when, according to — the Ingenious Florentine Experi-— ment, I madethe Trial with Oy! of - ‘Vitriol; which Liquor having al-— ready furnifhed us with ‘as many Phenomena for our prefent purpoi¢e as could be well expected fram one Agent, I fhall fcarce in this Paper about Heat make any farther ufe of it, but proceed to fome other Expe~ riments, wherein it does not intere vene. i Wo nf Ibeat and Gola, 9 “EXPER. XXII. 4 N fe took a good Jump of com- mon Sulphur of a conveni- ent fhape, and having rub’d or chat’d ‘it well, we found, as we expected, that. by this attrition it grew fen- fibly warm; and, That there was an inteftine agitation , which you know is Local Motion, made by this attrition, did appear not onely by the newly mention’d Heat, whofe Nature confifts in motion, and by the antecedent preflure , which was fit to put the parts into a diforderly Vie bration, but alfo by the fulpbureous fteams, which ‘twas eafie to fmell by - holding the Sulphur to ones nofe, as. foon as it hadbeen rubd. Which Experiment , though it may fcem trivial in it felf, may be worththe confideration af thofe Chymitts, who would derive all the Fire and Heat we meet with in fublunary bo- dies from Sulphur. For in our cafe Ga | a \ 94 vee a mafs of Sulphur , before i its patti] were put into a new and brill n mo- tion, was fenfibly cold, and asfoon as its parts Were put into a greater” agitation than thofe of a mans fin- | gers, it grew fenfibly hot 5 which : argues, that *twas not by its bare prefence , or any emanative action, © Cas the Schools fpeak ) that the Sulphur communicated any Heat to my hands; andalfothat, when "ewas briskly moved , it did imprefs that Quality, was no more than another folid body, though incombuftible as common Glafs, would have done, if its parts had been likewife put into an agitation furpafling that of my” organs of feelings fo that in our Experiment, Sulphur it felf was be- holden, for its actual Heat, to Lo- cal Motion , produced by external agemrs Im its parts. f of eat and Cold. 95 EXPER. XXIV. © XX 7E thought it not amifs totry, | whether when Sal Armoni- ac, that much infrigidates water, and Quick-lime, which is known to heat It) were by the fire exquifitely min- gied, the mixture would impart to the Liquor a moderate or an intenfe degree of either of thofe Qualities. In profecution of which Inquiry we took equal parts of Sal Armoniac and Quick-lime, which we fluxed together, and putting an ounce, by ghefs, of the powder’d mixture into a Vial with a convenient quantity of cold water, we found, that the colli- quated mafs did, in about a minute, firike fo great a heat through the Glafs upon my hand , that I was glad -toremove it haftily for fear of being -fcorched. | G 3 E X- 696) =6DEthe Wechanical Deigine — a EX P E R. XXV. ., HATE have given feveral, “and — \ \ might have given many — more, Inftances of the Incalefcence © of Mixtures, wherein beth the Ingre- — dients were Liquors, or at leaft one © of them was a fluid body. But — — fometimes Heat may alfo be pro-_ duc’d by the mixture of two pow- ders fince it has been obferved in the preparation of the Butter or Oy! of Antimony , that, if a fuffictent quantity of beaten Sublimate be ve-— ry well mingled with powder’d Anti- mony, the mixture, after it has fora competent time (which varies much according to circumftances , as the weather, veflel, place, &c. wherein” the Experiment is made) ftood ia” the air, would fometimes grow ma- nifeftly hot, and now and then fo” iatenfely fo,as to fend forth copious” and fetid fumes almoft as if it ‘would take fire. There is another Expe- i ee ans ee Seige of beat and Cold, 97 _riment made by the help of Anti- mony, and a pulverizd body, wherein the mixture, after it had _been-for divers hours exposd to the air, vifibly afforded us mineral Fumes. And to thefe I could adde More -confiderable, and perhaps {carce credible , laftances of bodies growing hot without Liquors, if Philanthropy did not forbid me. But to return to Our Butter of Antimo- _ ny, it feems not unfit to be enquired, whether there do not unobfervedly intervene an aqueous moifture,. which (capable of relaxing the falts,’ arid fetting them a work) I | therefore fufpected might be attract- ed (as'men commonly {peak ) from ‘the air, fince the mixture of the An- timony and the Sublimate is pre{cri- _ bed to be placed in Cellars3 and in — fuch we find, that Sublimate, or at Teaft the faline part of it, is refolved per deliquinm, Cas they call ir) _ whichis nothing but a folution made _ by the watery fteams wandering in the Air. X 98 Df the Bechanical Dats “EXPER. XXVL r Have formerly deliver’d fome In- a a ftances of the Incalefcence pro- duc'd by water in bodies that are readily diffolv’d init, as Salt of Tar-" tar and Quick-lime. But one would not lightly expect, that meer water — | St Ea fhould produce an Incalefcence in © folid bodies that are generally grant- ed to be infoluble in its and are not wont to be, at leaft without length of time, vifibly wrought on by its god yet trial has affured me, that a — notable Incalefcence may be pro-— duc’d by common water in flower or — fine powder of Sulphur, and Filings of Steel or Iron. ‘For when, 1n- Summer time, I caus’dto be mingled — a good quantity, ( as half a pound or rather a pound of each of the In- — gredients ) and caus’d them'to be throughly drenched with common water, iN a convenient quantity whereof they were very well ftir+ Ly es Sa ee red _ of eat and eld, 99 red up and down, and carefully min- gled, the mixture would in a fhort time, perhaps Iefs than an.hour, grow fo hot, that the Veffel that contain’d it could not be fufierd in ones hand; and the Heat was mani- ~ felted to other Senfes than the Touch, by the ftrong fulphureous {tink that invaded the nofe, and the thick {moak that afcended out of the mixture, efpecially when it was ftirrd with a ftick or fpattle. Whether the fuccefs will be the fame at all times of the year, I do not know, and fomewhat doubt, fince _ Eremember not, that I had occafton to try it in other Seafons than in Summer,orinAutumo. = EX. 4 “Be er ee diot BY PE Ril XXVIiQ . ome BNothe Inftances: that Chymiftry is: wont to afford us of the Heat produc’d :by the action of Menftru< ums upon other bodies, there-inter- venes. fome liquor, properly fo call’d., that wets theihands of thofe that touch its and there ‘are divers of 'the;more judicious Chymifts, that joya with the generality of the Na- turalifts ih denying,that Quickfilver, which isindeed ‘a fluid body , but not .a>moitt and wetting one In re-— ferencéito'us, will produce Heat by’ its immediate aétion on any other body , and particularly on Gold. — 8ut though I was long inclinable to their opinion , yet I cannot now be — of it, feveral Trials having affur’d me, that a Mercury, whether af-— forded by Metals: and Minerals, or impregnated by them, may by its preparation be enabled to — infinuate it felf nimbly into the — | body — wa 1 , Ps} . “ y 7 oo 4 : ; > i a of beat and Cold, 101 body of Gold, whether calcin’d ‘or crude, and become manifeftly - jncalefcent with it in lefS than two or three minutes of an hour. EX PER. XXVIIL ‘Mace we know that fome natural i) Salts, and efpecially Salc-peter, can produce a Coldnefs in the water ‘they are diffolved in, I thoughr it might not be impertient to our en- quiry into Heat and Cold, and might perhaps alfo contribute fomewhat to the difcovery of the StreG@ure of Metals, and the falts that corrode them, if Solutions were made of _fome Saliform’d bodies, as Chymifts call them, that are made up of me- talline and faline parts, and do {fo abound with the latter , that che whole Concretions are on their account diffoluble in common wa- CET OO: Orher — 02 DF the Bechanical Detgine — Other Experiments of this fort — belonging le(s to this place than to another, I fhall here onely for ex: ample {ake take notice of one that _ we made upon Quickfilver , which © is efteem’d the coldeft of Metals. — For having by ciftilling from it four ~ times its weight of Oy! of Vitriol, * reduc’d it to a powder, which on the © account of theadhering Salts of the Menftruum ~that it detaind, was — white and gliftering , we put this powder into a wide-mouth'd Glafs_ of water, wherein a feald Wea- ther-glafs had been left before it be- — gan manifeftly to heat the water, as — appear'd by the quick and confider- — able a(cent of the tintted Spirit of © Wine , that continued to rife upon — putting in more of the Magiftery 5 _ which warm event is the more re- — markable , becaufe of the obferva- 7 tion of Helwont , that the Salt ad- — hering to the Mercury, corroded in — good quantity by Oyl of Vitriol ; | if 3 at ae Pree. 5 4 ~~ Ae = wae ¢. > y a * on >>. ae - ore » + . Be fee ORE ir gs et pF beat-and Cold, 103 if it be wafhed off and coagulated, becomesa kind of Alom. The event of the former Trial deferves the more notice , becaufe having after the fame manner and with the fame Weather-glafs made an Experiment with common wa- ter, and the powder of Vitriolum — Martis , made with Oy! of Vitriol. and the Filings of Steel, the tinéted Spirit of Wine was not at all im- pell’d up as before, but rather, af- ter a while, began to fubfide, and fell, though very flowly , about a _ quarter of an inch. The like Ex- periment being tried with powder‘d | Sublimate in common water, the li- quor inthe Thermofcope was fcarce at all fenfibly either raisd or de- preft , which argued the alteration asto Heat or Cold, to have been either none Or very inconfider- able. | | | Having s “4 “so4 Df the Wechanical Deigine yy DO DO Ip OF i Sas Having given warning at the be- — ginning of this Section, that in it [ aimed rather at offering various than pumerous Experiments about the — Produdtion of Heat, I think what has. been already deliverd may al- low me to take leave of this Sub- ject without mentioning divers In- © {tances that I could eafily adde, but — think it fitter at prefent to omit. — For thofe afforded me by Trials a. - bout Antiperifiafis belong to a Pa- © per on that Subjed@. Thofe that — might be offer’d about Potential Heat in humane bodies, would per- chance be thought but unnecefiary after what has been faitd of Poten= — tial Coldnefs; from which an ate tentive Confiderer may ealily ga- ther, whac according to our Do- érine 1s to be faid of the contrary Quality. And divers Phenomena, which would have been of the moft confiderable I could have menti- oned of the Produdtion of Heat, — fince # me ee = meee Be “ 5 — a on Oe ~* e 5 > SS eS Se — 3 = pert of beat and Cold, = 105 fince in them that Quality is the —moft exalted, I referve for the Title of Combufizblene{s and Inconebuftibi- lity, having already fuffer'd this Col- leG@ion Cor rather Chaos ) of Par- ‘ticulars about the Production of Heat to {well to too great a bulk. EXPERIMENTS; AND > OBSERVATIONS, About the h oT a . By the Te dabhc se ROBERT BOLE Es | pr clow of the oR. ts S0csetys “LONDON; Printed by E. Flefher, for R. Davis _ Bookfeller in oxford. 4’ ft _ wat ‘ 2 wip dif 4 i ~G) EXPERIMENTS, a? AND OBSERVATIONS, | About, the “Mechanic Produétion 4 A S “fe S, “0 indhe out the Mechanical Origine or Produétion of Sa- pors, as far as is neceflary for my prefent purpofe, twill be expedient to premife in general, that, accor- ding to our notion of Tatts; they may depend upon the bignefs, figure and motion of the faporifick corpu- fcles, confidered feparately, and as the affe@ions of fingle and very mi- nute particles of matters or elfe in a ftare of conjunction, as two or more. A 2 of % 4 the Beenie bt of thefe affedtions, and the particles . they belong to, may be combined or — affociated, either among themfelves, — or with other particles, that were “not faporous before. And as thefe — ‘Coalitions and other Aflociations — come to be diverfifieds fo the Tafts, — refulting from them, will be altered . or deftroyed. ' But, to handle thefe diftindly and | fully, were a task not onely too dif- — ficult and long, but improper in this — place, where I pretend to deliver — not Speculations, but matters of Fa: in fetting down whereof neverthelefs, — to avoid too much confufion, I am — content, where I can doe it readily — and conveniently, in fome of my Tri- — als, to couch fuch references as may beft point at thofe Heads, whence the Mechanical explications may be derived, and confequently our Do- Grine confirmed. * By Taft confidered as belonging to the Cbje&, Cunder which Notion I here treatofit,) I mean that quality, — er whatever elfe it be, which: ena- | bles jeoducion of Calis, 5 bles a body by its operation, to pro- duce inus that fenfation, which we feel or perceive when we fay we — Sale. .'* | _. ‘That this fomething, whether you ~ will call ita quality, or whatever elfe it be that makes or denominates an object faporous, or rather Cif I may be allowed a barbarous term) /apo- _ vifick,, may {o depend upon the fhape, fize, motion, and other Mechanical - affeGtions of the {mall parts of the tafted body, and refult from the af- fociation of two or more of them, not excluding their congruity or in- congruity to the organs of Tafting, may be made probable by the fol- lowing Inftances. : Yi pi ried * f ie ra i baal ae iv, 7 ; ) artiaus* & M , " ni ae Mi e Y oy, ill a ae ala By i y ve Sah ty Ok si Te 4 . " 4 ; i \ f Xe d 7 h > i > ®) 2 o * le “a m eve ' i " To divide . a Body, ser Bie into _ two Bodies of very frome: and wery differing Tafis. . oe rls obferved, that Saltcperer | | refined, .and by that purificas — tion freed from the Sea-falt. that is — wont to be mingled with it, does — rather cool the tongue, than make © any great faporifick impreffions on i m | And though I will not fay, that 1t is, _ as{ome have thought, an infipid bo- dys yet the bitterthnefs, which feems to be its proper taft, 1s but very faint and languid. And. yet this almoft | infipid body, being diftilled by the way of Inflammation, (which I elfe- where teach,) or even by thehelp of an sdditamment of fuch clay as is it felf a taltlefs body, will afford a Ni- trous (pirit, chat is extreamly fharp: or sorrofive upon-the tongue, and will diflolve feveral Metals them- | felves, and : a fixt fale, that is like. : wife Be Ne JO2obution of Cals, 7 _ wife very ftrongly tafted, but of a taft altogether different from that of the Spirit, that 1s extreamly (harp or corrofive upon the tongues and ac- cordingly, this falt will diffolve di- vers compact bodies that the other will not work on, and will precipi- _ tate divers metals and other con- -cretes out of thofe folutions, that have been made of them by the Spi- FI. , EXPER. II, Of two Bodies, the one highly Acid and corrofive, and the other Alkalizat and fiery, to produce a Body almoft infipid. a, #7 \His may be performed by the _ way I have elfewhere mentio- _ nedof compofing Salt-peter. For if upon a liquour of fixt Nitre, made per Deliquinm, you warily drop good - Spirit of Nitre, till ic be juft enough to fatiate the Alkaly, Cfor if there | | Aa be 8 \ after they have been, if it be need-" full, freed from any adhering par- ticles, (not of their own nature,) will have upon the tongue neither a fharp. anita | Sng Fete _ ‘be too much or too ooliesle the Ex oe iment may mifcarry,) we may by a gentle evaporation, and fometimes 4 without it, and that in a few minutes, — obtain Cryftals, which, being dried © es Mem nor an alkalizate taft, but that faint . : and {carce fenfible bitternefs that be- — Jongs to Salt-peter, if it be pure Salt- petér 5 for the impuré may perhaps ftrongly relifh of the common Salt — thar is ufually contained in it. | The like production of Salt-peter we have fometimes made in far lefs time, and fometimes indeed ina trice, by fubftituting, | in ftead of the fixed Salt of Nitre, the faline parts of good Pot-afhes, carefully freed by folution and filtration from the seid ‘and feculent ONES: - | I have fometimes pil cm whe- be the Phenomena of thefe ae Ex- periments may not be explicated by fappofi ng them to arife fromthe new — mag- s ae Pz “~ Pwdudion of Watts, 9 mapnitudes and figures of the parti- cles, which the fire, by breaking. them, or forcibly rubbing them one _againftthe other, or alfo againft the Corpufcles of the additament, may _ be prefumed to give them 5 as if, for example, fince we find the larger and beft formed Cryftals of Nitre to be © of a prifmatical fhape with fix fides, we fhould fuppofe the corpufcles of Nitre tobe little prifms, whofe angles and ends are too obtufe or blunt to make vigorous and deep impreflions . onthe tongue; and yet, if thefe lit- tle prifms be by a violent heat fplit, or otherwife broken, or forcibly made as it were to grind one another, _ they may come to have partsfo much | {maller than before, and endowed _ with fuch fharp fides and angles, that, being diflolved and agitated by the {fpittle that ufually moiftens the tongue, their {malnefs may give _ them great accefs to the pores of that _ organ, and the fharpnefs of their fides and points may fit them to ftab and cut, and perhaps fear the nervous c Rests ee and and pinin bail siules on che’ organ of Taft, and that ote to the drand diverfities, as a hape and bulk, of the faporifick part themfelves. And this being ane. | q it feemed further conceivable, that — when the Alkalizate and Acid parti- i cles come to be put together in the © fluid mixture, wherein’ they fwam, many of them might,after a multitude © of various juftlings and occurfions, © meet with one another fo luckily and opportunely, as to recompofe little prifms, or convene into other bodies, — almoft like thofe that made up the Cryftals of Nitre, before twas expo- fedtothefire. To illuftrate which, we may ‘conceive, that, though a prifm of iron may be fo thaped, that it will be wholly unfit to pierce the skin 5 yet it may be fo cut by tranf- verfe planes reaching to the oppofite bafes or ends, as to afford wedges, which, by the fharpnefs of their ed- - ges, may be fit both to cleave wood, and cut the skins and thefe: wedges, being again put together after’a :re- Bones te JO20pudton of Tatts, It “guifite manner, may recompofe a prifm, whofe extreams fhall’ be too blunt to be fit for the former ufe. This may be alfo illuftrated by the breaking of a-dry ftick circularly cut off at the ends, which though it is —unapt, whilft intire and of that bulk, to prick the hand 5 yet if ie be - violently broken, the ragged ends of it andthe fplinters may prove ftiff, | flender, and fharp enough to pierce © and run into the hand : To whichdi- | vers other fuch Mechanical Illuftra- tions might be added. But, fince I fear you think, as well asI, the main conjecture may not be worthy any - farther profecution, I hall not infift any longer on it. And becaufe the hiftorical part of thefe Experiments was for the main delivered by me al- _ ready in the Effay about the Analyfis — and Redintegration of Nitre, I fhall now proceed to other Trials. _ EXPER. "eu 2 - er = = * 4 gis 4 ‘ Y Hi egy at : at oe ah, ask VP : ig ‘ yh 1 ? a e 5 h Y iy ame! a ab Hal f >ngf ae ‘ Pe i ; x any LA HAAS 1s \ ie i 1 ) I I I. na , ; Li ae : G Wii | OR MS a ey EX he Bo fe a eo : anh Ae val WR els, "Rg ee wn “ 4 (ate | Pur ihe oy Ce Mpa “A q Of two Bodies, the one extreamly bitter, — and the other exceeding falt,to make — an infipid mixtures 740 make this Experiment, we — ' ff muft very warily pour upon © Cry {tals made of Silver, diffolved in ~ good Aqua fortis or Spirit of Nitre, — {trong brine made of common falt and water. For the mixture of thefetwo — being dried, and afterwards brought to fufion ina Crucible, and kept a competent while in that ftate, will afforda tough mafs, the Chymifts call Luna Cornea, which you may lick di- — vers times, and fcarce judge it other — than infipid; nor will it eafily be brought to diffolve in much more _ piercing Menftruums than our fpit- tle, as I have elfewhere fhewn. EXPER. Peodudion of Watts, 13 EXPER. of two pedis, the one extreamly Sweet, and the other falter than the firongeft Brine, to make an infipid mixture. HE doing of this requires fome | | skill and much warinefs in the Heese dwventes, who, to perform it - well, rouft take a {trong folution of Minium, made with an appropriated Menftruum, as good Spirit of Vines gar, orelfe "Saccharum Saturni it felf, _ diffolved in a convenient Vehicle; and then maft have great care and | caution to put to it, by degrees, a jaft proportion of ftrong Spirit of Sal Armoniac, or the like Urinous Spirit, till che whole be precipitated; and if the two former tafts are not fufficiently deftroyed in the mixture, it may be dried and fluxed, as was a- _ bove dire&ied about Luna Cormea. \ EXPER: EXPER: ve Of i an inf pid Body and a sas a sig — make“a Subfiance more a bittet than Gall or Aloes. Yee € m “His is ea ily oveiealin by dife | folving in {trong Spirit of Nitre — or good Aqua fortis as much pure — Silver asthe Menftruum will cake ups © for, this folution being filtrated, has — been often efteemed more bitter than fo much Gal} or Wormwood, ot any other of thofe fimples that have | ' been famous for that quality: And . if the fuperfluous moifture be abftra- ced, you may by coagulation obtain Cryftals of Luna, that have been judged more ftrongly bitter than the folution it felf. And that the cor-— pu(cles of thefe Cryftals fhould leave a far more lafting talt of themfelves, than the above-mentioned bitter bo= dies are wont to doe, will not feem fo marvellous, as I remember fome that tried have complaineds if we : ) take {Peodudion of Cats, 15 take notice, how deep the particles of thefe Cryftals may pierce into the {pungy organs of Taft, fince, if one s ; does but touch the pulp or nail of ones finger, Cfirft a little wetted with -f{pittle or otherwife,) with the pow- der of thefe Cryftals, they will fo penetrate the skin or nail, and ftick fo faft there, that you cannot in a reafonable time wath the ftain off of the skin, and much lels off of the nail, but it will continue to appear many hours on the former, and many days on the other. © EXPER. VL ; Of an infipid Body and a highly corrofive - one, to make a Subftance as [weet as ARBSAT & THis is eafily done, by putting upon good Minium purified A- - qua fortis or Spirit of Nitre, and let- ting them work upon one another _ ina gentle heat, till che liquour bave diflol- eo the Wechanical = diffolved its full tCpscvoreall of Fete: q metal. For then, if the ingredients — were good, and the operationrightly - performed, the Menftruum would — have a fweetnefs like that of ordina~ — Be Saccharum Saturni. But “twas. not for nothing that I intimated, the _ ingredients fhould be alfo pure and — good in their kind; for,if the Adininm be adulterated, as often it is, or the Spirit of Nitre ot Aqua fortis be | mingled, as it is ufual before it be purged with Spirit of common Salt or other unfic ingredients, the ope ration may be fucce(slefs, as I have more than once obferved. EXPER. VITe of vbtctateg without addition frombe Sweetest Bodies, Liguours carrots tue énough to i ba Metals | F Sugar be put into a folcienely capacious Retort, and warily di- ftilled, ( for otherwife i it will be apt to ——- Production of Catts, 17 to break the Veffel) ic will afford, among other things, a copious red Spirit, which, being flowly rectified, will lofe its colour, and come over - clears «The. Caput Aortunm of the Sugar, which [have more than once had of an odd Contexture, may be found either almoft or altogether infipid. And though the Spirit will _ be of a very penetrant taft, yet ic will _be very far from any kind of {weet “mefs3 and though that liquour be thought to be homogeneous; and.to — be one of the Principles of the ana- lized Sugar, yet (as I have elfewhere fhewn) I found it to be a mixture of two Spirits; with the one of which, befides bodies of a lefs clofe Texture, I diflolved (even in the cold) crude Copper, as was eafie to be feen by thedeep and lovely co- — Jour of the folution. And to thefe four Spirits, afforded by Sugar it felf, we have reftored a kind of Sac- -charine {weetnefs, by compounding _ them with the particles of fo infipid a body as Miniums;*part of which ES Sore - they but in regard of its aptnefs to fwell — exceedingly, Chymifts are not wont Soh will in raven diffolvesdde | like Spirit to that diftilled from Su- — _ gar may be obtained from Homey3 — ’ Kg to diftill it without Sands Brick, or : fome other additament. EXPER. Vul, 30 divide.a Body, hitter d in the highep | degree, into two Subfiances, the one - extreamly Sew, and the other om fety infipid. His. is eadily done by putting fome fine Cryftals of Luna into a good Retort, and then diftilling them in a Sand-furnace, capable of _ giving them fo ftrogg a fire, as to drive away all the {pirits from the Silver. For, this remaining behind, according to its metalline nature, will be infipid, and the {pirits, that are driven away from it, will unite in the Receiverinto an acid and cor- rofive Menftruum. a) SP JO2oducton of Calis, 19 EXPER. IX. ‘To produce variety of Tafts in one inftpid Body, by affoctating it with divers Menfirunms. 5° A § this operation may, upon the f/f -account I elfewhere mention, _ be ferviceable to inveftigate the fi- gures of the particles of diffolved metals and other bodies; fo ’tis ve- Ty fic co manifeft, what we would _ here have it fhew, how much Taft mdy be diverfified by, and confe- quently depend upon, Texture 5 fince a body that has no taft, may, - in conjunction with fapid bodies, give them {trong tafts all differing from one another, and each of them _ from that which the faporous bodies - hadbefore. I could propofe divers | _ ways of bringing this to trial, there. being feveral infipid bodies, which I _ have found this way diverfifiable. But becaufe I remember not, that f have met with any mineral, that is ‘ . BOE ae nue diffolue Pe AP hy Sk fhe LEN ee ae f TNS ee é Dg = if RE fake 20 ©—-. WE the Werhanital diffoluble by near fo many faline — Menftruumis, as Zinke, Llook onthat as the moft fertile Subject to afford — Inftances to our prefent purpofe- — For I Have found, that it will be ~ diffolved not onely by: Aqua fortis, ~ Aqua Regis, Oil of Vitriol, Spirit of | Nitre, Spirit of Salt, and other mi- neral Menftruums, but alfo by Ve- getable Spirits, as diftilled Vinegars a and by Animal ones too, as Spiritof Sal Armoniac; though theone be ~ Acid, andthe other Urinous. And — if the feveral Solutions,which may be > made of this mineral, by fo many dif= fering liquours , be compared, the — number of their differing tafts will — {uffice to make good the Title of the — Experiment. ont ma 4 EX. \ sPeodudtion of Walle, 21 EXPER. X. To wis variety of T. afi with one Menfiruun, by affociating it with ie pid Bodies. “His Propofition a Mathemati- cian would go near to call the | Converle of the foregoing 5 and as it may ferve as well as that to difcover the ftru@ure of the minute parts of divers metalline and mineral bodies 5 - fo it may not onely as well, but bet- ter than that, ferve us to illuftrate the Corpucularian Doétrine of Tafts, _ by thewing us, that a fingle, and, as far as Chymiftry teaches us, a fimple body, endowed with a peculiar taft, may, by being compounded with others, each of them infipid of it felf, produce a confiderable number of differing tafts. ‘There may be more _Inftruments than one made ufe of in this Trial; but of thofe that are known, and we may eafily obtain, the moft proper are Spirit of Nitre, | B32 and 44 it: LS, * ¥ ‘iB 7 :* 22 «=o ithe Werbanicsy and good Aqua fortis : For that, — with refined: Silver, will make aSo- ~ lution bitter as Gall} with Lead, — "twill be of a Saccharine fweetnefSs with that part of Ti#, which it will — keep diflolved, (for the greateft.‘tis — wont but to corrode and precipitate) it produces a taft very diltant from — both the former, but not odious 5. ~ with Copper, it affords an abominable ; —tafts with Mercury and Irom, it af- — fords other kinds of bad Tafts. Nor — are Metals the onely mineral bodies it will work upon: For, ’twill diffolve Tin-glafs,Antimony,Bra{s5 to which — I could add Emery, Zinke, and other | bodies whereon I have tried it. All . which together will make up no de __ fpicable number of differing Tafts, _ Peoducion of Calis. 23 EXPER. XL. Of two Liquours, the one highly core ' pofive, and the other very pungent and not pleafant, to compofe a Body of apleafant and Aromatich Taft. 4-g-\His Experiment, which I elfe- _ §L. where mention to other purpo- fes, does in fome regards better {uit - our prefent defign, thanmoft of the foregoing 5 fince here the Corrofive Menftruum is neither mortified by _ fixt nor urinous Salts, fuppofed to be of a contrary nature to it} oor yet, as twere, tired out nor difarm’d by corroding of metals or other {olid bodies.. The Experiment being fome- what dangerous to make at firft in great, 1¢ may fuffice for our prefent turn, to make it inthe lefs quantity, as follows. | | | Take one ounce of {trong Spirit of _ Nitre, or of very good Aqua fortis it {elf, and put to it by little and little, — Qwhich caution if you neglect, you s J ere i may foon repehe a id another © ounce of fuch. reétified’ ‘Spitit of ' Wine, as, being kindled in a Spoon, j -will flameallaway : When thefeitwo liquours are well mixt, and grown q cold again, you may, after fome di- — geftion, or, if haft require, without — it, diftill them totally over together, — to unite them exquifitly into one li- — quour, in which, if the operation — have been well performed, the cor- — rofive particles of the Salts will not — onely loofe all their cutting acidity, wherewith they wounded the palat5 but by their new compofition with — the Vinous Spirits, the liquour ac- _ quires a Vinous taft, that Is not one> — ly not acid or offenfi ive, but very. pleafing, as if it belonged to fome new or unknown Spice. ‘Pududion of Tatts, 95 ‘EXPER. XIL i r x 0 saaiilii by Art, and fometines even in Minerals, the peculiar Tafts of natural Bodies, and even Vegetables. 5 His j is not a fit place to declare; -@ in what fenfe { do or do not admit of Souls in Vegetables, nor ‘what I allow or deny to the Seminal or Plaftick principle afcribed to Plants: But perhaps it will not be er- -roneous to conceive, that, whatever be the Agent in reference to thafe Tafts, that ‘are faid to be fpecifick to this or that Plant, that, on whofe immediate account it is or becomes of this or that nature, is a complication of Mechanical Affeéi- ons, as fhape, fize, @c. in the par- ticles of that matter which is faid to rep with fuch: a fpecifick ta No! - To illuftrate this, I thought i it ex- | aladietit. to endeavour to imitate the we of fome Natural bodies by Artifi- - cial | 7 ‘cial Compolititiie « or ° Deepa ions, but found) it not eafie, beforehand 3 to be affured of the fuccefs of fuch Trials :. And therefore I hall content 1 my felf here to mention three or four. Inftances, that, except the firft, are’ rather Obfervations than fach Ex-— periments as we are {peaking of.) \ I remember then, that, making 7 fome Trials to alter the fenfible Qua- a ities of Smell, Taft, &c. of Oil of © Vitriol, and Spirit of Wine, I obtai- ned from them, among other things - that fuited with my defign,.a certain © Liquour,. which, though at firft plea-_ fant, would, at a certain nick of time, make one that had it in his mouth | | — it had been imbued-with Gar- | lic : And this brings into my mind, chat. a skilful perfon, famous for making. good Sider, coming one day to ad= vife with me, what he fhould doe to heighten the taft of it, and make it keep the longer, complained to me, that having, among other trials, put into a good Veffel full of juice of | Appice -- Paoducion of Catts, 27 Apples a certain proportion of Mu- ftard-feed, with hopes it would make the Sider more {pirituous and pick- ant, he found, to his wonder and lofs, that, when he came to draw it, it {tank of Garlick forank, that eve- ry body rejected it. | I remember alfo,that,by fermenting a certain proportion (for that we found requifite) of feasex Dauci with Beer or Ale, the Liquour hada very pleafant Relifh of Limon-pills. But that feems much more confi- derable,whichI fhall now add 5 That, with an infipid Metal and a very cor- rofive’ Menftruum, one may. com- pound a taft, that I have feveral times obferved to be folike a Vege- table, that I prefume it may deceive many. This may be done by diffol- ving Gold, without any grofs Salt, Inthe mixture of Aqua fortis and thé | ‘Spirit of Sale, or even in common A- qua Kegis,made by diffolving Sal Ar- moniac in Aqua fortis. For if the Experiment be happily made, one may obtain either a Solution or a ea ee Salt, “Salt, wna auftere ‘taft wills! very much refemble that of Sloes, or of © unripe Bullace. _ And this taft, with © - fome little variety, I found in Gold — — diffolved without any diftilled Li- quour at alls and alfo, if1 much for- © ‘get not, in Gold that by a peculiar — Menftruum Ihad volatilized. The laft Inftance I fhall give of © the imitation of Tafts, I found to — have been, for the main, known to - fome ingenious Ladies. But to make — the Experiment fucceed very well, — a due proportion ts the principal Cir- h cumftance, which 1s wont to be neg- — lected. I cannot readily call to mind. that which I found to fucceed*beft; ~ but the Trial may be indifferently © well made after faghy a manner as this : | Take a pint or a ‘ocuni of Malaga | Or Canary Sack , (for though Freach © and the like Wines may ferve the turn, yet they are not fo propers) — and put into it a drachm. or two of good odoriferous Orrice Roots, cut into thin f{lices, and Jet them infufe - so in Pronucior of Tatts, 29 in the Liquour a.convenient time, — till you perceive that they have gi- - -venit adefired taft and {mells then _ keep the thus perfumed Wine exac- ly ftopped in a cool place:According — to which way, I remember, that (when I hit on the right proportion of Ingredients, and kept them a due time in infufion) I had many years ago a Wine, which, being coloured with Cocheneele, or {ome fuch tingeing - ingredient, was taken for good Raf- berry-Wine, not onely by ordinary perfons, but, among others, by a _ couple of eminent Phyficians, one of _ whom pretended to an extraordinary criticalnefs of palate on fuch occa- fions; both of them wondering,how » at fuch an unlikely time of the year, as I chofe to prefent them that Li- quour among others, I could have ~ fuch excellent Rasberry-W ine: Some of which (to add that by the by) I_ found to preferve the fpecifick taft two or three years after it was made. A a Se 4 ; i NW, 8 biy 2 + Ne elie igh Wee a t - MAL a J yy ap j ie tS Wee cane Oye 7* . > ¥ 4 - rl itis ‘ a ‘ a , \ : , ~ \ i 5 wy 4 st 4 * f y ' “ - q . 7 in i : ort 7 ae | te ey : , he : nate ™ a , ee ee ‘ ea oy ee ¢ + om ' _ i 3 j S eM “s i : . ' . a 2 ~ % - ‘ on), 0s wy hae — etre % ; we ei ¢ pes 4 i my’ if, 3 : y qua Regis has an odour that is very {trong and offenfive, 1 think will be” eafily granted. But yet Aura ful- minans being made Cas’*tis known) - by precipitating with the inodorous Oil of Tartar the Solution made of the former in the latter, and this Precipitate being to be farther pro- ceeded with in order to another Ex- periment § we fulminated it per fe in a Silver Vefiel like that, but bet- Tt | i be oe ene Poodudion of Dpours, 19 ter contrived, thatis (if I mifremem- ber not ) fomewhere defcribed by Glauberus. And among other Pha- nomena of this operation, that belong not to this place, we obferved with pleafure, that, when the fulmination was recently made, the fteams, which were afforded by the metal that had been fired, were endowed with ade- lightful (mell,not unlike that of musk. From which Experiment and the foregoing we may learn, that Art, by lucky Contextures, may imitate the odours that are prefumed to be natural and fpecifick 3 and that Mi- neral and Vegetable Subf{tances may compound a {mell that is thought to be peculiar to Animals. ’ And as Art fometimes imitates Na- ture in the production of Odours, as may be confirmed by what is above related concerning counterfeit Ras- berry-Wine , wherein thofe that drank it bee ,, 5 in he hheved they did riot onely nil xi. taft, but fmell the Ras- berry 3 3 fo fometimes Nature feems \B 2, to ao IE tbe ye Wechanit | io ‘ toimitate her felf, in giving veo dours ‘to bodies extreamly differing. — For, not yet to difmifs the imal of Musk, there is a certain Seed, which, — for ‘the affinity of its odour to that perfume,they call the Adush-feed3 and indeed, having fome of it prefented me by a Gentleman, that ha ny ae brought it from the Weft- Indies , found its whilft ‘twas freth, to ie a fragrancy fuitable to the name that wasgivenit. There is alfo a fort of © Rats in) dufcovys whofe skins , whereof Ihave feen feveral, have a {mel! that has procuredthem thename — of Atask-Rats. Yo which I know not, whether we’may not add'the mention of a certain fort of Ducks, which fome call Afusk: Dicks, becaufe at a certain feafonoftheyear, if they be chaf’d:by violent motion, they will under the wing emit a musky in {tead of a fweaty fents which upon trial I perceived to be'true. On'the other fice, | have known a certain — Wocd growing in the Indies, which, — efpecially when the fent is excited by | | rub- | jOeoducdton of Doours, 21 rubbing, ftinks fo rankly and fo like Paracel(us’s Zibetume Occidentale , ( flercus Humanun, ) that one would {wear it were held under his Nofe. And fince I have been fpeaking of good fents produced by unlikely means, phfhall not pretermit this Ob- fervation, that, though generally the fire imprefles a {trong offenfive fmell, which Chymifts therefore call Evx- pyreumatical, upon the odorous bo- dies that it works ftrongly on5 yet the conftitution of a body may be fuch, that the new Contexture that is made of its parts, even by the vi- olence of the fire, fhall be fit to af- ford Effluviums rather agreeable to the organs of {melling,than any way offenfive. For I remember, that, ha- ving for a certain purpofe diftilled Saccharum Saturniina Retort witha {trong fire, I thew obtained, (for I dare not undertake for the like fuc- — cefs toevery Experimenter,) befides a piercing and Empyreumatical Li- quour that was driven over into the Receiver, a good Lump of a Capxt B 3 Mor- ~~ Mortuum of a grayifh colour, which, — notwithftanding the {trong impreffi< — on it had received fromthe fire, was — fo far from having any Empyreuma- — tical fent, that it hada pleafing one, — and when ’twas broken, {mele almoft. — like a fine Cake new baked,jand bro- — ken whilft yet warm. And a the fire, notwithftanding the Empyresma it is wont to give to almoftall the bodies it burns, may yet be reduced — to confer a good {mell on fome of them, if they be fitted upon fuch a contexture of their parts to emit {teams of fuch a nature, ( whatever were the efficient caufe of fuch a con- texture ;) fo we obferve in the Aish animal, that Nature in that Cat, or. rather Deer, (though it properly be- long to neither kind, ) produces Musk by fuch a change, as is wont in other Animals to produce a putrefactive ftink. So that, provided a due con- {titution of parts be introduced into. a portion of matter, 1t may on that: account be endowed with noble and. defirable Sents, or other Qualities, | though Peodudion of Opours, 23 though that Conftitution were intro- duced by fuch unlikely means, as Combuttion and Putrefaction them- felves. In Confirmation of which, I thall fabjoyn in the infuing account _anotable, though cafual, Phenome- ‘mon, that occurr'd to a couple of Viriuoffof my Acquaintance, _ An eminent Profeffor of Mathe- maticks affirmed to me, that, chan- cing one day in the heat of Summer with another Mathematician (who I remember was prefent when this was told) to pafs by a large Dunghil that was then in Lincoluselnn-fields, when they came toa certain diftance from it, they were both of them furprized to meet with a very {trong fmell of Musk, Coccafioned, probably, by a certain degree or a peculiar kind of Putrefaction,) which each was for a while thy of taking notice of, for fear his Companion fhould have laughed at him for its but, when they came much nearer the Dunghill, that pleafing fmell was fucceeded by a {tink proper to fuch a heap of Ex- | B4 crements, 14 + MEE Bem pascal crements. ’ This puts me‘ti in mind of adding, that, though beesQeaey gh of Animals, and particularly their’ {weat, are ufually- foctid 5 yet, that! . tis not the nature of antexcrement! — but the conftitutions, that: ufually — belong to them, makethem lo, hath — icemed: probable ‘to me" ‘upon fome | Obfervations.. For, notto mention, what is related’ of Alexander the Great, I‘knew a Gentleman of a very happy’ Temperature of body, whofe {weat, upon a critical exami- nation, whéreia I made-ufe alfo ofa furprize, I found to be fragrant’5 which was confirmed alfo by fome Eearned men of my acquaintance, and particularly a Phyfician that lay | with him. Though Civet ufually pafles Fas a. Perfume, and as fuch is wont to be bought at a great rates yet it feemsto. be but a clammy excrement of the A- ‘nimal that affords it, which is fecreted into Bags provided by Nature to receive it. And I the rather men- tion Civet, becaufe it ufually affords a Phe- {Peodudion of Dootits, 25° 4 Phenomenon that agrees very well with the Mechanical: Doétrine con- — cérning Odours, though it do not de- monftraté it. For, when Ihave had’ the curiofity to vifie divers of thofe omg they call them )though they have heads liker Foxes than Cats’; I obferved, that a certain de- _gree'of Laxity Cif I'may fo ftyle it) of ‘the“odorous’‘Atmofphere was _ ¥Yequifite to ‘make the fmell fragrant. For, when I was near the Cages, where many of them were kept tg- gether, or any great Vefiel fullgos Civet, the fmiell ( probably by plenty, and perhaps the over-bri motion of the effiuvia,) was rathety rank and offenfive than agree&ble 5 whereas, when I removed into the next room, or to fome other conve- nient diftance, the fteams (being lefs crowded,and farther from their foun- tain,) prefented themfelves to my Noftrills under the notion of'a Per- fume. BO) 3 be ‘ And,not to difmifs this ourEleventh Experiment without touching once maT. more at 26- or the Beeb Newhee more upon Musk, I fhall.add, that an. Ingenious Lady, to whom! rar . _ ly related,fhewed me an.odd 44 ., that had been prefented her as a ta-, ; sity by the then Admiral.of England, Pe and told me, among other things,that: _ fhe bad obfervedin it,that,being fick, | he would feek for Spiders as his pro-: per remedies, for fome. of which he. — then feemed to be looking, and. i e ereby gave her occafion to tell me. “4 thiss; which when he had eaten, the alteration it made in him. would _ f@inetimes fill the room witha musk : But he had not the good ina | Right on Any whilft my vilit scene EXPER, XiL To heighten good {mells 4 Compal 420%. “IS well known to Perfumers, | and is eafie to be obferved, — that Amber-greece alone, though e- — {teemed the pat and sicheft aot : that — — a: ' rovucion of Doours, 27 that 1s yet known in the world, has * but avery faint and {carce a pleafant fent. And I remember, that I have feen fome hundreds of ounces toge- ther newly brought from the Eaft- Indies; but if I had not been before acquainted with the {mell of Amber- greece alone, and had had onely the vulgar conceit of it, that ‘tis the beft and ftrongeft of perfumes, my Noftrills would fcarce have made me fufpedct thofe lumps to have been any thing a-kin to Amber-greece. But if a due proportion of Musk, or even Civet, be dexteroufly mixt with Am- ber, the latent fragrancy , though it be thereby fomewhat compounded, _ will quickly be called forth, and ex- ceedingly heightned. And indeed tis not, as ‘tis commonly prefumed, the plenty of the richeft Ingredients, as Amber-greece and Musk, but the juft proportion and skilful mixture » of them, that makes the nobleft and moft lafting perfume , of which I have had fufficient experiences fo thae with a far lefs quantity of ijn | an Se 28 «= ME the Pechanical and Amber, than ‘not onely ordinary _ perfons, but Perfumers themfelves’ * are wont to imploy, we have hadfe- veral Perfumes, that for fragrancy - were much preferred to thofe where. ‘Musk and Amber-greece are fo plen=_ tifully imployed. The proportions. and ways of mixture we beft.appro-. ‘ved of, would be too long, and are not neceflary, to be here fet down; but you will not much errein making ufe of fuch a proportion asthis, viz. _ eight parts of Amber-greece, two of — Musk. and one. of Civet : which 4 Lan iM 2 a .s , i &e j " d a Qe ne te ee ee quantities of Ingredients if they be _ skilfully and. exatly mingled, you ~ will not mifs of.a good Compofition, _ with which you may innoble other materials, as Benzoin, Storax, {weet Flowers, &c. fit to make Paftills, Ointments for Leather, Poman- — der, &c. And we may here add, ~ that, upon the {core of thenew Tex-) _ ture acquired by Compofition; fome things, that are not fragrant them- felves, may yet much heighten the fragrancy of Odoriferous ree An {ezoduction of Doors, 29 And of liquid perfumes I’ remember, ‘twas the fecret of fome Court-La- dies, noted for Curiofity about per- fumes, to mingle always a due pro- portion of Wine-vinegar, with the - odoriferous. Ingredients. And on this occafion, to fhew; the power of mixtures in improving Odours, I fhall add fomething about a Liquour of mine, that has had the good fortune to be very favourably {poken of by perfons of Quality ,accuftomed to choice Perfumes, |. This Liquour; though thought an elaborate prepa- ration,: as well for another reafon, as - to recommend it to fome, whofe Critical, palates can taft the very titlesof things, I called: it E/fence of Musk , is indeed a very plain fimple preparation, which I thus make. LT take,an arbitrary Quantity of choice Musk without finely powde- | ‘Ting it, and pour upon it about a finger’s breadth of pure Spirit of Wines thefe in a Glafs clofely ftope I {et in a quiet place to digeft, with- out the help of any Furnace, and after cording as ‘Circumftances 4 ‘ pe ee N° See Ne a , \ . hoa Oh wer ae : ® % pen Bg Ey ve ae ae Cae Y . | + stot hoa Bah ity ’ Oe! 4 . : ait mea A , ER i, isi GY ‘ j wnIrae . ; i) ' be i, ‘ BEGSeae.e® th: Wor ta \ b = ‘ » le | ‘ X iA ¥ after fome days,or a few wee _determi- — ned,) the Spirit, which is fome- — what odd, will in thecold have made — a folution of the fineft parts of the — Musk, and will be thereby much — tinged, but not of a red colour. © This Liquour being decanted, I ~ keep by it felf as the richeft of alls — and pour a like quantity of Spirit © on the remaining Musk, which u- © -fually will in the cold, though more — lowly, draw a tincture, but fainter ~ than the former, which being pous — red off, the remaining Musk may be — imployed for inferiour ufes. Now that which made me mentionthis Pre- — paration as pertinent to our prefent Subject, is this’ Phenomenon of it, © that the firft effence, or rather tin- &ure, being fmelt to by it felf, has but a faint, and not very pleafing, o- dour of Musk, fo that every body | would not difcover that there was Musk in its but if a fiogle drop, or two.drops at moft, were mixt:with a pint,or perhaps a quart,of good — the a " _ = ~ Z 4 > Paodudion of Dpours, 3x the whole body of the Wine would prefently acquire a confiderably mu- sky fent, and be fo richly perfumed both as to taft and {mell, as feemed {trange enough to thofe that knew the vaft difproportion of the Ingre- dients.. i | FINTS. ' na 4 ’ ~ [ 4 ! ; ' ‘ ‘ eae x ) . . ' a s : - . 5 Mat. ecient EELS ELBA. OLD - Bor oF Orac)s i we ‘ m : » 1 ~ ~ ie \ \ ~ v ty . * ’ . . 4 \ + 8 MANY wae ee ee Le 7 . 7 ? : , . a = ‘ nes : te , ‘ @ y =, de \ > he \ Be. % ' == ~ { a bt) “ ™ i ) } . < . >, 7 ¥ ou * °. f i if ‘ ; . - mh ¢ Ate " 3 . - s ,. ’ ‘ 4 = > 2 P ‘ 6, a * : A cs ae F , fs 4. | OF THE IMPERFECTION OF THE Chymift S 4 DOCTRINE QUALITIES. ROBERT BOYLE EXq; ? Fellow of the R, S octety. LONDON, Printed by £. Flefber, ws R. Davis Bookfeller i in Oxford. eet 3) | OF THE gee ate Ait ON OF The Chymitt s Doctrine OF QUALITIES Aa the be” he Vince a great part of thofe Lear- ned Men; efpecially Phyficians, : who have difcerned the defects of the vulgar Philofophy , but are not yet come to underftand and re- lith the Corpufcularia#, have {lid into the Doétrine of the Chymifts; and fince the Spagyrifts are wont to pre- tendto make out all the Qualities of bodies from the Predominancy of fome one of their three Hypoftatical ~ 4 a 5 tae Prine \ ' POM we ae Mae Ce Se my opinion from appearing too | ore- fumptuous, and (which is far more confiderable) may make way forthe fairer Reception of the Atechanical — Hypothefis about Qualities, if [here _ intimate (though but briefly and in _ general) fome of thofé defects, that — I have obferved in Chy mifts Explica- tions of Qualities. a call ~~ And I might begin with taking no- : tice of the Obfcurity of thofe Prin- ciples, which is no {mall defe@t in Notions whofe proper officeit fhould - be to conduce to the illuftration of | others. For, how can that facilitate’ the underftanding of an obfcuré Quality. or Phenomenon which is ic felf {carcely intelligible, or at leaft needs almoft as much explanation as _ the thing “tis defigned & pretended to explicate? Now aman need not be very cenverfant in the writings. . of Chymiftsto obferve, in how Laxe, | Indefinite, and almoft ArbitrarySen- fes they employ the Terms of Salt, Salpber aud Agercury 3 of which’T ‘ could. Dortine of Dualities, 5 _ could never find that they were a- _ greed upon any certain Definitions - or fetled Notions; not onely diffe- ring Authors, but not unfrequently one and the fame, and perhaps ia the fame Brook, employing them in ve- ry diffesing fenfes. But I will not give the Chymifts any rife to pretend, that the chief faule that I find with their 3 Hy pothefi s is but verbal; though that it felf may not a little blemifh any Hypothefis, one.of the firft of whofe Requifites ought to be Clear. nefs3 and therefore I fhall now ad- vance and take notice of defe@s that. are manifeftly of another kind. And firft the Doétrine that all cheiz Theory is grounded on, feems to me | Inevident and undemonftrated , not to fay precarious. It is fomewhat {trange to me, that neither the Spa- gyrifts themfelves, nor yet their Ad- verfaries, fhould have taken notice, that Chymifts have rather fuppofed _ than evinced, that the Analyfis of bo-- _ dies by fire, or even that at leaft fome Analyfis is the onely infirument of in- fd veltiga« 4 on} as it may appear,that Vitriol con- fifts of metalline parts (whether Mar- — tial, or Venereal, or both) .affocia- ted by Coagulation with acid ones, one may, I fay, difcover this as well by making true Vitriol with Spirit (improperly called Oil) of Sulphur, or that of Salt,as by diftilling or Re- folving Vitriol by the fire. - veltigating hed indi odie ie a _ dies are made up of, fince in divers cafes That may be difcovered by Compofition as well as by Refoluti- But I will not here enlarge on die: 3 fubje&, nor yet will I trouble you with what I have largely difcourfed in the Sceptical Chymift, to call in ques {tion the grounds on which Chymifts _ affert, that all mixt bodies are com- pounded of Salt, Sulphur, and Ader- cury. For it may fullice me now.to — tell you, that, whatfoever they may be able to obtain. from other bodies, it does not appear by Experience, which is the grand, if not the onely, Argument they rely on, that all mixt bodies that have —— confift of — \their - Wornrrine of Dualities, 7 their tria prima, fince they have not been able, that we know, truly, and without new Compofitions , to re- folve into thofe three, either Gold, or - Silver, or Cryftal, or Venetian Talck , or fome other bodies, that I elfewhere name; & yet thefe bodies are en- dowed with divers Qualities, as the two former with Fuofiblenefs and — Malleability, and all of them with Weight and Fixity; fo that in thefe _and the like bodies, whence Chymifts have not made it yet appear, that their Salt, Sulphur and Mercury, can be truly and adequately feparated, *ewill {carce be other than precarious, to derive the malleablenefs, colour, and other Qualities of fuch bodies _ fromthofe Principles. 7 ~~ Under this Head I confider alfo, that a great part of the Chymical Doctrine of Qualities 1s bottom’d on, or fuppofes, befides their newly que- {tioned Analyfis by fire, fome other things, which, as far asl know, have not yet been well proved, andIque- — _ &tion whether they ever will be. ee: AS One “ 8 q Amperfectio n of the Chymif: One of their main Suppof tions is) that this or. that Quality maa lave its wedry Sedudy, as Sennertws, the Learnedit Champion of this opinion, ~ - calls it, or fome particular material Principle , to, the participation. of — which, as of the primary native and — genuine (ubjeé, all other bodies muft — owe it: But upon this point having purpofely difcourfed elfewhere, 1 fhall now onely obferve, that, not to | mention Local motion and Figure, I think ‘twill be hard to thew, what is the meaty denlexev. Of Gravity, Vola- tility) Heat, Sonoroufne(s, Tranfpa- rency and Opacity, which are Qua- - lities to be. indifferently met within — bodies whether fimple or mixt.. And whereas the Spagyrifts are wont to argue, that, becaufe this or that Quality is not to ‘be derived truly. . from this or that particular Principle; — as Salt, for inftance, and Adercurys therefore it muft needs be derivable - from the third, as Sulphur. Thisway of arguing involves a farther Sup- pofition than that. newly cxacplaeos Or > -Dottrine of Qualities, 9 For it implies, that every Quality in a compounded body muft arife from — fome one of the tria prima, whereas ~ experience affures us, that bodies may, by Compofition, obtain Quali- ties, that were not to be found in any of the feparate Ingredients. As we _ fee in painting, that though blew and yellow be neither of them green, yet _ their mixture will be fo. And though no fingle Sound will make an o¢tave or diapafon; yet two founds, whofe proportion 1s double, will have an eighth. And Finn and Copper mel- ted and mingled together in a due proportion, will make a bell-metal far - more fonorous than either of them was before. “Tis cbvious enough for Chymifts themfelves to obferve, that, though Lead be an infipid body, and Spirit of Vinegar a very fharp one, yet Saccharum Saturni, that is - compounded out of thefe two, has a fweetnefs that makes it not ill de- ferve its name. But this ill-grounded Suppofition of the Chymifts, is extended farther in In an ofial Topic ie retell according to which they conclude, That tk not how many Qualities, as ‘well mas 1 -nifeft as occult, muft be explicated — _ by their tréa prima, becaufe they are not explicable by the four elements of the Peripateticks. To make which - argumentation valid, it muft be pro- ved, C which I fear it will never be) that there are no other: wayes, by which thofe Qualities may be expli- cated, but by a determinate number of Material Principles, whetherfour ~ or three: Befidesthat, tillthey have © fhewn that fach Qualities may be in-. telligibly explicated by their Prin= ciples, the objection will lye as ftrong for the Ariffotelians againft them, as for them vr the me ee oa 3 CHAP: IL. Ext I confider, that there are divers Qualities even in mixt — bodies, wherein it does not appear, — that the ule of the Chymical Do@rine ere is Dortvine of Mualities, x1 is Neceffary, As, for inftance, when pure Gold is by Heat onely brought | to fufion, and confequently to the {tate of fluidity, and upon the remif- fion of that heat, grows a folid and -confiftent body again, what addition or expulfion or change of any of the tria prima does appear to be the caufe . of this change of confiftence? Which is eafie to be accounted for according tothe Acechanical way, by the vehe- ment agitation that the fire makes of ‘the minute parts of the Gold to bring itto fufion; andthe cohefion of thofe ' parts, by vertue of their gravity and fitnefs to adhere to one another, when that agitation ceafes. When Venice Glafs is meerly by being bea- ten to pouder deprived of its Tranf- parency and turned into a body opa- - cous and white, what need or ufe of the tria prima have we in the expili- cation of this Phenomenon? Or of that other which occurs, when by barely melting down this white and opacous body it is deprived of its @pacity and colour, and -becomes j diapha- dinphasote And of thisforte ftances you will*meet witth divers in — the following/Notes about: particular — Qualities 5 for which reafon I fhall © roe — ‘mention 1 of them here: 4 CHAP. ITE Obferve too, that the Spagyricat Doétrine of Qualities is Infuffici- ext and too narrow to reach to all — the Phenomena or even to all the — notable ones, that ought to be ex- | plicable by them. And this Infuffici- * ency I find to be two-fold for; firft, there are divers Qualities, of which ‘ Chymitts will not fo much as attempt to give us explications, and of other — particular. Qualities the explications, — fuch as they are,that they give us, _ ‘are often very deficient and unfatis- — factory 5 and do not fometimes fo © much as take fiotice of divers confi- derable Phenomena that belong to. — _the Qualities whereof they pretend: to give an accquat 3” of which ed ~ wil we a 7 — Dodrine of Dualities, _ 13 will meet with divers Inftances in the -infuing Notes.. Andtherefore I fhalk onely, (to’declare my meaning the better,) invite you to: obferve with me, that though Gold be the body they affect to. be ‘moft converfant withs yet it-will be very hardto thew, how the {pecific weight-of Gold can be deduced from any orall of the three Principles, fince Mercury it elf, that is of bodies, known to us, the heavieft next to Gold, is fo much lighter ‘than’Gold, that, whereas I have ufually found Mercury: to be to. an equal weight of water, fomewhat, though little, lefs than fourteen ta one, I find» pare’ Gold: to be about hineteen times as heavy as.fo much’ | _water. Which will make it very dif- ficult, not tofay impoflible: for them to explain, how Gold {hould barely. by participating of Mercury, which is a body much lighter than it felf,, ob- tain that great {pecific gravity. we find it to have 5, for the two other Hypoftatical. Principles , we know, are far lighter than Mercury. And I dell Aan think A SIE | 7? Sebo Alle , ag: | vat ¥ Si - a eee es * St ° a Silas t q _ compounded body, that is {pecifical- Jy heavier than the heavieft of the Ingredients that it is made up of. And this is the firft kind of Infufficiency I was taking notice of in the Chymical Dodrine of Qualities. 89) = The other is, That there are feve-* yal bedtes. which the moft Learned - among themfelves confefs not to cons fift of their tria prima, and yet are in- dowed with Qualities, which confe-— quently are not in thofe fubjects to | be explicated by the tria privta which — are granted not to be found in them. Thus elementary Water, though never _ fo pure, (as diftilled Rain-water,)— has fluidity and coldnefs and humidi- — ty and tranfparency and volatility, without having any of the tria prima. And the pureft Earth, as Afhes care- fully freed from the fixe falt, has gra- vity and confiftence and drynefs and. colour and fixity, without owing them either to Salt, Sulphur, or Mer- _ cury 5 not to mention, that Sirs ay i$ : | ele. e. j . Dodvine of Qualities, 15 Celeftial bodies which do not. ap- pear, nor are wont to be pretended, to confift of the tria prima, that yet are indowed with Qualities. As the sua has Light, and as many Philofo- phers think, Heat, and Colour; and the Jdoom has a determinate confi- {tence and figuration, (as appears by her mountains) and Aftronomers ob- ferve, that the higher Planets and e- ven the Fixt {tars appear to be dif- feringly coloured. But I fhall not multiply Inftances of this kind, be- caufe what I have faid, may not one- ly ferve for my prefent purpofe, but. bring a great Confirmation to what LT lately faid, when I noted, that the Chymical Principles were in many cafes wot neceffary to explicate Qua- lities: For fince in Earth, Water, &c. - fach diffufed Qualities, as gravity, fixtnefs, colour, tranfparency and fluidity , muft be acknowledged not to be derived from the tria prima; *tis plain, that portions of matter may be endowed with fuch Qualities by other caufes and agents than Salt, Sulphur | “Sulphur : chek 1: Mexcurpottall » then why fhould we deny, ‘that ‘alfo in compounded. bodies. thofe Qual ie _ may be (fometimes at leaft) produ _-ced by the fame or thetike canted” As we fee, that the reduction of a _ diaphanous Solid to'pouder,’ produ- — ces whitene(s, whether the commi- — ution happens to Rock-cryftal’ or to Venice-glafs, ortolce: The firft of which is acknowledged to bea — natural and perfectly mixt body 5 the | fecond a factitious: and not onely — mixt but decompounded body 5 and — the laft, for ought appears, an ele- gmentary body, or at moft very flight- ly and imperfectly mixt.. And fo by mingling Air in {mall portions with a diaphanous Liquor, as we dowhen © we beat fuch a Liquor into foam, a whitenefsis produced, as well in pure Water, which is acknowledged to be _ a fimple body, as in white Wine, — which is reckoned among perfectly _ mixt bodies. y CHA P. —)Wadeine of Qualities © ty 3 GHAP. IV. — | -V Further obfervesthat the Chymifts -Explications do not reach deep and far enough. For frff, moft of them are not fufficiently diftin@ and full, fo as to come home to the parti- cular Phewomena, nor often times fo -much as to all the grand ones, that belong to the Hiftory of the Quali- _ tiesthey pretend to explicate. You will readily believe, thata Chymift will not eafily make out by his Sale, Sulphur, and Mercury, why a Load- ftone capp’é with ftee] may be made. to take up a great deal more Iron, fometimes more than eight or ten times as much, than if it be immediat+ ly applied to the iron; or why, if one end of the Magnetic Needle is di- | {pos'd to be attracted by the North- pole,for inftance, of the Load-ftone, the other Pole of the Load-ftone will not attract’ it but drive it away ; or, why a bar or rod of iron, being heated red-hot and cgoled perpendi- eet, ~&B -cularly, -culasly,. will with its s lower ¢ away the flower de Luce, or the North-end of a Marriners, Ne dle, which the upper end of the fame barr orrodwill not repel! but draw. to it, In fhort, of above threefcore Pro- perties: or notable Phenomena of Magnetic Bodies, that fome Writers. have reckon’d up, I do not remember. that any three have been by Chymifts fo much as attempted to be folved by. their three Principles. . And. even in. thofe Qualities, in whofe explicati- ons thefe Principles may more pro- bably than elfewhere pretend to have a place, the Spagyriits accounts are wont to fall fo fhort of being diftin@, and particular enough, that they ule. to leave divers confiderable Pheno-. mena untouchd, and do but very) lamely or {lightly explicate the more. obvious or familiare AndI have fo good an opinion of divers of the em-_ bracers of the Spagyrical Theory of - Qualities (among whom I have met. with very: Learned and worthy men), that I think athag if a Quality being | brow Dowtvine of uatities, 19 _pos’d to them, they were at the fame time prefented with a good Cata- logue of the Phenomena, that they -may take, inthe Hiltory of ir, as it were with one view, they would plainly perceive that there are more particulars to be accounted for, than at firft they were aware of 5 and die vers of them fuch, as may quite dif- courage confidering men from,taking upon them to explainthem all by the _ Tria prima, and oblige them to have recourfe tomore Catholic and com- preheofive Principles. I know not, whether I may not addon this occafi- on, that, methinks, a Chymift, who by the help of his Tria Prima, takes upon him to interpret that Book of . Nature of which the Qualities of bo- dies make a great part, acts at but.a little better rate than he, that fecing a great book written in a Cypher, _ whereof he were acquainted but with Philo Letters, fhould undertake to - decypher the whole piece, For though ’tis like, he would in many words find one of the Letters of his- my 3 ie fa fhort fhort key, and in n divers Is two. of them, and perhaps in | fome a threes yet, befides that in Posse " the words wherein the known L i _ teror Letters may be met with, th a ~may be fo blended with other un- known Letters as to keep him from — : decy phering : a good part of thofe ve- | _ ry words, ‘tis more than probable, © that a *great part of the book would confift of words wherein none of his — three Letters were to be found. | a CHAP. Vv. y rs ie ND this is the firft account, on - which I obferve that the Chy- mical Theory of Qualities does’ not reach far enough: But there Is amo-_ ther branch of its deficiency. For ) even, when the explications feem col come home tothe Phenomena, they are not. primary, and, ifI may fo Fe ae Fontal + gaint -Tomake this i : a il | ae | Dortrine of Qualities, 21 appear, I fhallat prefentimploy but - _thefetwo Confiderations. The firft is, that thofe fubftances themfelves, that Chymifts call their Principles , are each of them indowed with feve- ral Qualities. Thus Sait is a confi- ~ ftent, not a fluid, bodys it has its , weight, °tis diffoluble in water, is el- ‘ther diaphanous or opacous, fixt or volatile, fapid or infipids (1 fpeak thusdisjundctively, becaufe Chymilts * are not all agreed about thefe thingss and it concerns not my Argument, : which of the difputable Qualities be _refolved upon.) And Sulphur, ace | cording to them, is a body fufible, in- flammable, &c. and,according toEx- © perience, is confiftent, heavy, &c. So that ’tis by the help of more primary and general Principles, that we muft explicate fome of thofe Qualities, which being found in bodies, fuppo- fedto be perfeatly fimilar or homo- ‘geneous, cannot be pretended to be - derived in one of them from the o- ther. And to fay, that ‘tis the nature of a Principle to have this or that eh. B3 Quality, ‘Rasiings as, fae fadeesect of Sulph ir” to be fufible, and therefore we are not toexact a Reafon why it is {03 1 though I could fay, much by way of _ ater I fhall now only obferveyshat, | this Argument i 1s grounded but upon — , a fuppofition, and will be of no fore 5 “Gf from the primary affections of bo- dies one may deduce any good Me+ chanical Explication of Fufibility in ‘the general, without neceflarily fup-— pofing fuch a. Primigeneal Sulphur, as the Chy mitts fancy, or deriving — it from thence in other bodies. And indeed, fince not only Salt-peter, Sea _ falt, Vitriol and Allum, but Salt of Tartar, and the Volatile Salt of Urine are all of them fufible 3 Ido not well — fee, how Chymifts can derive the fu- | fiblenefs even of Salts obtained by — their own awalyfis (fuch as Salt of Tartar and of Urine) from the par- ticipation of the Sulphureous lngredi- ent 5 efpecially fince, if fuch an at-— tempt (hould be made, it would over= throw the Hypothesis of three Simple pene whereof they will have all cae i Dordrine of Qualities, 23 mixt ones to be compounded; and {till ’twould remain to be explicated, upon what account the Principle,that is faidto endow the other with fuch a Quality, comes to. be endowed therewith it felf. For ’tis plain,that a mafs of Sulphur is not an Atomical or Adamantine body ; but confifts of a multitude of Corpufcles of deter- “minate Figures,and connected after a _ determinate manner: fo that it may be reafonably demanded, why fuch a Convention of particles, rather than _ many another that does not, ‘contti- tutesa ful i seers | ; Maco. ate ye “CHAP. - “it y iD Be ne ¥y - 1:27 N D Awe ow sb me. tie a jor ; it is this,that, when they tell us, for inftance, that the fufiblenefS of bo- dies proceeds from Sulphur, in cafe they fay true, they do. but tell us what material Ingredient, tis that be- Confideration, which makes me 3 Took upon the Chymitts explications: as not deep and: radical enough and) ing mingled. with and): difpersd — through the other parts of a body, makes it apt to-melt: But this does not intelligibly declare, what it is that makés a portion of matter fu- fible, and bow the fulphureous Ingre- ient introduces that difpofition into the reft of the mafs, wherewith ‘tis — commixt or united. And yet ’tisfuch ex plications as thefe, that an inquifi- _ tive Naturalift chiefly looks after,and which I'therefore call Philofophical. And to fhew, that there may be more Foatal - gxplications , I thall va ob- oi *) / 5 Dodvrine of Qualities, — 25 obferve, that, not to wander from our prefent inftance, Sulphur it felf is fufible. And therefore,asI lately — intimated, Fufibility, which is not the Quality of one Atome, or Par- ticle, but of an Aggregate of Parti- eles, ought it felf to be accounted for in that Principle, before the Fu- fiblenefs of all other bodies be deri- ‘ved from it. And ’twillin the fol- _ Towing notes appear,that in Salphar it felf that Quality may be probably deduced from theconvention of Cor- _ pufeles of determinate fhapes and fizes, contexed or connected after a nature , or art, or chance, fhould bring together particles endowed with the like Mechanical Affections, and affociate them after. the like manner, the refulting body would be fufible, though the component particles had — never been parts of the Chymifts pri- _ mordial fulphur : - And fuch particles fo convening might perhaps have made Sulphur it felf, chough before there had been no {uch body in the: Hoi ly: ‘world, eek Sa world. the Saline Principle, and confequent- ly cannot give a rational account of the fufibility of Sulphur. Andthere- ~ fore though I readily allow (as I fhall- have afterwards occafion to declare) that Sulphur, or an other of the éria prima, may be met with, and even a- bound in feveral bodies endowed with the quality that is attributed to their participation of that Principles yet that this may be no certain figa that the propos'd Quality muft flow from that Ingredient, you may per- haps be affifted to difcern by this il- luftration, That if Tinbeduly mixt — with Copper or Gold, or, as [have tried, with Silver or lrondt will make them very brittle 5 and it is alfo an Ingredient of divers other bodies that’. are likewife brittle, as blew, green, — white,and otherwile colour’d,Amels, whioh dha ri I. Gay ‘to th fe - Chymifts, that makethe fulphu reous — _ Ingredient the caufe of fuftbility,may - eafily, wutatis mutandis, be applied 4 to their Hypothefis, that rather af- — cribe that quality to the Mercurial or - Dotttine of Qualities... 27 __ which are ufually made of calcin’d Tin (which the Tradefmen call Pat- tee,) colliquated with the Ingredients of Cryftal-glafs and fome {mall por- tion of Mineral pigment. But though in all the above-named brittle bodies, Tin be aconfiderable Ingredients yet tewere very unadviled to affirm, that wars. in general proceeds from Tin. For provided the folid parts of confiftent bodies touch one another but according to’ {mall portions of their furfaces, and be not implicated by their contexture, the Metalline or other Compofition may be brittle, though there be no Tin at all in it. And in effect, the materials of glafs _ being brought to fufion will compofe a brittle body, as well whenthere is no Puttee colliquated with them, as whenthere is. Calcin’d Leadby the ation of the fire may be melted into a brittle mafs, and even into tranfpa- | ‘rent Glafs, without the help of Tin or any other additament. And I need mot add, that there are a multitude of - other bodies, that cannot be rae . bi de € ticipation of” a of which Ain: have a noneed, if the matter they confift of | wants not the requifite ite Mechanical - —— ‘And here I fhall venture to add, shige 4 _ the way employed by the Chymitts,- 5 as well as the Peripateticks, of ac- counting for things by the. Togredi- ents, whether “Elements, Principles, or other bodies, that they fuppofe — them to confift of, will often fruftrate the Naturalifts expectation of events, which may frequently prove differ- ing from what he promis'd himfelfjup- on the Confideration of the Qualities of each Ingredient. Forthe enfuing Notes’ contain divers Inftances, _ wherein there emerges a new Quality differing from, or even contrafy to, any thatis confpicuous in the Ingre- © — dients § as two tranfparent bodies — may make an opacous mixture, ayel- low body and a blew, one that is green, two malleable bodies, a brittle one, two adually cold bodies, a hot one; .- Dadtvine of Qualities: 29 one, two: fluid bodies, a confiftent one, &c. Anfasthis way of judg- ing by material Principles hinders the foreknowledg of Eyents from being certain 5 fo it much more hinders the affignation of Caules from being fa- _ tisfactory3fo that perhaps fome would not think it very rath to {ay,that thofe who judg of all mixt bodies.as Apo. _ thecaries do of Medicines, barely. by the Qualities and Proportions of the Ingredients (fuch as among the Ari- . flotelians are the four Elements, and. among the Chymifts the tria prima,) . ~ do, as if one fhould pretend to give an account of the Phenomena and — operations of Clocks‘and Watches, . -and their Diverfities by this, That _ fome are made of bra{s wheels,fome of iron, fome have. plain ungilt ' wheels, others of wheels overlaid with Gold, fome furnifhed with gut- | ftrings, others with little chains, &c. and that therefore the Qualities and Predominancies of thefe metalls that _ make parts of the Watch, ought to haveafcribed to them, what indeed Hii. spi flows 1* é a % , KM Par “a } ® eat a cg, - ‘ ;. - 3 7 . * - re ee hie 28 we PS ' i NE hwy a & a aon am *) yi %e ae 7. 7 a a7 Bd iw £ ws 5 a \ \ ee Wh x . %. ‘ » i \ i" ? hs - . * "i be cn 2 CHAP. VIL. mit ' | I _ Chymical Dodrine of Quali- ties,is, thatin many cafes it agrees not well with the Phenomena of Nature, and that by one or both of thefe ways. Firff, there are divers changes. of Qualities, wherein one may wellex- pect,that aChymical Principle fhould have a great ftroak, and yet it does not arall appear to havefo.. Hethat confiders, what great operations die vers of the Hermeticks afcribe to thisorthat Hypoftatical Principle, — and how many Qualities according HE Leff defect Lobferve inthe to chem muft from it be derived,can: {carce do other than expect, that a _ great change as to thofe Qualities 4 happening in a mixt body, fhould at leaft be accompany’d with fome no- table ation of, or alteration se the 5A | Prin- 7) Doctrine nf Qualities, 3 ¥ Principle. And yet I have met with many inftances,wherein Qualities are produced,or abolifhed, or very much altered, without any. manifeft intro- duction, expulfion, or confiderable | change of the Principle, whereon that Quality is faidtodepend, or per- haps of either of the two others : As when a piece of fine filver, that having been neald in the fire, and fuf- fer'd tocool leifurely,is very flexible, _ Is made {tiff and hard to bend, barely by a few {troaks of a hammer. And a ftring of a Lute acquires or lofesa fympathy, asthey call it,with another {tring of the fame or another Inftru- ment, barely by being either ftretch- edfoas to make an Unifon with it, or fcrewd up or let down beyond or beneath that degree of Ten: - fion. To multiply qnftances of this kind would be to anticipate thofe,you will hereafter meet with in their due pla- ges. And therefore I thall pafs on from the firft fort of Phenomena, that favour not the Chymical Hy pothefis about ») sbout Quulities, to she other whith - confifts of thofe, wherein ei therthae ' their Hypothefis ought to re * Or the contrary happensto what accord= _ ing to their Hypothefis may juftly be | expected. Of this you will meet with inftances hereafter 5 I fhallnowtrou- — ble you but with one, the better to. declare my meaning. . ‘Tis not un-— known to thofe Chymifts,’ that work much in Silver and in Copper, that the former will endure Ignition and become red-hot in the fire, before it will be brought to fufion; and the — latter is yet far more difficult to be ~ melted down than the other$ yet if _ you feparately diffolve thofe two — metallsin Ag#a fortis; and by evapo- - — ration reduce them to Cryftalls, thefe will be brought to fufion in a very little time, and'with avery mo- derate Heat, without breaking the . glafles that contain them. If you. — ask a vulgar Chymitt the caufe of this facility of fufion, he will proba- : Ay} tell you withaut arene that ‘tis: from ©) Wodvine of Dyualiti¢ss 33° from thefaline parts of the Aqua forr ti#., which, being imbodied in the metals and’of a very fufible nature; impart that eafinefs of fufion to the metals they are mixt with, Accor. ding to which plaufible explication one might well.expedt,; that, if the “faline ‘Corpufcles were exquifitly mingled with Tin, they would make itfar more fufible than of it felf it is. And yet, as I have elfewhere noted,: when I put Tin into a convenient quantity of Agua fortis, the metal be- ing corroded, fubfided, asis ufualjin the form of whites of eggs,which be- | ‘ing well driedy the Tinn was fo far from oa ate more fufible by the. th addition ofthe faline particles of the , Menfirunm, that, whereas *tis known that fimple Fin will melt long before itcome to'be red-hot, this prepar’d» Tin would endure for a good while ‘notonly a thorow ignition, but the — blaft of a pair of double bellows, (which we ufually imploy’d to mele Silver and Copper it felf,) without being at all brought to fufioo. And MOH" C as as ioe thofe .§ mail chile nt nit, as moft of them are granted to do, that — all kinds of metals may be chinseabianae ; Gold by avery {mall proportion of { what they call the Philofophers — Elixir, one may I think fhewthem — from their own conceflions, that di-. vers Qualities may be changed even ‘ in fuch conftant bodies as Metals, withoutthe addition of any confider- — able proportion of. the fimple Ingre- dients, to which they are wont to af> eribe thofe Qualities; provided the — Agent, (as an efficient rather than asa material Caufe,) be able to make a — great change in the Mechanical af-— te&tions of the parts whereof the metal it as on is madeup. Thus if we fuppofea poucd of Silver,a pound © ‘of Lead, and a pound of Ironto be > - tranfmuted into Gold,each by agrain © of the powder of projection, this — tinging powder, asa material Caufe ” is incontiderable, by reafon of the fmalinefs of its bulk, and aan effici- ent caufe it works differing and even contrary fais according to the dif- politionys | 9) Dodeine of Muatitiess 35 _ pofition, wherein it finds the metal to be tran{muted,and the changes it pros _ duces inthe conftituentTexture of its Thus it brings Quick-filver to be fixe, | which it was not before,and.deprives - itof the Fluidity which it had before; it brings Silver to be indiffolvable ia Agua fortis, which readily diffolved it before, and diffolublein Agua Re- gis, which before would not touch its _ and which is very contiderablé to our ptefent purpofe, whereas it makes Iron much more fufible than Afers 5 it tmakes Lead much lefs fufible chau _whileft it retained its priftine form, fince Saturn melts ere it come to ig- nition, which Gold requires to bring ie to fufion. But this is propofed only asan Argument ad bominew,till — the Truth of the tranfmutation of metals into Gold, by way of projecti- ‘on, be fufficiently proved, and the | circumftances and phznomena of it particularly declared, - ' FP oiuft not forget to take notice, that fome learned modern, Chymifts would be thought to explicate divers 2 @ - faying that in fuch alterations t 1eSul+ phur or other Hypoftatical Principle 4s intraverted or extraverted, Oras O- ~ | ther s fpeak, inverted. ‘But I confefs, q | to ‘me thefe feem to be. rather. new ‘ terms then real explications.: For,to — omit ‘divers ot the Arguments. men- 4 tioned inthis prefent Treatile , that may be applied to this way of folving — en _ ae the Phenomena of Qualities,one may guttly ebjedt, that the fuppofed Ex- © traverfion: or Intraverfion of Sulphur — can by no means reach to give an ace ‘Count of fogreat a variety of Odours, — ‘Colours,*and other Qualities as. may — ‘be found inthe changed portions of — _ ‘marter we are fpeaking: of. And” ‘which is more,what they call by thefe _ ‘and the like’ names, cannot be done “without Local motion tranfpofing the _ »particles of the matter, and -confe-_ quently producing init a change of — “Texture, which is the very thing we | would infer, and which being fuppo-_ °fed,we may grant Sulphurto be-often-— se .' a times ab — as ae Gah ¢ yd " Dodvine of Dualities, 37 -timés actually prefent in the alteted - Bodies, without allowing it to‘be al- _ ways neceflary to produce the al- terations in them, fince Corputcles fo. condition’d and contex’d would per- form fuch Effed&s, whether Sulphur, asfuch, did, or did not; make upthe fabject-matter of the Change. And now I fhall conclude,and parte Jy recapitulate what has been deli- vered in this and the two foregoing Chapters, with this fummary confi- deration, That the Chymitft’s Sale, Sulphur and Mercury themfelves are not the firft and moft fimple Princi- ples of Bodies, but rather primary ‘Concretions of Corpufcles or Parti- _ clesmore fimple than they, as being endowed only with the firft, or moft radical (if I may fo fpeak) and moft. - Catholick Affections of fimple Ba- - dies, namely Bulk, Shape, and Mo- _tionjor Reft 5 by ehe-different, Con- _ ventions or Goalitions of ‘which mi- -nuteft portions of matter are made _-thofe differiag Concretions that _ Chymifts name Sale, Sulphur’ and’ C 3 | Mrere a feats of this or that. oe al Prins ciple need. not be derived. from Salty — for inftance, or Sulphur at fach, but. — may be explained by the! help of fome q of thofe Corpufcles that Ihave lately, call’d more Simple and Radical3and {uch Explications being more fimple and i cin tg bethought upon — that {core more fandamental and, fa- ; siassiie : z (CHAP. VIL. es it may objected in &. [ vour of the Chy mifts,thar as their: | Eigpoltatieal Exiaciptes, Salt, , Sulphur a Mercury, are but three, fothe, © Corentnlamtas Principles. are but, very few 3 and the chief of. them | Bulk, Size, and estite ara then neither 5. fo thatit appears not why rhe. ¢ Chymical ‘Pepe es. thou! Id -be Dodvine of Qualities. 39 more barren than the Mechanical. To which allegation I anfwer, that, be- fides that thefe lat nam’d Principles are more numerous, astaking in the Pofture, Order, and Scituation, the Reft, and, above all, the almoft infi- nitely diverfifiable Contextures of the {mall parts, and the thence re- fuleing ftructures of particular bodies, and fabrick of the world: Befides _ this, I fay, each of the three Me- _ chanical Principles, {pecified in the objection, though but. one in name; is equivalent to many in effect; as Figure, for ioftance, comprehends not only Triangles, Squares, Rhom- buffes, Rhomboids, Trapezions, and a multitude of Polygons, whether ordinate. or irregular; but, befides Cubes, Prifmes, Cones, Spheres,Cy> linders, Pyramids, ‘and other Solids of known Denominations , a fcarce numerable multitude of hooked, branched, Eel-like, fcrew-like, and _ other irregular bodies ; whereof _ though thefe, and fome others, have _ diftin®@ appellations, yet the greateft § > Cc 4 part | part : are. ime ves at it ne ed. no wonder ; pe fl fhould mak as MY ‘Mechanical: . Principles » fo much | more fertile, that is, applicable to. the produdion and explication.o e i far greater number of Phenomenathan 7 the Chymicals which, whileft they _ are confidered) but as fimilar bodies; that are Ingredients of mixtand com- q pounded :ones, are chiefly: variable — but by the greater or leffer quanti~ — ty that isemployed by Natureor Art: — to make up the mixt body. § And) Painters obferve, that: Black. andi — White, though mixt in differing Pro-. portions, will {till make but lighter: and darker grays. Andif it be faid), that thefe Ingredients, by the Tex-: ture refulting from their amixtures, may acquire Qualities that neither of q them had befores I {hall anfwer, that,| — to alledge this, is.in effect to confefa,| that they mufttake in the Asechanical: Principles, (for to:them: belongs the! Texture or Struure of bodies) to af fift the Chymical oneés.- And on this oncafion, to borrow ap illuftration, — Ape from Reg t add,that a Chymift that fhould pre- tend, that becaufe his three Principle are as many 2s thofe ofthe Cor “s * Pratt CHAP, ” ma bs) Siesta Bower, . ae a ’ ; ne ¥ ; 4 Lt hg Sa ae A Ne > 2b fn, 2 ie &. ’ se I if x . 4 *e Net h + eon i ae EF Aa . ] a F , 7, wy ~ Gaye SE a i $ ba ae: 7 TS Tae hee SE el ‘ Lg es ee eR See Rg y Oe i fon Sy 4 Raat ae mh tn RL rag VF oF ha >. RO ne as a "4 ¥ “aes % ; ets & ae ehh 4 ‘ 8 fe a | ie re * ¥ ah \ erase e ds » what . se : ’ /* i a 3 he if 7? ae ° eo We See. eee j * a oe | q ” a @ “ % { ¥ EB or ky nie pe " ie Lf ee 3 7 . ’ % @ : . ee oe ev . Es | ;.% # 3 , i, 5 — N lt e tefl be See AB Peer a i3 f . 4 " b ; i Ay] OtwithGanding. all that I have | LN. been obliged to fay tothe Diff — advantage of the Chymical Princi- — ples, in reference to the Explication — of Qualities, Lwould not bethought — to grant, that the Peripateticks have — reafon totriumph,as if theirfourEle- — ments. afforded a better Theory of — Qualities. For,ifl had,together with — Jeifure enough to perform fucha — Task,any obligation to undertake it, — I prefume,it would not be difficult — to fhew,that the 4riffotelian DoGrine about particular Qualities isliableto — fome of the fame Objections withthe Chymical, and to fome others nolefs confiderablejand that,toderive all the Phenomena their Doétrine ought to — folve from Sxbflantial Forms andreal — Qualities Elementary, isto impofe on: — us a Theory more barren and ‘pre- — carious than that of the Spagy- — rifts. Eh, a 2 That — That to derive the particular Qua- lities of bodies from thofe Subftantial - Forms, whence the Schools would have them to-flow, 1s but an infiffici- ent and unfit way of accounting for them,may appear by this,thatszbfian- tial Forms themfelves are things, whofe exiftence many Learned Phi- _lofophers deny, whofe Theory many of them think Incomprehenfible, and _ the moft Candid and Judicious of the Perépateticks themfelves confefs it to be very abftrufe; fothat from fuch doubtful and obfcure Principles we can hardly expect clear Explications of the nature and Phenomena of Qua- litiess. not tourge, that the Ariffotels- at Definitions, both of Qualities in ‘general, and of divers of the more fa- miliar Qualities in particular,as Heat, Cold,Moifture,Diaphaneity, &c. are far enough from being clear and well _ framed,as we elfewhere have occafi- ontofhew. bi Another thingy. which makes the Scholaftic. Do@rine of Qualities un-. fatisfadtory, is,that it feldom fo much Tt a iar a3 . | bea toteach the aner how | the: Qualities grea oo hei: Effects or Operations are produce Mnftance givenin the. Quality that is” ‘Peripatetic account that is given of it, 4 r. “a4 : Xb CRE L ant é Oath eee Oe a i \ y : th + re e 8 mares , BrARMED PFGE & 1 , ‘ iY BEY €s | S| - Bho, a, eg. i Of this: you may ellewhere: uc ad wont to be firt in the lift, viz that of | ‘Heat, which though it'may intelligi- — bly and probably be explicated by the : | Corpufcular Hypothefis, yet inthe © is both too. queftionable and too fu- — perficial to.give much Content toa — Rational Inquirer. Andindeedtefay, — that asubflaniial Form (asthatof the ; Fire) aéts by a Quality (call’d Heat) 1 whofe Nature ‘tis to produce fuchan_ effe& (as to foften Wax or harden Clay) feems to be no other in fab+ ftance, than to fay, that it produces — fuch an effect by fome power it has ; to produce it... But what that power is,and how it operates, is that, which, though we'moftdefire to know, we : arelefttofeck. But to profecutethe — Imperfections of the Pertpatetich: Hy- pothefis, were to intrench upon /ano- — ther difcourle, where they aremore - fs Bie!) ‘ Be wig Doctrine of Qualities, 45 | fully laid open. And therefore Md thall now but lightly glance upon a _ couple of imperfections, that moré particularly. relate tothe Doétrine of Qualities. — And firft I do not think ita Coa: vincing Argument that is wont to: be imployed by the to’ abound with male pevtichonyindd yetithis {piri- tidus liquor may: in “a tricesbecome Fiatie, which othey: would have tobe. i the lighteft. body in the world. 9) yl OES. FLO7IS nioiw .madar Bat) ‘to tutorgtioe on alicata fab; iefbg’ | would be to forget,’ that the defiga 1 ofthis Fra@ engages me ito;deal nop — withthe Peripatetic School, but the — Spagyrical..\ To whichel thalbthere- fore’ return42and give you this ad- vertifemeént: about ty thats what. - have hithertowobjected ‘is «meant as gainft the more commomand recciv- , ed Doétrine about the Material Prin= ciples of bodies:reputed: mixt, as tis’ wont by vulgar Chymifts.to ‘be ap- plied: to the’rendring ‘an! account of the Qualities’ of fubftanees; Corpo- real 5: and therefore I pretend not 4 that the paft’ objections! fhould con= clude againft other Chymical, Theos ries than that which. was: concern+ ed to'queftions And itvadept Philo® ig (fuppofing there.be fuch) or any Doctrine of Mualities, 49 Py other more than ordinarily Intel-. igent Spagyrifts, fhall propofe any particular Hypothefes differing from thofe that I have queftioned, as their Doétrine and Reafons are not yet -knowntome3 fol pretend not that the paft Arguments fhould conclude againft them, and am willing tothink, that Perfons advantaged with foch peculiar opportunities to dive into the Myfteries of Nature, will beable | to giveus, if they fhall pleafe, a far better account of the Qualities of bodies than what 1s wont to be pro- pofed by the generality of Chy- - mifts. : | Thus, dear Pyrophilus, Ihave laid before you fome of the chief Imper- . fections I have obferved in the vul- gar Chymifts Doctrine of Qualities, and conifequently I have given you fome of the chief Reafons that hin- der:me from acquiefcing init. And _ as my objections are not takenfrom. . the Scholaftical fubtleties nor the doubtful f{peculations of the Peripa- teticks or other Adverfaries of the ee .. ts ae: | Heraictick sEhdaietiy dl a} ut foci p ths ‘nature of things and froma Chymic aminde to convince me," he will tempt to doe it by the moft proper -leaft ofthe grand Phenomena of Quast experiments themfelvess. fol he if any of your S pagyrical friends hi way, whichis, by ar as clear and particular explications, at litiesswhich,if he {hall do, he will find | me very ready to acquiefce inaTruth © that comes ufher’din,and endear'd oy fo acceptable and ufeful a thing, as a Philofophical eee of mean FINTS. i] one eee bi ee a A REFLECTIONS ; | UPON THE ei poy H V rothefis & spear ALCALI and AcIDUM, P . res By this Man ourdble; | ROBERT BOYLE Ef; Fellow of the R, Society. LoNDON, Printed by &. Flefber, for R. Davie : peokictes, in Oxford. M7 3: sHough Ne pene ce courfe was at firft written by way of Appendi ix to the Trea- tife of the Imperfefion of the. Chymical Doétrine of Qualities; yetthe bulk of it, {welling be-- si what was forefeen, made it {eem expedient to publith ita as 3 a Tract byat telfi<5 YAQAOA ries . ww a * -, i e/ 4 4 —~ tet ON memes ee pe ~ “me ‘4 * rs s a] . oe : , ‘ * es a S$ ‘> 4 : \ oe ae uit oe : } eat ate. ec i a - ” bah yt Be ee ”* ; ¥ EH / > an : © se coe AG “ ie we 4 4 ’ ; “REPLEGTIONS | 5 «

and ‘Particularly to” their ; A 2 Theory; og 4 Reflections upon oe 9) DL po " tbe is Theory, that would derive botht ie Qualities of Bodies and the reft oft the — Phenomena of Nature from what they _ call Acidum and Alcali. For moi if thefe two differences may be met with ina great number and variety of bodies, and confequently the Confideration of themmay frequent- ly enough be of good ufe, (efpecial- ly to Spagyrifts,and Phyfitians,when they are converfant about the fecon- dary and (if I may fo call them) Chy- mical Caufes and Operations of di- vers mixt bodies3) yet I confefs I can« not acquiefce in this Hypothefi s of Al: kali and Acidum, in the Jatitude, wherein I findit urged and applied by the Admirers of it, as 1f it could be — ufefully fubftieuted in the place. of Matter and Motion. The Hypothefis, being ina fort fub- ordinate to that of the tria prima, in afcribing to two contrary faline Prine — ciples what vulgar Chymifts do to their Salt,sulphur,and Asercurys moft of the objections we have made a- red the eta Chymical Doétrine, — pF Mcalt and Aeidum.- sg _ may,asI lately intimated,be applied, _ by a little variation,to this,and theres fore I fhall need but to touch upon the main things that keep me from ac- quiefcing in this Hypothefis. CHAP. IL A ND firft,it feems precariousto _ . affirm,that in all bodies, or even inallthe fenfible parts of mixts, Acid and Alcalizate parts are found 5 there - not having been,that I know,any Ex- perimental Induction made of parti- culars any thing near numerous enough to make out fo great an affer- tion, and in divers bodies, wherein — Experience is vouch’d for the inex- iftence of thefe Principles, that Irex- iftence is indeed provednof by dire& and clear experience, but upona fup- — pofition, that fuch and fuch effects flow from the operations of the af- famed Principles. . ae . | A 3 Some pir fortis diflolve F ‘ilings of Peed pers: conclude from thence, thatel e ) Acie fpirits of the Adenflruum: meetin ‘the metal with an A/ealé upon “ae a they work which is but an unfa way of arguing, fince good Spirit of i. Urin, which theytake tobe a volatile Aleali, and which will make a great Confli& with’ Agia fortis, will, asl have elfewhere noted, diflolve filings of Gopper both readily: enough ani more genuinly-than the Acid:liquor i wontto do. ~Sowhen they fee the’ Magiftery of Pearl or Coral; *made= by: dropping oil of Tartar intorthe: folutions of thofe bodies made with: {pirit of Vinegar, they afcribe the: Stiga Seas: rbcalteeal cc Precipitation to the fixt 4lcah of the: Tartar , that mortifies the ‘Acidity’ ofthe fpiric of Vinegar whereas the! - Precipitation would no Jefs infue;if, inflead of Alcalizat oil of Tartar; we’ imploy that highly acid liquor which: they call Chim wad alt perigee te ge, ey paaecn. i? . HOt ce fork, i 9 za , — — or a ee ee ee = a ks gf GealiandAcitum. = 7 -/ ¥chink alfo tt may be doubted » _ whether thofe, I reafon with, are fo certain asthey fuppofe, that at leaft when they can manifeftly difcover an Acid, for inftance, in a body, the operation of that body upon another, which they judge to abound with an lcali, muft be the effeé of a Con- ‘fliG between thofe two jarring Prin- ciples, or,if I may fo call them, Duel- lifts, Foran Acid body may do ma- hy things,not fimply as an acid,but on the {core of a Texture or modificati- on, which endows it with other Quas lities as well as Acidity, whofe being affociated withthofle other Qualities in fome cafes may be but accidental to the effec to be produced; fince by one or more of thefe other Qualities the body may act in cafes,where Pre- | judice may make a ‘Chymift confider nothing but Acidity. Thus when fome Chymifts fee an acid Aenftrunm , as Aqua fortis {pirit of Salt, oil of Vi- triol,&c. diflolve Iron, they prefent- ly afcribe the effe& to an Acidity of the liquors, whereas well dephlegmed Beil Aga Ure | ‘Abciniast Spirits, tick’ they oldto have a great Antipathy toAcids,wilk as I have tried in fome of them, readis dy enough diffolve crude: Tron,even inthe Cold. , Andon the other! fide, . Mercury will not work:on the filings of Iron,though this be fo openametal — that even weak liquors’ will do ies and yet if one fhould urge, that — Quickfilver readily diflolves Goldin Amalgamation, he may expect to be told, according to their Doétrine,that Mercury has in it an occult acid, by which it performs: the folution: 3 whereas it feems much-more probas ble, that Mercury has €or pufcles of fuch a fhape and fize as fit them to ine. finuate themfelves into the Commens furate Pores they meet with in Goldy but make them unfit to enter readily the Pores of Iron, to which Nature - has not made them congruous; ason: the other fide the faline Corpufcles of ‘Aqua fortis will eafily fiod admiffion: into the Pores Of Iron, but not into ‘thofe of Gold, to whichtbey. do not beeeatiogs as they do: to es | An oo) pfMMealé and Setoumt, > 9 -And when a knife, whofe blade is touched: ‘with a Lead: ftone, cuts bread andtakes up filings of Iron, it doesneither of them upon the fcore of Alealiand Acidum, but the one up- ‘on the vifible fhape and the ftiffnefs ofthe blade, andthe other uponthe JatentContrivance or change of Texe ture produced by the operation of the Load-ftone in the particles that | -compote the Steel. This may perhaps be farther iid ferated by adding, that when blew. Vitriol, being beaten and finely fear- ced, makes a white pouder, that whitene(s i iga quality which the pou- der has not. as being of a Me ert Nature. For Rock-Cryftal - Venice: .glats being finely beaten will have the {ame operation on the Eye, butit proceeds from the tranfparen- ey of the body and the minutenefs, multitude and confus’d fcituation of the Corpufcles that. make up the Pouders And therefore,ifother bo- _ dies be brought by Comminution in- to ag endow’d with fuch Mechani- cal ee thefe aggregates will a@, or gal niietiauaiie , as we hae am iu of nics as p white hossaam CHAP. IW. N D this leads me to another. Exception againtt the Hypothe- fésot the Duellifts, whichis,that the _ Framers of it {eem arbitrarily to have afligned Provinces or Offices to.each of their two Principles, as the Chy- | sdoto each of their ria prima, and the Peripateticks to each of their Four Elements. For ‘tis not enough to Say, that an Acid, for inftance, as fuch, performs thefe things, and an Alkali fo many others, that they di- vide the Operations and Phexomena of nature,or at leaft Cas 7 more cautious,are content to fay).of mixt — bodies between them 5 fiace Afferti- ons of fuchgreat moment ought not _ to be advanc’d or received a | tig- ee | \ ot) gf Gigalt and Acidunts © 12 fufficient Proof... And perhaps ‘the very diftribution of Salts into Acids - and Alcalies hath fomewhat of arbi- trary in it, fince others may, without affuming much more, take'the free- dom to diftribute them otherwife, _ there being not only feveral things | wherein Acids and Alcalies agree,but alfo feveral things wherein Salts of the fame denomination widely differ. As. for Inftance,fomeAlkalies accords ingto thofe I reafon' with,are; like — falt of Tartar, fixt,and will endurethe violence of the fire's others, like fale of Urin or:Harts-horn, are exceed- ingly fugitive, and will be driven up with a {carce fenfible degree of Heats _ fome,as fale of Tartar,will precipitate the folution°of Sublimate into an Orange-tawny 5 others; as fpirit of Blood and 'Harts-horn, precipitate fach a folution into a milky fubftance. Oilof Tartar will: very flowly ope- rate upon filings of Copper:, which Spirit of Urin sand Hartshorn will _ yeadily diffolve intheFire: ) of : - And And sis ogre PAI ict diferente is no lefs if’ not eae greater. Some of them will = ; bodies that others will not, as” fortis will diffolve Silver and vg 4 ry,but leave Gold untouched 5 or’as Aqua Regis,though made without: Sal Armoaiac that di{lolves Gold readily, will diffolve Mercury but fcurvily; and Silver not atall. Andthis may > . happen,when the Menfiruum that will not diffolve the body is reputed much ftronger than that which does 5’as dephlegm'd {pirit of) Vinegar, will dilfolve Lead,teduc'dito minute parts in the cold; which 1s an effec that Chymifts- are not wont to expect from Spirit of Sale. ‘Nay, whichis more, one Acid will precipitate what another has diflolved; and. contrarilys as {pirit of Salt will precipitate Silver. out of fpirit of Nitre. And I found) . -_eilof Vitriol to precipitate badies of, divers kinds,Minerals and others, out. dffomeacid Menftruums, pa eats fpirit of Vinegar. i oy! : "4 z R ‘ he i Ae, ae ‘ ‘ e » - - ” J 0 ae | - a ae ae an ' OL! ee ' ‘ eee thin {2 SiG sand Acibum,..°.- 23 / iy ~ Bde ag \) Se, VE Z oe oa. iis ; . - = To this might be added the Pyo2 perties, peculiar to fome particular ee a of Nitre or Aqua - fortis will Biffolve Camphire into an ‘Ojl,and coagulate common oil into 4 -confiftent. and brittle fubftance like Tallow5 and, though it will both corrode Silver, Copper, Lead, and Mercury,and keep: them diffolved, it will quickly let fall almoft the whole body of Tin,-very foon after it hag . corroded as much asit canof it. By _all which, and fome other like Inftan- ces, am induc’d to queftion, whether — the Acidum and Alkali, we are {peak- e ing of,have the fimplicity that Philo- fophy requires in Principles; and fhall. be kept from wondering, if others fhall think it.as free for them to conftitute other Principles, as ’tig forthe Learned men! reafon with,to pitch upon dcidum and Alkali. © _ And fome perhaps will be bold to fay, that, fince the former of thofe Principles comprehend fuch a number of bodies,that are,many of them,very differing, and fome of them diredtly. A | | contrary — 4 14 ReHlenions upon he Mppotheis contrary ib their operations, itféems aiiight and::not -Philofophical:’Ac- — cal count of their ‘Naturg, to definean Acid by. its Hoftiliry to" an Alcafi, Which (they, will fay) is almoft as if one fhould define a Atan by fayingy, eget hag that ts at enmity | With the Serpents or a Lyon; that he is a fourfooted beaft slic fies from @ ed: 7 Crowing Co 9 we = , ' ' q* ° 4 - ae ay , 5 ™ y ; [79 I ; » « % tee o. 3 ee : ; : : ‘ , a 1s odw (Aout A PoMohoraat a rn bg 3 ~ i? A ‘i *y v ; ® 6 i on i » e . < ‘ | #9 ’ i \ c 3 ) ! UF .although one,of the chiefeft : Conditions that .Philofophers - may juftly require in’ Principles, | iss that, being to explain other things, they fhould be very clear themfelves; . yet Ido not-much wonder, that the Definitions\ given us of Acidune and Alcali fhould be but unaccurate and — fuperficial., fince I find not, that they have themfelves any clear and deter= minate Notion or fure marks,where- by to know them diftingly,, — VIREO? - which ra me t | "A Se, oF TS ets = + ha Sos cash wee 4 | Ts. o> oO © gf Ateaté and Acitum, 15 which ‘Chymifts will fcarce be able toform clear and fetled Notions of them. ' For to infer, asis ufual, that, ’ becaufe a body diffolves another, which is’ diffoluble by this or that Known acid, the Solvent muft alfo be acids or toconclude, that, if a body » precipitates a diflolved’ metal out of aconfefledly acid Menftruum, the Precipitant muft be anAlcali,toargue thus, I fay, ’tis unfecure 5 fince,not to repeat what I faid lately of Copper, I _ found, that filings of Spelter will be diffolved as well by fome Alcalies,(as fpirit of Sal Armoniac) as by Acids. _ And bodies may be precipitated out of acid Menftruums, both by other Acids, and by liquors, where there appears not the leaft Alcalz: As I have found, that a folution of Tin- giafs, made in 4quz fortis, would be precipitated both by Spirit of Sale and by common or rain water. And . as for the other grand way that Chy- mifts employ;to diftinguifh Acids and Alcalies,namely by the Heat,Commo- tion, and bubbles that are excited, upon ~~ ve rye we upon their being p refume,they having indeed a depen- -dance upon particular. Contextures and other Mechanical affections; tha Chymifts are not wont to take any — notice of. Foralmoft any thingthat is fitted varioufly and vehemently to agitate the minute parts of a body, © 4b gattie ¥ 4 4% ‘a we ep ie 4 ; «4 ‘a _ p' bol Ge. -@£déd ‘ ’ r a‘. = eee “ ye ~ < oi ee a will produce Heat in it; and fo, though water be neither an Acid nor. an Alcalizate liquor, yet it would — quickly grow very hot, not only with the highly acid Oil of Vitriol, but (as I have more than once pur- — _pofely tried and found) with the fie« ry Alcalizat Sale of Tartar. And ’tis (orbe noted, that neither in the one nor. the other of thefe Incalefcent mixtures, there is produced any fuch vifible. or audible confi, mgtrons ing tothe Dodtrine of the { hifling noife, neither is that fuch a certain figa as Chymifts imagine: For, ~ the the Chymitts | I reafon with,one would expect. And. as for the. production of. bubbles,. efpecially if accompanied. with a. er of Alcalf and Acitum. 1} the produétion of bubbles is not a neceflary effect or concomitant of Heat excited by Conflicts, but de- ‘pends very much upon the peculiar | _ Difpofition of Bodies put together to extricatesproduce, or intercept par- ticles of Air, Cor Steams, for the time equivalent to them;) andtherefore as Oil of Vitriol,mixtin a due proporti- on with fair water, may be brought to make the water too hot to be held fa ones hand, without exciting bubbles5 - fol have found by trials parpofely madeé.that Alcalizat Spirit of Urine drawn from fome kinds of Quick- lime, being mixt with Oil of Vitriol mederately {trong,would produce an internife Heat, whileft 1t produced et- ther no manifeft bubbles at ail, or _ {earce any, though the Urinous Spi- rit was ftrong, and in other Trials operated like an Alcali} and although -alfo with Spirit of Urin, made per fe the common way, the oil of Virriol will produce a great hiffteg and a “multitude of con{picuous bubbles. B Oa On the other fide I have net Pras Acid Beritss efp e2tly Verdigreafe made per fe,would,when — pe oured upan Salt of Tartar, makea onfliG with it,and produce a copi- ous froth, though we obferved it not | to be accompanied with any manifeft | Heat. Andlelféwhere mentiontwo bodies,upon whofe putting together ‘numerous bubbles would, fora long time,and:not without noile, be gene-_ rated, and) fucceed, one another, though I could: perceive no Heat at. all to accompany this Tumuls, As for the Taf, which by many is, made a great Touchftone, whereby to knowAcids and Aleahes. I confider: that there is a multitude or mixt bo- dies, wherein we can fo little difcern by the Taft, which of the Principles. is Prcdomanne that this Senfe would not oblige one to fufped,much lefs to conclude,there were one grain of ei- ther of howe to be found theres fuch. bodies are Diamonds and Rubies,and 7 moft . dae of t of Altalé and Acthum- = — tg ~ moft: Gems, befides many ignobler Stones, and Gold and Silver and Mer- cury,and I know not how many other bodies; On the other fide,there are bodies that abound with Acid or Al- calizat Salts, which either have no Fatt, or a quite differing one from that of the Chymical Principles As though Venice-glafs be in'great part _ - eompofed of a fixe Alcali; yet to the Tongue it is infipid, andeCryftalls . of Lune and of Lead made with Agua fortis; and containing great ftore of the Acid particles of the’ Afenftrauns, have nothing ofAcidity inthe mouth, the latter having a faccharine {weet- nefs,andthe former an extream bit- rernefs, AndeveninVegetable fub- ftances that have a manifeft Taft, *tis. ~ not foeafie to know by that, whether tt be the Acid or the Alcalizat Prin- ciple that is predominant in them 5 ag inthe (fential oils of Spices and o- ther Vegetables. And in the grols Empereumatical Oils of Woods, and even in high Redified Spirit of Wines _ Se ae B 2. which 20 > Refledtions upon the. bypothefic which therefore fome will hao hie an Alcalizat liquor, and others liftit — among Acids,though I did not find it © neither to be deftroyed or much al- | tered by being put upon Coral or fale — of Tartar,as would happen to an acid Menfiruum, nor yet by being digefted wich and diftilied from fea Salt, as — might be probably expected from an — Alcalizat one:Aand among thofe very bodies which their Tafts perfwade Chymiftsto reckon amongftAcids,one may (according to what I formerly noted) obferve fo great a difference and variety of relifhes, that, perhaps — without being too fevere, 1! may fay, — that if I were to allow Acids to be. One Principle, it fhould be only in’ fome fuch Metaphyfical fenfe, as that whergin Air isfaid to be One Body, though it confift of the aflociated ef- flaviams of a multitude of Corpulcles. of very differing Natures, that agree invery little fave in their being mi- — / pute enough to concur to the Com- . pofition of a fluid aggregate, confift-. PR Ti cee Pe ae of Acattand Acibum., =! ing of flying parts. But having dwele longer than [intended on One Obje- ction, ’tis time that [ proceed to thofe that remain. CHAP. V. A Nother particular, I am unfatif- | fied with in the Hypothe/is of « Alcali and Acidum,is,that ’tis in divers cafes either needlefs or ufelefs to ex- | plain the Phenomena of Qualities, there being feveral of thefe produ. ced.deftroyed,or altered,where there does not appear any acceflion, recefs, or change of either of thofe two Principles; as when fluid water by hard beating is turn’d into confiftent froth, and when tranfparent red Co- ral is, barely by being beaten and fifted finely changed into a white and opacous powder 3 and as when a very flexible piece of fine filver being _ hammer’d is brought to havea brisk {pring,and after a while will, inftead aman B 3 of RES Ron CP ed) ets 7 ‘ \ th Eb AY ad mu) My ic ye’. S, cleave under the hammer 5 ; when (to difpatch and omit other in- ftances) a a ficiently thin. leaf Gold, held between the Light andthe | Pye ,2ppears green. ‘Another thing (of ] kin to ” feo? | mer, ) that [Jiké not in ‘the Doétrine of Acidum and Alcali, is, that though: the Patrons ofit, whileft they would feem to conttitute but two Principles, are fain(as! lately intimated)to make I know not how many differin forts. of Acids,befides fome variety of Alca- lies 5 _ye¢ their Principles are too few yok narrow to afford any fatisfactory explication of the Phenomena. For. I Fear, twill be very difficult. for them to give a Rational Account of Gravi- ty ,Springinefs,Lighr, and E mphatical Colours, Sounds, and fome other. Qualities that are wont tobe called manifeft; and much more of feveral that are confelt to be occult, as Ele-, GileNy, and Magnetifn.; . in. which jaf I fee not, how the affirming: thar “there of continuing "Spallcables! crack. 0 ae . as , aE Mealé and Acthum. — 23 there isin the Magnet an Acid and an Alcali, and that thefe two are of contrary Natures, will help to explain, how a Load-ftone doesyas they {peak, attrad the fame end of a poifed needle with one of its Poles, which *ewill drive away with the other, and determine that necdle when freely placed,to point North and South,and | enable it tocommunicate by its bare touch the fame Properties,and abua- dance of other ftrange ones, to ano- ther pieceof Steel. But I forbear to _ alledge particular Examples refer- _ rable to the feveral Qualities above- mentioned, whether manifeft or hid-. den, becaufe that in great partis al- ready done in our Notes about parti- cular Qualities,in which *ewill appear how little able the employing of l- cali and Acidum willbe to afford usan account of many things. And though I enlarge not here on this objecti- on, yet I take it to be of that impor- tance, that,though there were no o- ther,this were enough to fhew that i | B 4 the the Hy pothefis that is liable to it, is ti Infuficient for the . explication of 3 Qualities 5 and therefore twill nord | prefume be thought ftrange thar T add,that,as for thofe that would. ex- tend this narrow Chymical DoGtrine tothe whole obje& of Natural Philo- fopby, they muft do more than I ex- pect they will be able before theycan _ make me their Profelyte, there being a multitude of Pheaxomena in nature ° (divers whereof elfewhere take no- tice of in reference to the Chymitts Philofophy) in which what Aeidums. and Alcali have to do, I confels 1 da not underftand, ay ecm +S . 7 c rw of Micali ands Acidun. ways ri i CHAP. Vi. SHE laft thing( which comprizes § feveral. others) that feems to me a defect inthe Dodtrine of Alcalé and Acidum,is, that divers if not moft of thofe very things that are preten- ded to be explicated by them, are not -fatisfaccorily explicated, {ome things being taken into the explications that are either not fundamental enough or ~ not.clearly intelligible,or are charge- able with both thofe Imperfecti- ons. i | And firft Iam diffatisfied with the _ very fundamental Notion of this - Do@rine, namely a fuppofed Hoftili- — ty between the tribe of Acids and that of Alkalies,accompanied, if you will have it fo, with a friendfhip or {ympathy with bodies belonging to thefametribeor Family. For I look upon Amity and Enmity as Affecti- ons of Intelligent Beings, and I have : fi 3 not ee afd yt j not yet found it And Telfewhere endeavour to fh ad it explained by any, — how thofe. Appetites can be placed in Bodies Inanimate and devoid of — knowledge, or of fo much asSenfe. — that what is called Sympathy and. 7 Antipathy between fuch bodies does — in great part depend upon the actings of our own Intellect, which,f uppofing in every body an innate appetite to preferve it (elf bothinadefenfiveand _ an offenfive way, inclines us to con- clude, that that body, which, though — defignlefly deftroys or impairs the {tate or texture of another body,has an Enmity to it, though perhaps a . flizht Mechanical change may make bodys, that feem extreamly hoftile, feem to agree very well and co- operate to the production of the . fame effects. Asif the acid fpirit of Sale and the volatile 4/kali Cas they will have it) that 1s commonly called Spirit of Urine be put together, they’ will, after a fhort though fierce con-' Aidt, upon a new contexture unite to- : gether op) of SMtealé and Acidum, — 27 gether into aSalt,little,ifat all, differ- ing from Sa] Armoniac, :in which the two reconciled Principles will amica+ bly join in cooling of water, diflolv- - ing {ome metalline bodys, and produ- cing divers other effeds.| And fo, if upon a {trong folution of Salt of Por- afhes or of Sale of Tartar,good Spirit of Nicre be dropt in a due propore tion, after the Heat and Tumult and Ebullition are over, the Acid and the Alkalizat Sales will convene into fuch a Concretion as Salt-peter, which is taken to bea natural body;either ho- - mogeneous, or at leaft confifting of parts that agree very friendly toge- ther, and con{pire to conftitute the “particular kind of Salt that Chymifts — call Nitre. | vi ibe ie But the Sympathy and Antipa- thy that is faid to: be betwixt Inani+ mate bodys, I elfewhere more parti- cularly confider, and therefore I fhal} now add in the fecond place, That the Explications made of Phenomena _ according to the Doétrine of 4lcalj BAL” : and and cede not,in my appre henfi- — on, perform what may be .juftly ex- pected from Philofophical Explicat = ons, Tis faidindeed, that the 4cidum working on the Alcali, or this upon that, produces the effect propo eds but that is only to tell us, what isthe — Agent that operates,and not theMan- “ner of the operation, or the means and procefs whereby it produces the effect propofed, and °tis this modus that Inquifitive Naturalifts chiefly defiretolearn. And ifit be faid,thae — itis by the mutual hoftility of the Principles that the effect is produced, it may be anfwered, that befides, that that hoftility ic felf is not, as we have juft now obferved,a thing clear, if fo mucha s Intelligibles this ts fo gene- _ ral and indeterminate a way of expli- _ cating things,as can afford little or no fatisfaction toa fearching and cauti- ous Naturalift,that confiders how ve- — _ ry numerous and very various the - Phenomena of ae are, _ CHAP. ‘ of Alcali and Acidum. ag CHAP. VII. O clear up and to countenance _ what I have been now {aying, I thail only take notice of fome. few obviqus Phenomena of one of the -moft familiar Operations wherein Acidum and Alcali are fuppofed to be the grand Agents. “Tis known to the very Boys of Chymifts, that Aqua Regis will diflolve Gold, Cop- per, and Mercury,and that with thefe metals, efpecially with the fecond, it will produce an intenfe degree of heat. If now the Caufe of this Heat be demanded, it may be ex- | pected, that the Patrons of the Du- ellifts will anfwer, that ‘tis from the action of the Acid {alts of the Men- | ftruum upon the Alcali they meet with in the Metalls. But not to mention how. many things are here prefumed, not proved; nor that I know fome Acid Menftruums, and | | fome fome pincer more , evidediat A cali. zate Bodys_ than thefe Metals are, 1 which yet do not upon their mix-— { tures produce any fenfible heats not, Ifay, to mention thele, inis caffe te difcern, that this anfwersnames “in- deed two fuppofed effictents of Heats — ‘but does not» explicate or declare © bow thefe Agents: produce that Quas — lity, which depends upon a‘certain - vehement-and various agitation of © the fingly infenfible partsofBodys; * whether the Duellifts, or any orher, — though very differing, Caufes put _ them into a motion fo: modified: And therefore Gold and Copper by bare Concuffion may be brought to an intenfe' degree of heat without — the acceflion of any acid patts to — work upon them. But then fur ther, when we are told; that Aqua Regis by its Acidity working on the - Metalline’Alcali makes a‘ diffolution . of the Metal; I am told’ indeed — what they think to be'the. Agent i — this — but not: atvall: fatisfied: — | how — of Meali andAcioum, = 38 how this Agent effe@sit 5 for, Cop- per being a very hard metal, and — Gold generally efteemed -by Chy- mifts the clofeft and compadeft Bo- dy innature, I would gladly know, by what power and way fuch weak and probably either brittle or flex- ible bodys, as acid Salts, are enabled with that force to disjoin fuch fo- lid and clofely coherent Corpufcles as make up the vifible maffes of Copper and Gold, nay, and {cat- ter them with that violence as per- haps to tofsup multitudes of them into the air. And fince in the diffo- lution of thefe Metals there is ano- ther Phenomenon to. be accounted for, as well as the forcing of the parts afunder, namely the fuftenta- tion of the Metalin the Menftruum, the Chymifts would have much in- formed me, if they had well ex- plained, how their Acidum and Al- cali is able to fuftain and give flui- dity to the Corpufcles of the diffolv- ed Metal, which though it be but. Hie sn Le Cop- bulk 4” water € ial to it Mah nd if it be Gold, 8 ric el oir He : than the Liquor that muft? ki ep it from finking 5 and ar -leaft divers ‘times heavier in (pecie than the Salts, that are mingled with thé‘ aqueous ‘parts, can make the Menftruumcom- poled of them both. Whereas Trial — has afiured me, that, if a piece of — Wax or any other. fuch matter be — made by lefs than the’ hundredth — part heavier than an equal bulk of Water, it will,; when thoroughly — immerfed,fallto the bottom andreft © there. L might alfo ask a further Queftion abour thefe Diffolutionsjas why , whereas Agua Regis diflolves Mercury without being much chan- gedin colour by it, Gold retains its own Citrinity or yellownels in the folvent, andthe folution of Copper isofa colour, which being greenifh- blew is quite differing from that of — the metal that affords it, as well as’ from ‘that of the folvent >»! And: P | might yy ‘4 . “pf Alcali and Acidum. 33 " wih recruit thefe with other aie. ries not impertinent,’ bur that thefe may fuffice (for a fample ) on this Occafion, and allow me to con- clude this Chapter, by reprefent- ing One thing which I would glad- ly recommend and inculcate to you, namely, that Thofe* Hypothefes do not a little binder the progrefs of _ Humane knowledge that introduce Morals and Politicks into the Ex- plications of Corporeal Nature , _ where all things are indeed tranf- added according to Laws Mechani- ‘ ¢al. - re oO CH Rp xe H AP. VIN. ° = = - | Might pe have ae more co- pious in the Inftances annext to — ‘the foregoing Animadverfions, but that, being defireus to be fhort as well as clear , | purpofely declined 7 to make ufe of divers others, that {eemed proper to be employed, and indeed might fafely enough have. been fo, becaufe thofe 1 have men- tioned, and efpecially thofe, (which make a great part of them) that are ‘Mechanical, are not liable to. the fame exceptions, that Tf forefaw might be made toelude the force of the Examples I paffed by. And - though I think I could very well make thofe forefeen Objections ap- pear groundlefs or unfatisfactory a yet that could {carce be done wre | Out engaging in Controverfies that — would prove more tedious than I jadged them neceflary. iii: And of Alcalt and Acibum. — 35 And yet, although what I have faid in this Excurfion be but a part. ‘of what I could fay , I would nor be thought to have forgot what [ intimated at the beginning of ir, - For though the Reafons I alledged keep me from acquicfcing in the Dottrine of Alcali and Acidum, as *tis propofed under the notion of a _ Philofophical Hypothefis, fuch as the Cartefian or Epicurean, which are each of them alledged by their em- bracers to be Mechanical , and of a very Catholick extent; yet I de- ny not,that the Confideration of - the Duellifts Cor ‘the two jarring Principles of Alcali and Acidum ) may be of good ufe to Spagyrifts and Phyfitians, as I elfewhere fur- ther declare. Nor dol pretend by the paft difcourfe that queftions one Dodtrine of the Chymifts, to beget a general contempt of their Noti- ons, and much lefs of their Experi- - ments. For the operations of Chy- _ miftry may be mifapplied by the er- ie > 9°... Yeneous 36 Reflections upon the Dype “roneous Reafonings of | the ‘Artitt ee without ceafi ing to be themfelves ( things of great ufe, as being ya cable as_ well to the Difcovery | a Confirmation of folid Theories, as ‘the production of new Phenomena, and beneficial effects. Andthough — I think, that many Notions of Para- celfus and Helwont and fome other Eminent Spagyrifts are unfolid, and not worthy the yenerationthat their Admirers cherith for them yet di- vers of the Experiments, which ei- ther aré alledged to. favour thefe notions, or on other accounts are to. be met with among the followers of thefe men, deferve the curiofity. if not the efteem of the Induftrious In-. quirers into Natures .Myfteries. And looking upon Chymiftry. ee grofs as a Di(cipline fubordinate to. | Phyfiques, even Mechanical Philos, fophers may juftly, ia my opinion, think favourably of it, fince,whate ever Imperfedctions,or, if they pleale,, | Eatrareganiss there | may. Ph ih | | id » iw of Meali and Aetoum. = 37 the Principles and Explications of Paracel[ys or other Leading Artifts, thefe faults of. the Theorical part may be fufficiently compenfated - by the Utilities that may be deri- ved from the Practical part. And this I am the rather induced to fay, becaufe the Experiments, that Chymiftry furmifhes, may much -—aflitt a Naturalift to reGifie the Pen x Erroneous Theories ‘that often: times accompany Them, and even thofe (Miftakes) that are endeavour’d © to be evinced by them. And ( to conclude ) Chymiftry feems to deal with men itn refe- rence to Notions , as it does in re- ference to Metals, affifting wary men to detedt the Bzrrors, unto which it may have mifled the un- wary: For the fame Art that has taught fome to impofe on os thers, (and perhaps themfelves firft) _by blanching Copper, imitating Gold, _ &es does alfo fupply Say-matters and | Qui tf { #,8c. hige di and Ricfinesh with the Means, b the Cupel, Cements , Aqua forti _ &c. to examine, whether Coins be true or falfe, and difcover Adalte- “are Gold and Silver to be i et. oi ad / “ ver hey + . / , r ~ * ae ed « " . ) ay ea ; q ~ s” q ey / . ae \ aR f vo fe 2 * . i {; a2 yas Pr, ~ , 4 oa) ; bi Be RT ae *s ~ hee aa cyte iN Phas) 7 plier ype Pe) ‘0 trod a4 om 1 | hy / . ’ on ‘ : ’ Pag : MM \ . 4 1 Me , y r 1 i ‘ +f “- - 4 E %. - sd ~ \ het x . " KS a ' Pe i : : ot fis hala” ae oe : | Sak ite - (1) ADVERTISEMENTS 1 yi About the EXPERIMENTS AND NOTES _Relatingto CHY MICAL Qualities. " A 7 Hen,after I had gone through WV YV_~=thecommon Operations of Chymiftry, I began to make fome ferious Reflections on them, I thought ‘twas pity, that Inftruments that might prove fo ferviceable to the advancement of Natural Philo- fophy, fhould not be more ftudioutly and skilfully made ufe of to fo good noe a yg a pur- Se ee te RN Ae oh qe fe 7S) Gar eh Tk 2 WP) OAT SRR SI oa 7 ‘ 5 ‘ Sapte pan geo 4 u 1 ay Eh iy aU ty hy wy / sv ee . v7 5) ay > y j ? a ie ; mh Ay gits } a purpofe.. I ba Windved: that divers . of the Chymifts had by a che wg and laudable employment of their — pains and induftry , ebtain’d divers Productions, and lighted on feveral Phenomena confiderable in their 7 kind , and indeed more numerous, than, the narrownefs and fterility of their Principles confiderd, could well be expected. But TI obferved too, that the generality of thofe that bufi ie themfelves about Chymical O- perations 5 fome becaufe they pra- Bh Gife Phyfick; and others becaufe — they either much wanted, or gree- dily coveted money, aimed in their Trials but at the Preparation of | good Medicines for the humane bo- dy, or todifcover the ways of cu- ring the Difeafes or Imperfections of Metals, without referring their Tri- - als to the advancement of Natural — Philofophy in general; of which mofttoi the Alchymifts feem to have been fo incurious, that not onely they did not inftitute Espen or : = ee ANS D. | for that purpofe, but overlookt and defpis’d thofe undefign'd ones that occurr’'d to them whilft they were profecutiog a preparation of a Me- dicine, or’ a Tranfmutation of Me- tals. The fenfe I had of this too ge- neral omiflion of the Chymifts, tem- pted me fometimes to try, whether _Icould do any thing towards the re- pairing of it by handling Chymiftry; not as a Phyfician, or an Alchymift, but as a meer Naturalift, and fo by applying Chymical Operations to Philofophical purpofes. And in _ purfuance of thefe thoughts, I re- - member I drew up a Scheme of what I ventur’d tocall a Chymia Philofo- _ phica, not out of any affeCation of a fplendid Title, but to tatimate, that the Chymical Operations, there treated of, were not directedto the ufual fcopesof Phyficians, or Tranf- muters of Metals, but partly to il- luftrate or confirm fome Philofophi- cal Theories by fach Operations 3 and partly to explicate thofe Opera- } yi ie a a tions oe ‘ tions by the help of fach 1 1 Thear P ries. (2 h. peg But before I had lac any great progrefs in the purfuit of this i fign, the fatal Peftilence that raged — in Londow, and in many other parts of | England, inthe years 1664 and a obliging me among the reft to make {everal removes 3 which put me upon taking new meafures, and engagirg me in other employments of my time, made me fo leng neglect the Papers] [had drawnup, that arlaft f knew not where to finde them, (though I hope they are not yer miflaid beyond recovery, ) which I was the lels troubled.at, becaufe the great difficulties, to be met with Jn fuch an undertaking, did not alittle difcourage me, fuch a Task requi-: ring as well as deferving a Perfon © better furnifhed, than I had reafon — to think my felf, with Abilities, Lei-, fure , Chymical Experiments, and Conveniences, totry as many more. as fhould appear needful. But yet C5) | to break the Ice for any that may hereafter think fic to fet upon fucha Work , or to fhorten my own La- bour, if I fhould fee caufe torefume - je my felf, I was content to throw in among my Notes about other Parti- cular Qualities, fome Experiments and Obfervations about fome of thofe, that I have elfewhere call'd Chymical Qualities, becaufe ‘tis chief- ly by the Operations of Chymifts, that men have been induced to take fpecial notice of them. Of thefe Notes I have afligned to fome Qua- lities more, and tofome fewer, as either the nature or importance of the Subject feemed to require, or my Leifure and other Circumftan- ces would permit. And though I have not here handled the Subjeéts they belonged to, as if I intended fucha Chymia Philofophica as 1 \ate- ly mentioned, becaufe my defign did not make it neceflary , but did perhaps make it impertinent for me todo {o, yet in fome of the larger | | Notes G6) a Notes about Volatility and Fixti se ft, 7 and efpecially about Precipitation, 1 4 have given fome little Specimens of the Theorical part of a Philofophi- q cal Account of thofe Qualities or Operations, that 1 hope will not be wholly ufelefs. I know, it may be objected, that I fhould haveemploy- ed for Inftances fome more confider- able Experiments , if not Arcanas, but though poflibly I am not alto- gether unfurnifhed with fuch, yet aiming rather to promote Philofo- phy, than appear a Poffefior of ela- borate Proceffes, I declined feveral — Experiments that required either’ more skill, or more time, or more expence than could be well expect. _ ed from moft Readers, and chofe rather to employ fuch Experiments as may be more eafily or cheaply tried, and, which is mainly to be — confider'd , being more fimple , are more “clearly intelligible,and more fie to have Notions and Theories buile pi csi them ef pecially confidering, --_ that a ey ae aan Fan = a 3 = po a ee : - “1. Aes ig > » : " ¢ fm, “a e _ re r 7 Fi Me 4 .} F si Ip, 4 ) P : lei , . el / - i %) - nt " , ; bat - ne 8 ae) cH : 4 i i : . ? e. \ 4 4 reyes x moe ¢ ee at * ore J By 4 . : 4 ue ha ; ’ a ays, 4.> ' : " ” aa ‘ . : ~ e , > . ; Se, ; Pat id ‘Be “t, , iy . ; wate ot ih { + 2. rs. ? mp Bi , C 4 ) eet . . am . v ) Sarees, f4e f / i laa NOTES, BORSA Bout The Mechanical Origine -. AND PRODUCTION Peery. CHAP..L . . far as T have yet oblerved.the % Qualifications or Attributes, - on whofe account a portion of matter is found to be Volatile, are chiefly four; whereof the three for- i a id moft regret ia hagle a a 4 DI the 93e oop Deigiae | x % 2sfuch; and the laft, the manner of their Unignrif the agpregite or bo- dy they make upg;; ; WB ve 1 enter upon particu- larse give me leave ‘ta dvettife yott - Kere onee-for all, That inthe follow- ing Notes about.Volatility and Fixt- nefs, when lf eak of the Gorpafeles or mihtitée a ee a body} I mean ftrictly either the a ta parts, fuch as Eatthand Water, or the Hyipoftatréal )Prin¢iples; fiich as Salt, Sulphur, or Mercury 3 for thefe things come not hére into confidera- tid :yB of onely”™ fuch, Corp (cles, whether of a-fimple, cémpouhde decompounded Nature, as have the particles they confift of fo firmly unt- ted, that they,will not, ve ba dif Joyned or dif ipared’ by’that degree of Fire or Heat, wherein the matter is fatd to be 2 yéraEe ‘orto be Bur thefe ‘combined ‘particles’ , their a regate ‘either afcénd,’ or tinue u Waifed: p er wagditut mins € 4 they ‘Speak y, ‘Or nxt One intire Capit fele.” AS ina€ Corpufcle of Sal’Aimios | nlac, a } 3 ty . ia * is 7. ah oe ¢ 4 7 rege and fpzoduaton of Molatilitp. 5 piac, whether it be a natural or fac- titious thing, or whether it be per- . fedly fimilar, or compounded of dif . fering parts, [look upon the intire Corpufcle as..a volatile | portion of matter; and fol doe on aCorputcle of Sulphur, though experience thews when °tis kindled, that it has great — ftore of'acid, Salt in it, but which, is _ not extricated by bare fublimation: And fo Colcothar of Vitriol-falls, un- der Our confideration asa fixt body, without inquiring what.cupreous or other mineral and not totally fixe _ parts may be united withthe Earthly _ ones; fince the. fires, we expofe it to; donot feparatethem. __ And this being premifed in the ge- neral, I now proceed to fome parti- culars. And firftco make a volatile body, the parts {hould be very {mall.. For, ceteris paribus,thofe that are fo, are more eafily put into motion by the action of the fire and other A- gents, and confequently more apt to be elevated, when, by the determi- nation of the movent, the fituation | iil “A 3 of a Ee a ae 6 Mithe Dechanital Dagine - of ‘the neighbouring bodies, or other — Mechanical Circumftances, the agi- — tated Corpufcles can continue theit motion with lefs refiftance upwards than any other way, (as either down- ~ wards or horizontally.) And if, as: tis highly probable, that which in ~ light bodies, or at leaft in moft of - them, is wont to pafs for pofitive Le- vity, be but a lefs degree of gravity than that of thofe contiguous bodies — that raife them 5 it will happen, that in very many cafes, (for I fay not in all) the great proportion of the fur- | face of a Corpufcle toits bulk,(which - is ufually greater in the leffer parti- cles) by making it more apt to be wrought on, either by the air agita- ted by the fire, or by the effiuvia of kindled fuell, or by the impulfe of the fhaken Corpufcles of the body it felf, will much facilitate the elevati- on of fuch a minute particle, by ex- pofing a greater portion of it to the © action of the agent, as it will often- times alfo facilitate the renewed fu- ftentation of fuch a {mall body in the : air, pe and JOobudion of Molatility. 7 air, which refifts more the defcent of particles whofe “furfaces are large, than of others of the fame gravity and bulk : Asa leaf of paper difplay- ed will much longer hover in the Air, than if it were reduced into 2 ball or pellet. That this minutenefs of particles may difpofe them to be carried upwards, by the impulfe of other bodies and that of the agitated _ Air, 1s very obvious to be obferved: As we fee, that Horfes ina high-way, though they be not able with the ftrokes of their feet to make ftones, or gravel, or clods of Earth fly up, | yet they will eafily raife clouds of . duft oftentimes mingled with the fmaller grains of fand. And where Timber is fawing, the fame wind that will not inthe leaft move the beams, and fcarce at all move the chips, will eafily carry up the Saw-duft into the Air. And we fee in our Chimneys, _ that the fmoak readily afcends, whilft even {mall clods of foot, which is but an aggregate of the particles of {invak, fall headlong down. wisn | “"A4 CORR iw. ¢ eb ocleeem efile pie th mia S16 Cie: Mii soloing whivero ore: odalo ermrlto. fo wees ns ABE: next naliccuee requifite f.; in. the corpulcles of Volatile | badies i ee that. they, be not too folid — or heavy..,,Forifithey befo, though — their.bulk:be very. {mall, yet, uolefs — other,.Circumftances do. much com- penfate. their weight, ‘twill be very, . 4 difficult to elevate.them,, becaufe. of . the great difproportion of their fpe- — cific gravity. to that of the Air, — (which contributes, to fuftain ande- ven raife many forts of volatile parts) vand fo,the ftrength of the igneous. effluvia or other agents that would carry themup. . Thus we. fee, that filings of Lead or Iron, and. even Minium (which ts the calx of Lead) though the grains they confift of be yery. imal, will not ig ily be Plans » 10999 vat ~habaad pater * 3 A. third ‘Qaalifieation to a gas ” the Ld aaa that fhould make . A up — » *s ._ - | wt ‘ = t and {Pzbbudion of Colatility. 9: up a Volatile body is, that they be: conveniently fhaped for motion. For: if they be of branched, hook’d, or other very irregular or inconvenient: figures,.they will be apt to be ftopt and detained by other bodies, or en- tangled among themfelves, and con- fequently very difficult to be carried upwards, in regardthat, whilft they: are thus faftened either to one ano- ther, or to any ftable body ; each fingle Corpufcle is not onely to be: confidered, as having its own pecu- liar bulk, fince its cohefion withthe other corpufcle or body that detains’ it, makes:them fit to bé look’d upom per modum Unius; that degree of heat they are expofed to being pre- fumed uncapable of disjoyning them: And this may be one Reafon, why Water, though it be {pecifically. hea- vier than Oil, yet is much more eafily brought to exhale in the form of va- pours than is Oil, whofe corpufcles by the lafting {tains they leave on cloath, wood, wool, &c. (which wa- ter will but tranfiently »moiften, not 4 {tain) er. {tain) Tciaglt to obe of very i intan rhing” : figures. vuood . The fourth io laft qualification’ | L requifite i in a Volatile body is, that ) the parts do loofely adhere» or at Jeaft be united in fuch a manner, as — does not much indifpofe them to be feparated by the fire in the form of fumes or vapours. | "4 For he that confiders the matter, will eafily grant, that, ifthe contex- ture of the corpufcles, whereof a bo- dy confifts, be intricate, or their co- hefion ftrong, their mutual implica- tion, or their adherence to each o- ther, will make one part hinder ano- ther from flying feparately away, and ‘ their conjunction will make them too > heavy or unweildy to be elevated to- gether, as intire though compounded parts. Thus we fee, that in Spring, or the beginning of Summer, a wind, though not faint, is unable to carry off the lighteft leaves of trees, be- caufe they ftick faft tothe bows and twigs on which they grow, but in Autumn, when that adhefion ceafes, — and and Peobudion of Colatility, 11 and the leaves fit but loofely on, a wind no ftronger than that they re- fitted before, will with eafe blow them off, and perhaps carry them up a good way into the Air. But here note, that it was not without fome caufe, that I added above, that in a fluid body, the parts fhould at leaft be united in fuch a manner, as does not much indifpofe them to be fepa- rated, For °tis not impoflible, that the parts of a body may, by the fi- . gures and {moothnefs of the furfaces, be fufficiently apt to be put into mo- tion, and yet be indifpofed to admit _ fuch a motion as would totally fepa- _yate them and make them fly up into the Air. As, if you take two pieces of very flat and well-polifhed marble ‘or glafs, and lay them one upon the other, you eafily make them ilide a- long each others furfaces, but nat eafily pull up one of them, whileft ‘the other continues its {tation. And when Glafs is in the ftate of fufion, the parts of it will eafily {lide along each other, (as is ufual in thofe of o- | ther a + fluids) fis pei -cha , places, and yet the continuity of the whole is not intirely broken, | but; every corpufcle does, fomewher . touch fome .other corpulcle ot | thereby maintain the cohefion that indifpofes it for that intire Ceci | accompanied with a motion upwards - that we call avolation, _ And fo, - when Salt- peter alone, isin a Cruci- ble expofed to the fire,. though ave ry moderate degree of it will fuffice — to bring the Salt toa ftate of fufion, and confequently to put the corpu-, {cles that compofe it into a reftle(s motion; yet a greater degree of heat,, than is neceflary. to melt it, will not extricate fo much as the Spirits, and make them fly away. CHAP. III. AY E Bigoting Dofirine of ae » Volatility of bodies may be as “well Uluftrated as applied, if we. proceed to deduce from it the Bare. | rall % 4 + afd PPzodudion of Colatility, 13 gall ways of Volatilization of bodies, or of introducing volatility into an _affigned’ portion of matter. For _ thefe wayes{eem not inconveniently reducible to five, which I thall feve- rally mention, though Nature and Art do ufually imploy two or more of them in conjunction. © For’ which ReafonT would not, when {peak of one of thefe wayes, "be underftoodas if, excluding the reft, I meant that no other concurred with it. © The firft of the five ways or means of Volatilizing a body'is, to reduce it Into minute'parts, and,ceter#s paribus, the more’ minute they: are the bet terse 3 4) That the bringing a body into ve- —-¥¥ minute parts may? much.conduce to the vélatilizing of it, may be ga- thered from ‘the vulgar practice. of the Chymifts,:- who when they would fublime oF: diftill Antinrony, Sal Ar- moniac , Sea-falt, Nitre, @c.. are ‘wont to peu! them to powders to fa- | ‘Gilitate’ theimreceiving a further com- zr: by ‘the adtion’ of the ee An , Aod herel slater Rien pute | dies this comminution ought not to _ be made onely at fir{t, but tobe con- tinued afterwards. For Chymifts find by experience, though perhaps with out confidering the reafon of it, that Sea-falt and Nitre, will very hardly afford their Spirits in Diftillations, without they be mingled with pows dered clay or bole, or fome fuch o- ther additament, which ufually twice or thrice exceeds the weight of the Salt it felf: Although chefe addita- ments, being themfelves fixt, feem unlikely ‘to promote) the. volatiliza- tion of the bodies mixt with them, yet by hindering the {mall grains. of Salt to melt together into one lump or mafle, and confequently by keep- ing them in the ftate.of Comminutir on,they much conduce to the driving up of the Spirits or the finer parts of the Salts; by the’ operation of ahe fire. ..t3 But to profcoute a. little’ what I was faying of the Conducivenels of bringing a body into {mall-parts i the and Peodudion of Colatility, 15 the volatilization of it, I thall adds that infome cafes the Comminution may be much promoted by employ- ing Phyfical, after Mechanical, ways and that, @vheo the parts are brought to fucha pitch of exiguity, they may ‘be elevated much better than before. Thus, if you take filings of Adars,and mix them with Sal Armoniack,fome few parts may be fublimeds but if, as [have done, you diffolve thofe fi- dings in good Spirit of Salt inftead of * Oil of Vitriol, and having coagula- ted the folution, you calcine the gree- nifh Cryftalls or vitrioluw Martis that _ will be afforded, you may with eafe, and in no long time, obtain a Crocus Martis of very fine partss fo that I _gemember, when we exquifitely min- gled this very fixt powder with a convenient proportion of Sal Arwo- niac, and gradually prefsd it with-a competent fire, we were able to ele- vate at the firft Sublimation a confi- _derable part of it 3 and adding alike, * or fomewhat inferiour, proportion of freth $a} drmoniac to the Caput BMor- ae tuum, thin, we Sod eat fo ‘confid ‘apart. of that -alfo,- andi “of the Crocus, that WE choughesm ag we ‘had had: Convenicncy to purfue’ he ope ‘ation, we fiiould, by-ndf a reo peated Sublimations, ff elevated the whole Crocus, whieh ( ohi at th iat ‘upon the by,): afforded a Sublima ‘ ‘fo very aftringent a’ Tatty 6d may, make the trial ‘of it in ftanching a blood, {topping of fluxes, and othet : ‘cafes, ‘where potent attrition is d fired, atti of a wip Guio.” fity. 4 ie! e 3 3 GlEASS \ SRWLOM ; TON Oau Prine ie tH 49 | yious. 30 LEW tape “CHAP. IV) 90 90 4a iw iwy 39 ui Aawi'h 3 E fecond ineane'te xistarilive bodies is, to rub: etind, or’ o- ehtby ie? reduce their corpufcles to be either {mooth,: or otherwife fidly fhaped toclear themfelves;"orbe: dif- pe Fa from each other?! 14 9/5" ouBy reafon ofthe minutene(f the iegrpinfcles: which keepsithervfiém’ — (eparately : esi ‘the LYE ao? and jPeodudion of Holatility, 17 Eye,’tis not to be expected, that im- mediate and ocular Inftances fhould be given on this’ occafion; but that fuch a change is to be admitted in the {mall parts of many bodies, brought to be volatile, feems highly proba- . ble from the account formerly given of the requifites or conditions of Vo- latility , whofe introduction into a portion of matter will fcarce be exe. plicated without the intervention of — fuch achange. To this fecond Inftru- ment of Volatilizaticn, in concur- rence withthe firft, may probably be referred the following Phenome- na: In the two firft of which there is imployed no additional volatile In- gredient ; and in the fourth, a fixe body is difpofedto volatility by the operation cf a Liquour, though this becarefully abftra@ted from it: — 1. If Urine frefhly made be put to diftill, the Phlegm will firft afcend, and the Volatile falt will not rife till _that be almoft totally driven away, _and then requires a not inconfidera- ble degree of fire to elevate it. aa | Bi |: ale i 18 OF the Berbanical Detgitie - it you putteli or digeft Utine, — though ina well-cloled Clats-Veellel, for fevenor eight weeks, that gentle — warmth will make the fmall parts fo rub again{t, or otherwile a upon, — one another, that the finer ones oO : : the Salt will perhaps be made more flender and light, and however will | be made to extricate themfelves fo far as to become volatile , and, a- {cending ina very gentle heat, leave the greateft part of the phlegm be- hindthem. pe ee 2. So, if Muft, or the {weet juice of Grapes, be diftilled before it have ‘been fermented, ‘tis cbferved by _Chymitts, and we have tried the like: in artificial Wine made of Raifins, | that the phlegm, but no ardent Spirit, will afcend.. Bue when this Liquour is reduced to Wine by fermentation, © which is accompanied with a great — and inteftine commotion of the juft-— ling parts, hitting and rubbing againtt one another., whereby fome jproba- ; bly come to be breken, others to be varioufly ground and fubtilized, the | more and jPeoducion of Holatility. 19 tore {ubtile parts of the Liquour be- ing extricated, or fome of the parts being; by thefe operations, brought to be fubtile, they are qualified to be railed by avery gentle heat be- fore the phlegm, and conyene into ‘that fugitive Liquour,that Chymitfts, for its activity, call Spirit of Wine. Nor is it onely, in the fighter Inffan- ces afforded by Animals and Vegeta- bles, that Volatility may be effected by. the means lately mentioned : For experience hath aflured me, that‘tis - - poflible, by.an artificial and long di- _geftion, wherein the parts have let- fure for frequent juftlings and attriti- ons, foto fubtilize and difpofe the _corpufcles even of common Salt for Volatility, that we could make them »afcend.in a moderate fire of Saad without the help of Bole, Oil of Vi- trio), or any Volatilizing additaments and, which is more confiderable, the Spirit would in rifing precede the Phlegm, and leave the greateft part thereof behind it. - ; This inteftine commotion of parts _ | B22 capable 40 Df the Pethanicat Mrigine | _ capable of producing Volatility inthe more difpofed portions of a body, — though it be much more eafietobe — found in Liquours, or in moift and — foft bodies, yet 1 have fometimes, — though rarely, ‘met with it in dry — ones. And particularly I remember, — that fome years ago having, for trial fake, taken Muftard-feed, which isa — body pregnant with fubtile parts, and — caufed it to be diftilled per fe in.a Re- — tort, I had, as I hoped, (without any more ado,) a great many grains of a — clear and figured Volatile falt at the very firlt diftillation : which Experi- — ment having, for the greater fecuri- ty, made a fecond time with the like fuccefs, I mentioned it to fome Lo- vers of Chymiftry, as what I juftly » fuppofed they had not heard of. I leave it to farther Inquiry, whether, ina body fo full of Spirits as Muftard- | feed, the action and re-action of the _ parts among themfelves, perhaps pro- — moted by juft degrees of fire, might not fufice to make in them a change equivalent.in order to Volatilization, — and and JOzodudion of Colatility, 21 and the yielding a Volatile Salt, to that which we have obferved Fermen- tation and Putrefaction to have made in the juice of Grapes, Urine, and fome other bodies. How far the like fuccefs may be expected in other Tri- alls, Tcannot tell; efpecially not ha- ving by me any Notes of the events of fome Attempts which that Inguiry put me upon: Onely I remember 1n general, that, as fome trials, I made ‘with other Seeds, and even with A- romatick ones, did not afford me any — Volatile Salts fo the fuccefs of other trials made me now and then thiok, that fome fubjects of the Vegetable kingdom, whence we are wontto © drive over acid Spirits, but no dry ~ Salt, may be diftilled with fo luckily ~ regulated a heat, asto afford fome- thing, though but little, of Volatile Salt; and that perhaps more badies would be found to doe fo, were they not too haftily or violently preft by the fire, whereby fuch faline fche- matifms of the defired parts of the ‘matter are (by being diflipated or | B34,’ “COte confotinded ) dettoyed or vit it ted 5 asin a flow, d extrous, Of fortunate — way of management would come!” forth, not in a liquid, but a fali e form. Of which Obfervation we may elfewhere mention fome Taftan- ees, and fhall before the clofe of this Paper name one, afforded us by ¢ crude Tartar, | 4, Though Silver be one of the fixedft bodies that we know of, yet that “tis not impoflible but that chief ly by a change of, Texture, it ey itrangely be difpofed to Volatility, I was induced to think by what ie | member once happened to me. A Gentleman of my acquaintance, ftu- dious of Chymical Weing. having. lighted on a ftrange Menftraum, which he affirmed, and I had fome caufe to believe, not to be corrofive, | he abftraGted it from feveral metalls, ( for the fame Liquour would ferve again and again, ) and brought t me the Remainders, with a delite that I would endeavour to reduce thafe o Lead and Silver into the priftine ie tals. and JPeodudion of Clolatilitp,, 23 tals again, which he had in vain at tempted to doe: whereupon, though I found the white Calx of Lead re- ducible, yet when I came to the Calx of Silver, Iwas not able to bring it into a body; and having at length melted fome Leadin a gentlefire, to try whether I could make it {wallow up the Calx, in order toa farther o- peration, I was not a little furprized to find, that this mild heat made the Calx of Silver prefently fly away and fublime inthe form of a fariza volati- lis, which whitened the neighbouring part of the Chimney, as well asthe upper part of the Crucible. 4 From that which Chymifts themfelves tell us, I think we may draw a good Argument ad hominem, to prove, that Volatility depends much upon the texture and- other Mechanical affections of a body. For divers of thofe Hermetick -Philofo- -phers (as they are called) that write -of.the Elixir, tell us, that when their Philofophick Mercury ,or,grand Sol- svent, being fealed up together with a a ial B 4 third 24 OF the Pechanical Oigine — chird or fourth part of Gold in owls’ 4 Egg, is kept inconvenient degrees of — fire, the whole matter, and confe- _ quently the Gold, will, by the mutu- — al operation of the included Subftan- ces, be fo changed, that not onely ‘twill circulate up and down in the glafs, but, in cafe the digeftion or de- codtion fhould be broken off at a cer- tain inconvenient » time, the Gold would be quite fpoil'd, being, by the paft and untimely-ended operation, made too Volatile to be reducible a- gain into Gold: whereas,if the decoc- - tion be duly continued unto the end, not onely the Gold, but all the Philo- | fophical Mercury or Menfiruune will _ be turned intoaSulpbur or powder of a wonderfully fixt nature. I know, there are feveral Chryfopzans, that {peak much otherwife of this Opera- tion, and tell us, that the Gold im- ployed about it muft be Philofophick Gold: But I know too, that there are divers others (and thofe toonone ‘of the leaft candid or rational) that fpeak of it as I have dones and That | IS and PP2nvudion of Molatility. 25 is fufficient to ground an Argument on towards all thofe that embrace Their doétrine. And in this cafe *tis confiderable, that ’tis not by any fuperadded additament, that the moft fixt body of Gold is made volatile, but the fame mafly matter, confi- - {ting of Gold and Philofophick Mer- cury, iss by the change of texture produced or occafioned by the va- rious degrees and operations of fire uponit, brought to be firft Volatile, and then.extreamly fixt. And having {aid this in reference to one tribe of ‘the Modern Spagy rifts; to another of them, the Helwontians, I think I can offer a good Argument ad hominem from the Teftimony and Experiments of the Founder of their Sect. 5. The acute Helwont, among o- ther prodigious powers that he a- fcribes to the Alkaheft, affirms, that, , by abftracting it frequently enough, it would fo change all tangible bo- dies, and confequently {tones and metals, that they might be diftilled over into Liquours equiponderant ) | | aye to the refpective bodies ne afforded — them, and having all the Qualities, — of Rain-waters which if they ave, 1 need not tell you that they mt {t_ be — very Volatile. And I fee not how, thofe that admit the Truth of this — ftrange Alkaheftical operation, can — well deny, that Volatility depends — upon the Mechanical affections of matter, fince it appears not, that the Alkaheft does, at leaft in our cafe, work upon bodies otherwife than Mechanically. And.it mutt. be con- feft, that the fame material parts of a portion of cprporses fubftance , which, when they were affociated — and contexed (whether by an Arche- us, feed, form, or what elfe you pleafe,) tees focks a determinate man- ner, conftituted a folid and ‘fixt.bo- dy, asa Flint or a lump.of Gold; by haviog their Texture. diffolved, and - Cperhaps. after -being fubtilized) by being freed from their former impli- cations or firm cohefions, .may ,be- come the, parts of a Baia dy tout ly Volatile. CHAP, and Pzoducion of Ctolatitity. 27 Sat ae, Ve ; - 4 - % Pe - “HE fourth means of makipg a ~ bedy Volatile is, by aflocia- ting the particles to be raifed with fuch as are more Volatile than them- felves,and of a figure fit to be fattened to them, or are at leaft apt, by be- ing added tothem, to make up with them corpufcles more difpofed than they to Volatility. This being the grand Inftrument of Volatilization, I thall fpend fomewhat the more time about it : But} fhall firft here a little -explainthe laft claufe, (that I may not be obliged to refume it elfewhere, ) by intimating, that ‘tis not impoflible, that the particles of an additament, though not more volatile than thole — of the body ’tis mixt with, and per- _ haps though not volatile at all, will yet Conduce to volatilize the body wherewith ’tis mingled. For the par- ticles of the additament may be of fuch figures, and fo affociated with thofe of the body to be elevated, = We as ee age : * Ave . ee 28 Of the Becbanicat Deigine as in this to enlarge the former purest! } or produce new ones, by intercep- — ting Hetle cavities (for they muft not — be great ones) between the particles of a body to be raifed, and thofe of — the additament. For, by thefe and — other fuch ways of affociation, the _corpufcles, refulting from the com- bination or coalition of two or more of thefe differing particles, may, without becoming too big and un- wieldy, become more conveniently fhaped, or more light in proportion. to their bulk, and fo more eafily buoyed up and fuftained in the air, Cas when the Lid of a Copper-box ~ being put on, makes the whole box . emerge and {wim in water,becaufe of the intercepted cavity, though nel- ther of the parts of the box would doe fo,) or otherwife more fitted for avolation than the particles them-_ felves were before their being joined. to thofe of the additament. By two things chiefly the corpu- {cles of the additament may contri-. bute to the elevation of a body. For Pel and JPzoduction of Colatility, 29 firfi; the parts of the former may be — much more difpofed for avolation than is neceflary to their own Vola- tility. As when in the making of Sal Armoniac, the faline particles of Urine and of Soot are more fugitive than they need be to be themfelves fublimed, and thereby are advanta- ged to carry up with them the more fluggith corpufcles whereof Sea-falt — ‘confifts. And mext, they may be of ‘figures fo proper to faften them well to the body to be elevated, that the -more fugitive will not be driven a- way or disjoyned from the more fixt by fuch a degree of Heat as 1s fufhici- ent to raife them both together : To which effeé& the congruity or figura- tion is as well required, as the light- nefs or volatility of the particles of the additament. And therefore fome of the fugitiveft bodies that we know, as Spirit of Wine, Cam- . phire, @c. will not volatilize many bodies which will be elevated by ~ far lefs fugitive additaments 3 becaufe the corpufcles of Spirit of Wine ftick i not not to ‘here 43 - orca th 2y ate mingled with, but, ih men up themfelves, leave thofe behind them, — which they, did rather. barely. touch — than firmly adhere to : Whereas far lefs fugacious. Liguours,. if they be --indowed with figures that. fit | a for. acompetently firm cohefion with the body they are mingled with, will be able to volatilize it. Of which I thall now give. you fome Inftances in bodies that are.very shies very fixt, or both. : And I “fhall begin, with Colc though it being a vitriolate calx made by a lafting and vehement fire, , 19. ( “eseane 8 capable of .refifting _ fuch.a one his being. exquifitely ground with) an equal weight of Sal » Armoniac, which 1s it felf,a Salt but moderately volatile, will be in good part fublimed into. thofe., yellow Flowers, which we have. elfewhere more particularly. taught, to, prepare, under the namejof Ens primumVene- ris 5in which, that. many. .witriolate cor. rputcles of the Colcotharare erally ele- and JMonudion of Colatilitp. 31 elevated, you may eafily find by put- tiig ‘a grain or two of that reddith Subftatice into a ftrong infufion of Galls} which will thereby imntediate- fy acquire an inky colour. ~ Steel alfo, which, to deferve that name, ‘muft have endured extraordi- nary violences of the fire, and grea- ter.than is needfull to obtain other © ‘metalls from their Mother Earths Steel it felf, I fay, being reduced to filings, and diligently ground with a- | ‘bout an equal weight of Sal Armo- niac, will, if degrees of fire be skil- fully adminiftred , (for ‘tis eafie to err inthat point,) without any pre- -Vious calcination or reduction to a Crocus, {after fo much of the metal] to be carried up, as will give the Sal ‘Armoniac a notable colour, and an~ ironifh taft. ek O00 And here it will be proper to ob- ferve, forthe fake of practical Chy- mifts, that the Quantity or Propor- tion of the Volatile additament is to be regarded; though not fo much as “its Nature, yet more than it Is wont “ay to ‘ot the ‘@ecbanical DMigine to nn : And divers bodies, that are thought either altogether unfit for — Sublimation, or at leaft uncapabli le to . have any confiderable portion mm { them elevated, may be copionfly e- nough fublimed, if a greater propor- tion of the additament, than we ufual- ly content our felves with, be skil- fully imployed. And in the new- ly-mentioned Inftance. of Filings of Steel, if, in ftead’ of an equal weight of Sal Armoniac, the treble weight be taken, and the operation © be duly managed, a far greater quan- tity of the metall may be raifed, efpe- cially if frefh Sal Arwmoniac be. care- | fully ground with the Caput Mortuum. And Sal Armoniac may perhaps be compounded with fuch other bodies, heavier than it felf, as may qualifie it, when it is thus clogged, to elevate — fome congruous bodies better than it would of it felf alone. And, fhall venture to addothis, farther Ac vertifement, That if, befides the ple ty of the additament, there be a fuf- ficient fitnefs of its particles to lay hold and jPzoduction of Uolatility. 33 hold on thofe of the body to be wrought on, Mineral bodies, and thofe ponderous enough, may be em+ ployed to volatilize other heavy bo- dies, And Iam apt tothiok, thacale moft, if not more than almoft, all Ae alls themfelves may by copious additaments and frequent Cohobati- ons be brought to pals through the neck of the Retort in diftillation 3 and perhaps, if you melt them not with equal pafts, but with many ‘parts of Regulus of Antimony, and then proceed asthe hints now given will dire&t you, you will not find © caufe to defpife what I have been OS Pe Sie alah mea _ You know what ‘endeavours have been,and are till fruitlefsly, imployed _by Chymifts to elevate fo fixe a body as Salt of Tartar by additanients. I Mall not now fpeak much of tlie en- terprize in generall, defigning chief- ly to tell you on this occafion, that, whereas frequent experience fhews, that Sal Armoniac being abltraded from Salt of Tartar, not dasly the a ne (OL NIRS TOR abs by the, operat Ikaly of T Risley a ‘into te and Urinous or fuliginous Salt, as’ "twas ai firft compofed of thofe differing | in- gredientss and that by this means the volatil Salt being loofened or disintangled from the reft, and bi of, a very fugacious Nature, eafily away it felf, without ingles Jong enough to ‘take up any “bthiee Sale withit. And therefore, if t this Analyfis of the Sal Armoniac could be ‘prevented, it feemed not impof fible to me, that fome part of the Salt of Tartar, as well as of Co, thar and Steel, might be carried up by it : And accordingly having cau- fed the Ingredients to be exceedingly well dryed, and both nimbly i carefully mixt,, and {peedily e€xpc to the fire, I have fometimes ha portion of Salt of Tartar car ec with the Sal Armoniac = but and {zobucion of Uolatility, 35 pened fo very rarely, that I fufpeted peeallty fitnefs for this work tone anihys s of Sal Atthoniac, that carce but by the effec to be dif? ae from. others. . Bue however; has appened to us: thay argue of ffibility of the thing, and may to thew the volatilizing efficacy al Armoniac 5 which is a Comh- ferve! i pound, that lelfewhere recommend, and doe i it now again, as one of the ie afefullett Produétions of vulgar Chy- miftry: _ And fi ince I have metitioned the Volatilization of Salt of Tartar, pre- fuming’ your ‘Curiofity \ will make you — defire t my Opinion about the Poflibi- ne of 3 it, I thall propofe to you-a _ diltinétion, that perhaps you doe not expect, by faying, that I think there ’ a great deal of difference between the making a Volatile Salt of Tartat, 1 the making Salt of Tartar Vo- | ; | latile. For, though this feem to be but a Nicety, yet really it is none 3 and it is Very poffible, that 4 man may a from Tartar obtain a Volatile falt, i we ag and aa yet he no | w rife abe g to. Bee atilize that Tartareous Salt, that has been _ once by the i incineration of | the Tare tar brought to fixt Alkaly. ‘Tha rer in the Sceptical Chymift thith maril ak delivered a way, by which, both I, - and fome Spagyrifts that learned. it : of me, obtained from a mixture of Antimony, Nitre, and ses Tartar, a Volatil falt, which in’pi obability ‘comes from the laft named of thofe three bodies; but experience care- fully made has affured me, that with- out any additament, by a diftillation — warily and very flowly made, (info- much that I have {pent near a week in, diftilling one pound of matter) ‘very clean Tartar, or at leaft the Cryftalls of Tartar, may, in convee niently fhaped Veflels, be brought to afford a Subftanee that in Recti- fication will afcend to the upper part: of the Veffel, in the form of a Vola- ‘til Salt, as if it were of Urine or of — _Harts-horne 3 of which (Tartareous) | ‘Sale, I keep fome by: me : But this _ Operation requires not onely a dex- terous, oe e . and JPodudion of Uolatility. 37 terous ; but a patient diftiller. a now ‘as to the making a fixt aly of "Tartar become Volatil, I take it tobe another, and have foatie it to be afar more difficult, work ; the ‘common Proceffes of Serforming it being wont. to promife much more than they can take good 3 which ‘I may juftly fay of fome other, that srivate men have vaunted for great ‘Arcana, but ‘upon trial] have fatishied mé‘fo little, that’ I have divers times Offered ‘pretenders to make’ Salt of Tartar Volatil-, that without at all Ynquiring into their Procefles,!' would Jay good wagers, that they could not — doe what’they pretended; not onely as ‘divers Philofophical Spagyrifts re- ¢ juite, without any vifible additament, but by any additament® whatever 3 ‘provided I were allowed to bring the Salt of Tartar my felf,and to examine the Succefs, ‘ot by what | may appear —Gn'the ‘Alembic and Retéiver, but ‘by ‘the weight’of what would remain fi the bottom) “For I have convin- ce fome lle more Tngenuous Ar-.,. : €Qom * tifts, | not cradeedgl t hich of Tar — fomewhat. os was by | the opel - produced, or rather Catal ve of the additaments., But yet 1 wou ld not be thought to affirm, that ‘tis not poflible to. elevate the fixe Salt of Tartar. ; For fometimes I have been- able to.doeit, even at the, firtt, Di ftillation, by an artificial additament — perhaps more fixe than it felf 3 but, hough theoperation | was very grate- | full tome, as it fhewed the Poffibils ty ofthe thing, yet, the paucity 1 of | the Sale. fublimed and other Circum: ftances, kept.me from, ‘much valuing it upon any, other account,’ And. there : " are. other, wayes, - whereby Experle nce has, aflured me., that Salt of og a may,be raifed... And if on one of them were not founcertain,, that Ican, »hever promife; before handjthag — it-will,at. all:fucceed;.andi the other ~ fo laborious, difficult and,coftly, that few,,would attempt ox, aan to. practice it, J thould senite ry valuable wees fi ince by ‘the ie 2 ae abs and {Pzobudion of Colatility, 39 er way moft pare of the Salt of Tanar was quickly brought over in. the form of a Liquor , whole pier: Cir fmell was {carce tolerable; and by thejlatter way fome Salt of Tar- tar of my owns being putinto a Ke- tort, and urged but with fuch aire as could be given.in a portable Sand- furnace there remained not at the bottom near one half of the firft _ therefore fhall intimate oncly upon ” | on Os the ‘the by, “the! even the f{purious & Tartaré volatilized that i is mac th i of Vihegar, may, eb be well , ed, make amend s for itsE rt - p’ bil al fes be ‘of no defpicable ufe, both: asa hotwithftandia nB Rien! in’ vel oe i P BSSos and 4Menftruum, " Lacy peat ‘ Se e a ¢ H A P. vi td eiy ) Efote I atti eoiwahdya aC ake “fion of thefé Notes about!Vo- Jatility,” perhaps it will not be amifs, to take ‘notice’ of a ‘Phanoriefion, | ‘whieh may much’ forprife, and fome-_ ‘times ‘difappoint ‘thofe ‘that deal’ in Sablimations ; ‘unlefs they” be® fore- warned: of it. ‘For though i it betaken for granted; and for the moft’ pare “may jultly be fo, ‘that by carefully : “mingling syhvae is fublimed with ‘what remains , and re-fubliming’ tHe imix- ture, a‘ greater “quantity of the bo- dy to be fublimed: may be'clevated | “phe Resend time than’ ‘was the’ pe and © i i ppotnidion of ciate. 4X. and the’ third time than the fecond, and fo onwards; yet [have not found this Rule‘ alwayes to hold, but in’ fome Bodies; as particalarly i in fome kinds of dulcified Colcothars the Sak Armohiiac, would at' the firft Sublima~ ioneatiy up more of the fixed pow- der,‘ than at the fecond’or'third: “So that I ‘was by feveral Tryalls per- fwaded, when I found'a very well and highly coloured’ ewe eleva- | ted, to lay it by forule,’ andthereby fave m my’ felf the labour of a profe- cution ; that ‘would ’ndt' onely ‘have proved’ tfelefs, but prejudicial. And if Imiftemember not) by often re- peated Cohobations, (if I may fo call them)°of Sal Armoniac upon ‘crude or Mineral Antimony. though: the Sublimate that was’ obtained by*the firft Operation, was much of it vari- oully) ‘and in fome places richly, co-— ‘loured’ “yet afterwards, the Salt’a- ‘{cendedfrom time to time paler and paler, leaving the ‘Antimony behind ‘it. Which ‘way ‘of ‘making fome Minerals more fixt'and fafible I con- ? | ceive Medicinal yea sell & thiok i it not fit to particularize them, sb place's. ¥ af Pi ee bai ear He iin ogethe body tobe raifed, either te corpu- {cles of the Sal Armoniac, or thofe. of the other body, may have. aoe little hooked or equivalent particles, whereby they.take hold. of one an- other, broken, or worn.off;, and whe- ther.the indifpofednefs of the Colco- tharine or Antimonial partsto afcend, may notin fome.cafesibe promoted by their having, by frequent attriti- _ons, fo: {moothed their Surfaces’ that divers of them may clofely.adhere, like pieces of, polifhed Glat, and and fo make up Clufters too unweildy. to tbe fo raifed, :as,the fingle corpuicles ‘they confift of, were. Which change may difpofe.them to beat,once lefs. Valatil and ‘more F ufible. :.-Whi a patbui fon it bhatt, 3 if en ‘mention to excite you to, frame ette ot. or at. eat. to make | omilfion of examin- gee fas ry om whether the Sal ent bo rmoniac grown, white again will be fit as it was at firft to.carry up | ipa les 3. ,and alfo by obferving € . 08, the unelevated part, and Bans oying thofe . other wayes of, examen, .which I fhould have ain, if] “had hot then, made Subli- mations. for another end, than-to clear ‘up AB Doétrine of Volati- And ‘here, may:be profitable to “ Though not neceflary to my Subjed, “to intimate, that Sub- " peaone may: be ufeful'to make very e Cor pine tions of divers: bodies. 1 to a great finenels, of parts, is at vious to bs obferved in pany, Ex- pom) ee icy really Se tie | eleva- elevated ieetiee int! ceding > fine Flower, and ‘much finer tha ftles. Lit Mortis’ are wont to bri 1g But that ‘which a | intend i is Paragta ph is‘not a thing fo: obvious; © | fince’ tis to obferve, that fometimes even bodies fo fixt as ‘not at all ey 4 feend in Sublimation, may tyet be res | duced by that’ operation’ into Laos ; ders extreamly fine. Pavseae ee : ‘ing of which, fhall p she whic . that though Spagyrifts ¢ co ainmich of the Difficulty of’ makin ing ‘a'good — ‘Calx of Gold, and of: , * ef a ‘ Ae . % The Mechanical Origine 7. OR. ° _ PRODUCTION OF 2. 7 b : = * % " i ad ti ‘ x ; ; Ki #4 A , : \ if ip aR 98 28 8 Rh Ob af ah of Sf Of dfs of LONDON, Printed by EB. Flefher, for R. Davis ppook(elier i in Oxford. 1675; - cy . Sis : aed ie . * " / ty : | RE eI ECAR He HR . Poem 3. tes ; pi ‘ TaD eh icetepie ‘ Ly, . . * ’ . 4 = 7 ¥ i ~ ‘ > ¥ ‘ ; Pa a ‘ WT f - 2 * = , » _ # . * % " gpl Ay +, Bey ‘ : ’ % j i ; bs ~“ ~ ‘Av : ae hig j , : ; ¢ 3 ) ¥ f RRL! SLE RLS S & sitar eeheases The Mechatica ee . “PRODUCTION Fi x T N ESS. CHAP. I. ims x ITT being the oppofite Qua- lity to Volatility, what we have | aiteguifed about the latter, wil] make _ the nature of the former more eafily —underftood, and upon that account allow me to make fomewhat the - iticker difpatch of what I mT to yc of it. A 2. | The The Guillen th moft to theFixity ofa port ter, feem to be thefe. coe. yt Firfi, the grofsnefs or the b lk o the athe Et of, For if _ thefe be too big, they will b unwieldy and unapt to’be carried. into the Air by the a@ion of fuch mi- nute particles as thofe of the F siys and will alfo be unfit to be buo uoyed up by the weight of the Airs as we fee,that Vapours,whilft they are fuch, | are {mall enough to {wim in the Air, but can no longer be fuftained by it, when they'convene irito drops of rain or flakes of fnow. But here it is to be obferved; that when I fpeak of the corputcles that a fixt body confifts of, I mean not either its Elementary or its Hypoftatical Principles, as fuch, but onely thofe very little mafles or elufters of particles, of what kind fo- ever they be, that tick fo firmly to ene another, as not to be divifible and diffipable by that degree of fire in which the body is faid to be fixt 5 fo that each of thole little Concreti-. ons, mW ep AS a 8 or POoduction of Fiptnefs. 5 _ ons, though it may It felf be madeup _ of two, three, or more particles of a - fimpler nature, 1s confidered here per modum Unius, or as one intire cor- pufcle. And this is one Qualification con ucive to the Fixtne{s of a bo- The next is the ponderoufnefs or folidity of the corpufcles it is made up of. For if thefe be very folid, and ~€which folid and compact bodies ~ufually are) of a confiderable fpeci- fick gravity, they will be too heavy _ tobe carried up by the efflavia or » the adtion of the fire, and their pon- deroufnefs will make them as unwiel- dy, and indifpofed to be elevated by fuch Agents, asthe groffnefs of their - bulk would make bigger corpufcles, but of a proportionably inferiour fpecifick weight. On which account: the calces of (ome metals and mine- rals, as Gold, Silver, &c. though, by the operation of Solvents, or of the fire, or of both, reduced to powders exceedingly fubtile, will refift fuch vehement fires, as will eafily drive up SE in a lef ie nd ‘pad, corpufcles, than thofe ¢ _confift of Se The third Qualification ¢ se duces to the Fixity of a body longs to its Zntegral parts, a bare as they are feveral parts of it, b ' they are aggregated or contexed | _ to one body. For, the Qualification, I mean, is the ineptitude of ete m- ponent corpuicles for avolation, by reafon of their branchednefs, ir gular figures, crookednefs, or other inconvenient fhape, which intangles the particles among one another, and . makes them difficult to be extricateds _ by which means, if one of them do afcend, others, wherewith “tis com-— plicated, muft afcend with its and, whatever be the account on which divers particles ftick firmly together the aggregate will be too heavy or unwieldy to be raifed, Which} therefore take notice of, becaufe that, though ufually ’tis on the rough- nefs and irregularity of corpufcles, that their cohefion =o yet 1t fome- vu ae i} ‘ , pix 4 ‘ or JPoduction of Firtnefs. 7 -fometimes happens, that the {mooth- | nefs and flatnefs of their furfaces makes them fo ftick together, as to refift a total divulfions as may be illuftrated by what I have faid of the cohefion of polifhed marbles and the plates of glafs, and by the fixity of © _ giafs it felf in the fire. _ Fromthis account of the Caufes or, iy Requifites of Fixity, may be dedu- ced the following means of giving or adding Fixation to a body, that was before either Volatile, or lefs fixt. Thefe means may be reduced totwo general Heads; Firf?, the aGtion of the Fire, as the parts of the body, _expofed to it, are thereby made to operate varioully on one another. And xzext, the affociation of the par-. ticles of a volatile body with thofe | of fome proper additament : Which term, | of proper | I rather imploy than that, one would expect, [of fixt3] becaufe ‘twill ere long appear, that, in certain cafes, (ome volatile bodies may more conduce to the fixation of other volatile bodies, than fome fixe | An... ones of Fixation a but etwoln 4 efour or five more par ; ct, yya CHAR. HL : ‘ oA NDE fir ft, io ‘ca cafes: it aq : conduce to Fixation,that, either — by 40 additament, or by the dperati- — on of the fire, the parts of a body bi ought to touch each other in large partions « of their furfaces. For, that from (uch a contact there will follow ly be fuch a mutual cohefign, as will at leaft indifpofe the touching corpu- {cles to fuffer a total divulfion, may appear probable from what we late- ly noted of the cohefion of pieces of — marble and glafs, and from fome o- RS Phenomena belonging to the Hie — ory of Firmnefs, from which we may properly enough borrow fome — inftances, at leaft for illu{tration, in the Doétrine of Fixine/s, in regard that ufually, thong not sae ~ or Peabuation of ‘Sicenetes 9 re fat abies that make a body m. 2 ve it fome degtee of Fixity, by keeping it from being diffipated | by the wonted degrees of Heat, and fon it meets with in the Air. Bureo return to the contact we were fpeaking of, I think it not impoffible, (though you may perhaps’ think it -ftrange. ) that the bare operation of the Fire may, in fome cafes, procure a Cohefion among the particles, (and confequently make them more Pixt,) as wellas in others disjoyn them, and thereby make them more Volatile. For, as in fome bodies, the figures and fizes of the corpu(cles may be fuch, that the action of the fire may rub _ortear off the little beards or hooks, or other particles that intangle them, and by that means make it more eafie for the corpufcles to be disingaged and fly upwards 5 fo in other bodies, the fize and fhape of the corpufcles _ may be fuch, that the agitation, cau- fed by the. fire, may rub them one again{t the other, fo as by mutual at- peiion to grind, as *cweres their fur- portion of ene fuperficies, | whence will naturally follow a ! Cohefion. Which I fhall. illuftr: i ray obferve among thofe — by what we: that grind glafies for Telefcopes and Microfcopes. For, thefe Artificers, by long rubbing a piece of glafs a- gainft a metalline Dith or cone: Veffel, do by this attrition at len gth bring the two bodies ta touch one re another in fo many parts of their congruous furfaces, that they will — {tick firmly to one another, fo as fometimes to oblige the Work-man — to ufe violence to disjoyn them. And this inftance (which 1s not the — fole I could alleage)) may fuffice to fhew, howaCohefion of corpufcles may be produced by the mutual ad- — ‘aptation of their congruous furfa- ces. And if two groffer corpufcles, or! a greater number of fmaller, be thus brought to ftick together, you will . cally bag 7 ‘\ : | Bepestiheis Aggregate will sates ay vy or unwieldy for a- os pris —_ to fhew, that the fire y effect a 2 evigation in the furfa- ‘for » corpulcles, I have fome- ufed Adinium, and fome o- ces, that I judged convenient, “melted for a competent time, avehement fire conveniently ad- aiftreds whereby, according to spectation, that which was before | a dull and incoherent powder, was reduced into much groffer corpufcles, ‘multitudes of whofe grains appea- red {mooth, glittering, and almoft 3 Sleoulaier like thofe of fine litharge f golds and the mafles that thefe yrains compofed, were ufually folid ‘enough and of difficult fufion. And when we make glafs of Lead per 2, (which I elfewhere teach you how to doe,) “tis plain, that the particles of the Lead are reduced to a great fmoothnefs 5 fince, wherefoever you break the glafs, the furfaces, produ- ced at the crack, will not be jagged, sg fmooth, and confiderably {pecu- | lar. ‘ ieeacte By lame tur a ’ it : and down in various mar ne prece pea rahe 5 {moothnefs, or congruity + are fit for mutual cohe when once they come to ftick, ! is no neceflity; that the fam Sy that were able to make them pafs by one another, when their contatt was. but according to an inconfi deble part of. their furfaces, fhould have the fame effect now, when their con= tact is fulls though perhaps, if the degree of fire were much increafed, a more vehement agitation would farmount this cohefion, and diffipate again thefe clufters of coale(cent cor: ; putcles. i ze oe conjedtures will peshape a * ie (om pa LP % efs extrav oni “ify you we, je ens in the preparation of ver precipitated per fe. For ning Mercury, being put veniently fhaped Glafs, is oa moderate fire for a con- le time = (For I have fome- found fix or feven weeks to be fhorta one.) In this degree of re the parts are varioufly tumbled, and made many of them to afcend, } till convening into drops on the fides _ ofthe glafs, their weight carries them down again; bue at length, after — “many ‘mutual occurfions, if not alfo _attritions, fome of the parts begin to ftick together in the form of ared powder, and then more and more Mercurial particles are faftened to it, till at length all, or by much the "greater part of the Mercury, is re- duced into the like Precipitate, which, by this cohefion of the parts, being “grown more fixt, will not with the fame degree of Heat be made to rife. _and circulate, as the Mercury would before 5 5 and yet, asl el(ewhere note,, i have | addi it ehty Nee yr running Mercury again. — and Phyficians, who pier ee it ame fing this Precipitate tob ae. ade with+ out any additament, will { fcarce be able to gi ve a mor account of the confiftency an gree of Fixity that is 6 the Mercury 5 in which, fin bo- dy is added to ict, there appears not to be wrought any but a Afechanical change. And though, I confefs, F have not been withidet fufpicions, that in Philofophical ftriétnefS this Precipitate may not be made per fe, but that fome penetrating igneous particles, efpecially faline, may have affociated themfelves with the Mer- curial Corpufcles 5 5 yet even upon this fuppofition it may be faid, that thefe particles contribute to the ef; fed that is produced, but ok facilita- ting or procuring, by their cir oppor- tune | ——.-- tune Inter se i the she fas fion of Co pufcles: that would not othe vif tick to one another. Perhaps it will not be altogether jim ert tinent'to add, on this occafion, that,as fo rthe generality of Chymifts, as we 11 Behers: as Helmontians, that af- - fert the Tranfnutation of all metalls into Gold by the Philofopher’s Stone, methinks,they may grant it to be pro- ; yable, that a new and fit Contexture of the parts of a volatile body may, efpecially by procuring a full contact among them, very much contribute ‘to make it highly fixt. For, to amit what is related by lefs credible Au- thours, ‘tis averred, upon his own ral, by Helzont, who pretended not to the Elixir, that a grain of the pow- der, that was given him, tranfmuted a pound (if I mif-remember not) of running Mercury 3 where the pro- portion of the Elixir to the Mercury was fo inconfiderable, that it cannot reafonably be fuppofed, that every Corpufcle of the Quick-filver, that before was volatile, was made ex- ‘ ne treamly | _ than to reftrain that from avola _ to ftick to one another, according to mje rg 1 P p rts e. si Raeor i ae ke ay F : io, = m v Nei (aS " bresig Wied ye, his the rebeaenaa? pe Mercury whereas, if we fuppofe Mn have made fuch a commana on.among, inconvenient pa ees to fa toe very great portions of their utfacesy and intangle one another, it will not; be difagreeable to. the Mechanical, Doétrine of Fixity, shatthe Mercury, fhould. endure the fire as well, aS Gold, on the fcore of 1 its new. Tex-, ture; which, (uppofing. the | tory, true, appeats to have been tnteadhir eed, by the new colour, fpecifick gravity. , Indiffolublenefs in Aquaj fortis, —_ »* <« 4 ~ . ; - > en -s a Sas be at ee — a. _— me or Ponucton of Firtnels., 17 fortis, and other Qualities wherein Gold differs from Mercury,’ efpe- cially Malleablenefs, which, accor- ding to our Notes about that Quali- ty, ufually requires that the parts, from whofe union it refules, be ei- ther hooked; branched, or other- wife adapted and fitted to make them take faft hold of one another, or ftick clofe to one another. And fince, ‘inthe whole mafs of the factitious Gold, all fave one grainmuft bema- terially the fame body,’ which, before the projection was made, was Quick- filver, we may fee how great a pto- portion of volatile matter may, by ‘an inconfiderable quantity of fixing additament, acquire fuch a new Dif- pofition of its parts; as to become moft fixe. “And however, this In- {tance will agree much better with the Mechanical Doétrine about Fixi- ty, than with that vulgar Opinion of the Chymifts, (wherewith ‘twill not at all comply,) That if, ina mix- ture, the volatile part do much ex- eéed the fixt, it will carry up that; ae Bo of | or at Ys a “good pore = with it 3 and on the contrary. though this Rule holds in many cafes, — where there is no peculiar indifpofiti- — onto the effe& that is aimed at; 3 yety: _ if the Mechanical affections of the — _ bodies be ill fuited to fucha purpofe, | our Philofophical Experiment mani-_ _ feftly proves, that the Rule will not hold, fince fo great a multitude of . grains of Mercury, in ftead of carry- ing up with them ‘one grain of the Elixir, are detained by it inthe ftron- _ geft fire. And thus much for the firft way. of se: Volatile Bodies. : = CHAP. III. ~ HE fecond way of producing Fixity, is by expelling, brea- ~ ne or otherwife difabling thofe volatile Corpufcles that are too in- difpofed to be fixt themfelves, orare | fitted to carry up withthem f uch par- - ticles. as would not, without their help, afcend. That the Expulfi on i | ery Gs i xe = or JPodudion of Firtnets, 19 _of fuch parts is a proper means to make the aggregate of thofe that re- main more fixt, I prefume you will ‘not put me folicitoufly to prove 5 and wehave a manifeft inftance of it in Soot, where, though many active _ parts were by the violence of the fire and current of the air catried up together by the more volatile parts 5 yet, when Soot is well diftilled in a Retort, a competent time being gi- ven for the extricating and avolation _ of the-other parts, there will at the bottom remain a fubftance that will not now fly away, asit formerly did. And here let me obferve, that the _receffe of the fugitive corpufcles may: contribute to the fixation of a body, not barely becaufe the remaining ~ Matter is freed from fo many unfixt, if not alfo volatilizing, parts; butjas . it may often happen, that upon their receffe the pores or intervals, they. left behind them, are filled up with more folid or heavy matter, and the body becomes,as more homogeneous, fo more clofe and compact. And B 2 wheres whereas I dptalatieds: cheat : the expulfion of unfit corpuf they may be otherwife difabled ris * hindering the fixation of the maffe — they belong to, I did it, becaufe it 4 {eems very poflible, that i in fome ca- fes they may, by the action of the — fire, be fo broken, as with their frag- _ ments to fill up the pores or intervals — of the body they appertained to3 or may make fuch coalitions with the particles of a convenient additament, as to be noimpediment tothe Fixity of the whole maffe, though they re- main in it. Which poflibly you will think may well happen, when you ~ fhall have perufed the Inftances an- — next to the forth way of fixing bo- dies. The third means of fixing, or. leffening the Volatility of, bodies, — is by preferving that reft among the ~ parts, whofe contrary is neceflary to — their Volatilization. And this may be done by preventing or checking — that Heat, or other motion,which ex- _ ternal Agents itive to introduce — into we or JOoduction of Fictnefs, 21 into the parts of the propofed body. But this means tending rather to hin- der the actual avolation of a portion of matter, or, at moft, procure a tem- porary abatement of its volatility, than to give it a ftable fixity, I hall not any longer infift on it. ~The fourth way of producing Fixity in a body, is by putting toit fuch an appropriated Additament, whether fixt or volatile, that the Corpufcles of the body may be put - among themfelves, or with thofe of the additament, into a complicated {tate, or intangled contexture. This being the ufual and principal way of producing Fixity, we fhall dwell fomewhat the longer upon it, and give Inftances of feveral degrees of Fixation. For, though they do not produce that quality in the ftricteft - acceptation of the word, Fixity3 yet ‘tis ufefull in our prefent inquiry, to take notice, by what means that ~olatility comes to be gradually aba- ted, fince that may ‘facilitate our underftanding, how the Volatility | Ras of of a body. pes pam tote ted, and i aaigiace the be fixt, wane ie. H A P. I V. ‘nila | ND fief we find, ioe a fixt ad ditament, Af its parts bec conve- Fea fhaped, may eafily give a_ degree of fixity to a very volatile body. Thus Spirit of Nitre, that. will of it. felf eafily enough fly away in the Air, having its faline particles af- fociated with thofe of fixt Nitre, or fale of Tartar, will with the Alkaly ) compofe a falt of a ‘Nitrous nature, | which will endure to be melted in a Crucible without being’ deprived even of its Spirits. And I have found, — that the fpirits of Nitre, that abound ! in Aqua fortis, being concoagulated © with the Silver they corrode, though — one would not expect that fuch fub- - tile Corpufcles fhould ftick faft to fo compact and folid a body as Silver 5 yet frytall, Produged by their | Coali- tk # ‘or #P2oducion of Firtnels. 23 ‘Coalition, being put into a Retort, may be kept a pretty while in fufion, before the metal will let gothe Ni- trous fpirits. When we poured oj/ of Vitriol upon the Calx of Vitriol, _ though many Phiegmatick and o- _ ther Sulphureous particles were dri~ ven away by the excited Heat; yet the faline parts, that combined with the fixt ones of the Colcothar, ftuck faft enough to them, not to be eafily driven away. And if Od! of Vitriol be in adue proportion dropt upon Salt of Tartar, there refults a Tarta- rum vitriolatum, wherein the acid and alkalizate parts cohere fo {tronge — _ ly, that. ‘tis not an ordinary degree of fire will be able to disjoyn them. Infomuch that divers Chymifts have (though,very erronioufly) thoughe this compounded Salt to be indeftru- Gible. Buta lefs heavy liquour than the ponderous Oil of Vitriol may by an Alkaly be more ftrongly detained than that Oil it felf; experience ha- ving affured me, that Spirit of Salt being dropt to fatiety upon'a /xt . Ba Alkaly, alka, (I ae ites thn OF § or of Tartar,) there would. be. fo ftri& an union, that, having, a1 out additaments, diftilled the reful ting i: fale with a ftrong and Jafting fire, it. appeared not at all confiderably tobe iia oo upon, and was not fo och as melt 1 But ‘tis not the bare Mixture or €ommiftion of Volatile particles. with Fixt ones, (yea though the for- mer be predominant in quantity, ) that will fuffice to elevate the latter. For, unleffe the figures of the latter be congruous and fitted to faften to the other, the volatile parts will fly away in the Heat, and leave the reft as fixt as before ; as when fand or afhes are wetted or drenched with water, they quickly part with that water, without parting with any de- gree of their Fixity. Buton theo- ther fide, it 1s not always neceffary, that the body, which is fitted to deftroy, or much abate, the volati- ; lity of another fubftance, fhould be ; it felffixt. For, if there bea skilfal ; fig Le es 2 iia or [Pzodudton of Fiztnels. 25 or lucky coaptation of the figures of the particles of both the bodies, thefe particles may take fuch hold of one another, as to compofe corpu- {cles, that will neither by reafon of their ftrict union be divided by Heats | -nor by reafon of their refulting grofs- nefs be elevated even by a {trong fire, or at leaft by fuch a degree of Heat as would have fufficed to raife ‘more indifpofed bodies than either of the feparate Ingredients of the mix- ture, This obfervation, if duly made. out, does fo much favour -our Do- ctrine about the Asechanical Origine of Fixation, and may be of fuch ufe, not onely to Chymifts,in fome of their operations, but to Philofophers, in af- figning the caufes of divers Phenomes ga of Nature, that it may be worth while to exemplifie it by fome In- {tances. Aged : | The firft whereof I thall take from an ufual practice of the Chymitts themfelves : whichI the rather doe, tolet you fee, that fuch known Ex- periments are too often aa 26 Die BeebanirarMyaine by them that Seis ot em, bt may hint or confirm Theories to | ‘thofe that reflect on them. © Thelie tance, I here {peal of, is that whi che is afforded by the vulgar. ‘Prepara-— tion of Bezoardicum Minerale. Fe or, though the rectified Butter or Oil of — Antimony and the Spirit of Nitre, that — are put together to make this white — Précipitate, are both of them diftilled liquours; yet the copious powder, that refults from their Union, ‘is, by that Union of volatile parts, fo far fixt, that, after they have edulcora- ted it with water, they prefcribe the — calcining of it in a Crucible for five — or fix hours : which operation it could not bear, ublefs it had artabega | toa confiderable fixation. This dif- — courfe fuppofes with the generality i of Chymifts, that the addition of a — due quantity of {pirit of Nitre,. ‘is. ~ neceflary to be employed in making : the Bezoardicum Minerale. Butif it be atrue Obfervation, which is attri- buted to the Learned Guntherus Bil- lichius, (but which Thad no Furnace — at iG ae AE ar or P2onudion of Firtnels, 27 at handto examine when I heard of it,) if, I fay, itbe true, that a Bezo- ardicum Minerale may be obtained, — without fpirit of Nitre, barely by a flow evaporation, made ina Glaffe- difh, of the more fugitive parts of the Oil of Antimony this Inftance will not indeed be proper. in this air, BA vr air, but sillin slerhics a not defpica degree of fire to fublimei tse Of thefe femivolatile Compe ‘ons of Salt I have made, and elfe- where mentioned, others, which T fhall not here repeat, but paffe as other Inftances pores to our | pre- fent defign. 2 I lately mentichel. that the Volae tility of the f{pirits of Nitre may be: very much abated, by bringing them to coagulate into Cryftalls with) particles of corroded Silver; but I {hall now add, that I gueffed, and by trial found, that thefe Nitrous. {pi- rits may be made much more fixt by the addition of the Spirit of Salt, which, if it be good, will of it felf {moak in the Air. For, having dif> folved a convenient quantity of Cry- ftalls of Silver in diftilled water, and precipitated them,not with a Solution of Salt, but the spirit of Salts the phlegm being abftraéted, and fome few of the loofer faline particles’s though the ‘Femaining mafle were preft with a violent fire that here A AS geo ep Se pes Re ee or 1 JB2odudtion of fivtnets. 5), the Retort red-hot for a good while ret the Nitrous and Saline fpirits would by no means be driven away from the Silver, but continued in fu- fion with it; and when the maffe was taken out, thefe Spirits did fo abound in it, that it had no appearance of a Metal, but looked rather like a ties piece of Horn. _ The next Inftance I fhall name is afforded us by that kind of Turbith, which may be made by Oi! of vitriol, in ftead of the.Aqua fortis imployed in ithe common Turpethum Minerale. F or, : hough Oil of Vitriol be a diftilled liquour, and Mercury a body volatile enough; yet, when we abftracted our or five parts of Oil of Vitriol from one of Quick-filver, (efpecial- ly if the operation were repeated, ) and then wafhed off as much as we could of the faline particles of the Oil of Vitriols yet thofe that remained | adhering to the Mercury made it far more fixt, than either of the liquours had been before, and inabled it even ina Crucible to endure fuch a sere | O way, 485° Teontef 1fo newh dered at. The like Terbith' m made with Oil of Sul phur p er 4 nam, But this is ‘ape ge to what -Helmwont tells us of the operation 1 of his 4lkabeft, where he affirms, that Menftrunm, which is vélaale’s nough, being abftracted from. rina ng "I Mercury, not onely: coagulates i It, but leaves it fixt, fo that it will endure the brant of fites acuated by Bellows; Connem follinm ignem.) IE this be certain, it will not bea flender t proof, that Fixity may be Atechanicaly pro* duced 3 and however, the Argumen ; will be good in reference to the Hel montian Spagyrifts. For if, as one would expect, there’ do remaiu fome particles ofthe Menfiruum with thofe of the metal, ir will not be dé nied, that two volatile fubftanceg may perfedly fix one another. And tf,’ as Helwont feems to think, the Atenftruune be cotally abftra&ted, this fuppotition will che more favour our Dottrine about Fixity 5 fi te if t ere =] or JO20vudion of Figtnels. 31 there be no material additament lefe with the Quick-filver, the Fixation. cannot fo reafonably be afcribed to any thing,as tofome new Mechanical modification , and particularly to fome change of Texture introduced into the Mercury it felf. | And that you may think this the lefsimprobable, I will now proceed. to fome Inftances, whereof the firft fhall be this; That, having put a mix- ture made of a certain preportion of two dry, as well as volatile, bodies, (viz. Sal Armoniac, and Flower or very fine powder of Sulphur, ) to half its weight of common running Mer- cury, and elevated this mixture three or four times from it, (in a conveni- atly fhaped,and not over-wide,glafs) the Mercury, that Jay in the bottom in the form of a ponderous and fome- what purplifh powder, was, by this operation,fo fixt, that it long endured - {trong fire, which at. length was nade fo ftrong, that it melted the Glafs, and kept it melted, without. cing {trong enough to force ° the | ler- Mercury : att » by fs me trials, not fo proper to ‘be here menti ds _ feemed to have its (alivatigg) and @ metick powers extraordinafily infrin-” ged, and fometimes quite (upprefled’ But this onely upon the bye. In all the other Inftances, ¢ wherewith rE fhall conclude thefe Notes,) I fhall employ one AMenfirdum, Oil of Vi- triol, and {hew you the efficacy of it in fixing fome parts of volatile bo- dies with fome parts of it felf s 3 by which examples it may appear, that a Volatile body may not onely leffen the volatility of another body,*as in’ the lately mentioned cafe of our fpi-' rituous Sal Armoniacs but that two Subftances, that apart were volatile, may compofe a third, that will not onely be lefs volatile, but confidéra= | bly Gif not altogether) fixe. ig We mixed then, by degrees, a-_ bout equal parts of O#/ of Vitriol and Oil of Turpentine : and though each of them fingle, efpecially the latter, will afcend with a moderate fire in a Sand-furnace 5 yet, after the Diftil- ) lation 7 9 7 or Oodurtion of Fictnels. 33- lation was ended, we had a confide- rable quantity, fometimes (if I mif- egy salpopi a fifth or fixth part, ‘of a Caput Mortum black as a Coal, and whereof a great part was of a {carce to be expedted fixtnefs in the fire. foie _ To givea higher proof of the dif- pofition, that Oil of Vitriol has to let fome of its parts grow fixt by combinaticn with thofe of an excee- ding volatile additament, I mixed this liquour with an equal or double weight of highly rectified Spirit of Wine, and-not onély after; but fome- times without, previous digeftion, I found, that the fluid parts of the mix- ture being totally abftracted, there would remain a pretty quantity of a black Subftance fo fixt as to afford putcanicofwonder, 6 And becaufe Camphire is efteemed the moft fugitive of confiftent bo- dies, in regard that, being but laid In the free air, without any help of the fire, it will fly 4 away 3; I tried, what Oil of Vitriol abftraéted from es | Cc G aise Camphire i doe; ; a py ie atl the bottom of the Retort a greater ‘ quantity than one would expeg of a Subftance as black as pitch, aM al- -moft as far from the volatility. as from the colour of Camphire, though” it appeared not, that any of the Gum had: (ublimd into the neck of : the Retort. 4 From all which tathimene § It feems: manifeftly enough to follow, that in many cafes there needs nothing to ‘make affociated particles, whether volatile or not, become fixt, but ei- ther to implicate or jntangle them among themfelves, or bring them ta touch one another according to large portions of their furfaces, or by both thefe ways conjoyntly, or by fome others, to procure the firm Cohz- fion of fo many particles, that the re- fulting Corpufcles be too big or hea- vy to be, by the degree of fire” wherein they are faid to be fit, dri ven up into the Buy FINIS. ~ Experiments and Potes ABOUTTHE ee Oricine | an eae | Pp R ODUCTION OF CORROS IVENESS — : AND. cORROSIBILITT, : By the Honourable ROBERT BOYLE Eq; Fellow of the R, Society. 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SECT.L ae aes “About the Mechanical Origine of Core “te peas’ r Do not in the following Notes treat of Corrofivene/s in their ftri& fenfe of the word, who RGcribe this Quality only to Liquors, that are notably acid or fate, fuch as eae fortis, mete of Salts Vinegar, Juice “Jute of Laehale s “Bees: bees ae may not beblig’d to ovérle ol i- nous, Oleous, and divers other Sol- | vents, or to coin new names for their differing Solutive Powers, I pre- : fume to employ the word. Corrofive- ges in a greater latitude , fo as to” make it almoft equivalent ‘to the So- lutive power of Liquors, referring other Menftruums to thofe that are i] Corrofive or fretting, (though not always as to. the molt proper, yet ) as to the principal and beft known fpecies ; which I the lefs {cruple here to do, becaufe I have * elfewhere more “diftin@ly- enumerated. and forted the Solvents of bodies. ‘ / Hi —* This refers to an Effay of the Authors about thet Ufefulnefs of Chymiftry to, &c. The Attributesthat Gea thie moft proper to qualifie a Liquor to be Corrofive, areall of them Mechani- cal, being uch as are thele that fol- low: z - Firft, That the Meaftruum: i: b of, or abourd wah Corpufeles not Coelibencls 02 Cogrokibility. 3 _ too big to get ‘in at the Pores or ~ Commifiures of the body to be dif- folveds nor yet be-fo very minute as to pafs through them, as the beams of Light do through Glafs5 or to be unable by reafon of their great flendernefs and flexibility to disjoy tte partsthey invades Secondly, That thefe Corpufcles be ofa thape fitting them to 1ofinu- -atethemfelves more or lefs into the - Pores or Commiffures above-menti- oned, inorder tothe diflociating of the folid parts. oe Thirdly, That they have a com- petent degree of folidity to disjoyn _ the Particles of the body to be dif- folveds which Solidity of Solvent corpafcles' is fomewhat diftin@ from. their bulk, mention’d in the firft Qualification 5 as may appear by- comparing a {talk of Wheat and a -metalline Wire of the fame Diame- ter, or a flexible wand of Ofier of _ the bignefs of ones little finger, with -arigidrod of Iron of she fame length od thicknefs. . ; ee Fourth- goons’ That iis colpahal C r i ihe ‘Menttruum be agile and advag- — _tagedrfor motion } Cin ch as is fit to. | disjoyn the parts of the invaded bo= — dy ) either by their fhape, or their — minutenefS, ‘or their firnefs to have — their action’ befriended by adjuvant — Caufes5 fuch as may be (frff _) the — prefiure of the Atmofphere 5 which © may! impell theminto the Pores of. bodies not fill’d with a Subftance fo — refitting as common Air: Aswe fee, that water will by the prevalent — preflure of the Ambient 5 whether — Air or Water, ‘be raifed to. the height — of fome inches in capillary Glafles; and in the pores of Spunges, whofe — confiftent parts being of eafier cefli- on than the fides of rer fae thofe Pores will be enlarged, and confequently ‘thofe. fides disjoyn'd, as appears by the dilatation and. {welling of the: Spunge :\ And (fn condly ). the agitation, that the inet y truding Corpuicles may be fitted ta: receive in thofe Pores or Commif-. fures - the Srentons ion-of fome | | : fubtile gS penn ee ee ee he g Coewolivenels o2 Coerofibility, 5 fubtile etherea) matter; or by the numerous knocks and other pulfes of the fwimming or tumbled Corpu- {cles of the Menftruum it felf,(which being a fluid body , muft have its fmall parts perpetually and vari- oufly moved) whereby the engaged -Corpufcles, like fo many little Wed- ges and Leavers, may be enabled to wrench open, or force afunder the little parts between which they have - §ofinuated themfelves. But 1 fhall not here profecute this Theory, (which, to be handled fully, would require a difcourfe apart) fince thefe Conjectures are propos’d but to make it probable in the general, ~Thatthe Corroffvenefs of bodies may be deduced from Mechanical Prin- | ciples: But whether beft from the newly propos d ones, or any other, need not be anxioufly confider'd in thefe Notes, where the things main- ly intended and rely'd on, are the Experiments and Phenomena them- - felves. | A 4 E X- , Th obvious, that, em the. i recently ‘expreft Juice of Grapes be {weet , whilft it retains — the Texture that belongs to it as “tis — new, (efpecially if it be made of — fome forts of Grapes that grow in hot Regions, ) yet after fermentati- oo, ‘twill, in tra& of time, as "twere — fpontaneoutly,degenerate into Vine-- gar, In which Liquor, to a multi- — tude of the more folid Corpulcles _ of the Muft, their frequent and mu- tual Attritions may be fuppofed to— have given edges like thofe of the blades of {words or knives; and é# which, perhaps, the confufed agita- tion that preceded, extricated, or, as it were, untheathed fome ac: id pare ticles, that (deriv’d from the fap of the Vine, or, perchance more origi- © nally, fromthe juice of the Earth ) were at firft in the Muft, but dey | conceal’d, and as it were ‘fheathed, Pan — Cowolibenels 02 Cogrokibility. 7 among the other particles where- with they were aflociated , when ‘they were preft out of the Grapes. Now this Liquor, that by the fore- mentioned ( or other like) Mecha- nical Changes is become Vinegar, does fo abound with Corpufcles, which, on the account of their edges, or their otherwife fharp and pene- trative fhape, are Acid and Corro- five, that the better fort of it will, without any preparation, diffolve Coral, Crabs-cyes, and even fome Stones , Lapis fteHaris in particular, ho {mall efficacy in the diflolution as allo Minium, (or the Calx of Lead ) and even crude Copper, as we have oftentried. And not one- ly the diftill’d Spirit of it will do - thofe things more powerfully , and _ perform fome other things that meer Vinegar cannot 5 but the faline par- ticles, wont to remain after Diftil- lation, may, by being diftili’d and cohobated per fe, or by being skil- _ fully united with the foregoing Sp:- rit, be brought to a Aenfirnum of and and other preparations oft netalline bodies. 54 too compact for Py meer Spiritiefelf to work upon. a From divers other fweet thing: alfomay Vinegar be made5 and even of Honey, skilfully fermented with - a finall proportion of common wa-— ter, may be made a Vinegar ftrong- — er thanmany of the common Wine- — vinegars 5 as has been affirmed to me by a very candid Phyfician, who had: occafion to deal manic in Liquors. | EXPER. IL Ot onely feveral dry Woods, N and other Bodies that moft of © them pafs for infipid, but Honey , and Sugar themfelves afford by Di- {tillatiog Acid Spirits that will dif- folve Coral, Pearls, &c. atid will al- fo corrode ‘fome Metals'and metal- line Bodies themfelvessasI have often © found by Trial. So that the vio- } Jent Operation of thefire, that de- oye ns ‘ ® f - ‘Coriokitrenets og Corotibitity. 9 ftroys what they call the Forw of the diftilf'd body, and works as a Mechanical Agent by agitating, breaking, diffipating , and under a new conftitution reaffembling the parts, procures forthe Diftiller an ~ Acid Corrofive Menftruum; which whether it be brought to pafs by making the Corpufcles rub one an- other into the figure of little fharp blades , or by {plitting fome folid parts into fharp or cutting, Corpu- _ fetes; or by unfheathing, as it were, fome parts, that, during the former Texture of the body , did not ap- pear to be acids or whether it be rather effeGted by fome other Me- chanical way, mayin due time be further confidered. Ae Oi ws, rv? ae £ ach i . ee y } R Pt LG iene \ * \ : F £ } ; 7 ‘ ORE se \ ¥ wish s/ rs ‘ay POS, J ry ae « x : 4 : a; j® £ > 4 q ty q. ' + ) . - s . : " 7 ¥ ‘ / th EXPER. I. “Is obferv'd by Reece Gold- i: fmiths and Chymitts , ‘that Aqua Fortis and Aqua Regia , ‘which are Corrofive Menftruums, diffolve Metals, the former of them Silver, and the latter Gold , much more {peedily and copioufly when an ex- ternal heat gives their inteftine mo- tions a new degree of Vehemency_ or Velocity, which is but a mechani- cal things and yet this fuperadded meafure of Agitation is not onely in the abovementiond Inftances a powerfully afliftant Caufe in the So- lutions made by the lately mention’d Corrofive Liquors, butisthat with- out which fome Menftruums are not wont fenfibly to corrode fome bo- dies at all, as we have tried in keep- © ing. Quick- filver in three or four times its weight of Oyl of Vitriols fince in this Menftruum I found not the Mercury to be diflolved or cor- -roded, ——- Coerofibenefs 02 Coerofibility, 11 roded , though I kept it along time - jn the Cold: Whereas, when the — ~ Oy] of Vitriol was excited by a convenient heat , (which was not faint ) it corroded the Mercury into - afine white Calx or powder, which, by the affufion of fair water, would be prefently turn’d into a yellowifh Calx of the colour and nature of a — Turbith. _Iremember alfo, that ha- ving for trials fake diffolv'd in a weak Spirit of Salt, a fourth part of its weight of fine Cryftals of Nitre, ' we found, that it would not in the cold Cat leaft during a good while that we waited for its operation) dil- folve Leaf-golds but when the Asen- firunm was alittle heated at the fire, _ the Solution proceeded readily e- nough. Andin fome cafes, though the external heat be but {mall, yet there may intervene a brisk heat, and much cooperate in the diffolution of a Body as, for inftance, of Quick- filver in Agua Fortis.. For it is no ' prodigy to find, that when a full propostion of that fluid’ Metal has a | | been , | init sakien} che olution hough at firft altogether liquid, and asto fen 7 uniform,, comes to have after a while a good quantity of coagula- ted or cryftalliz’d matter at the bots tom, of which the caufe may be, that in the very act of Corrofi on t there is excited an intenfe degree of heat, which conferring a new de= gree of agitation to the Menftruum, makes it diffolve a good deal more, than afterwards, when the Conflia is over, itisable to keepup, + EXPER. IV. E have obferved alfo ' hat W Agitation does in fome ca- fes io much promote the Diflolutive power of Saline bodies, that though they be not redue’d to that fubtilty — of parts , to which'a ftrong Diftil=., lation brings them; yet they mayin their groffer and‘ cruder form have the power to work on Metals; as 1 elfewhere: thew, that by barely boil ing , - | — Cogrofibenefs 02 Corolibility, 13 ing fome Solutions of Salts of a convenient ftructure, as Nitre, Sal . _Armoniac, &c. with foliated Gold, Silver, &c. we have corroded thefe Metals , and can diflolve fome o- thers. And by boiling crude Cop- per Cin Filings) with Sublimate and common water, we were able, ‘inno long time, to make a Solution of the Metal. EXPER. V. Ometimes alfo, fo Janguid an Agi- S tation, as that which feems but fufficient to keep a Liquor in the ftate of fluidity, may fuffice to give fome dry bodies a corroding power, which they could not otherwife ex~- ercife 5 as inthe way of writing ones name (or a Afotio) upon theblade.of a knife with common Sublimate : For, if having very thinly overlaid which fide you pleafe with Bees- - Wax, you write with a bodkin or fome pointed thing upon it; the ie Wax. Wax being thereby removed from the ftrokes made by the fharp bo- dy, ‘tis eafie to etch with Sublimates fince you need but f{trew the pow- der of it upon the place bared of the Wax, and wet it well with meer common water 5 for ftrong Vinegar is not neceflary. For after a while all the parts of the blade that fhould not be fretted, being protected by the Cafe or Film of Wax, the Sublimate will corrode onely where way has been: made for it by the bodkin , and the Let- ters will be more or lefs deeply in graven ( or rather etch’d ) accord- ing to the time the Sublimate is fuf- fer’d to lye on. And if you aim onely at a legible imprefflion, a few minutes of an hour (as four or five) may fervetheturn, - Bx. .* + opotienes fe Cogeotibiti t, 5 EX PE R. VI. ‘His. brings into my mind an | Obfervation I have fometimes had ‘occafion to make, that I found more ufeful than common, and it ig, That divers Bodies, whether di- — ftill’d or not diftill’d, that are not _ thought capable of diffolving other _ Bodies, becaufe in moderate degrees _ of heat they will not work onthem, _ may yet by intenfe degrees of heat _ be brought to be fit Solvents for them. To which purpofe Iremem- ber, that having a diftill’d Liquor, _ which was rather {weet to the tafte, - than either acid, lixiviate or urinous, - though for that reafon it feem‘d un- fit to work on Pearls,,,and accord- ingly did not diffolve them in,acon-. fiderable time, wherein. they were kept withit in a more than ordinas _rily warm digeftion s yet the Glafs _ being for many hours. C amounting perhaps to fome aay.) kept in fuch, ) an an heat of fond as lade ae Liquor i boil, we had a Diffolution of Pearls, ; that . uniting with the Menftruum — made it a.very valuable Liquor. — And though the Solvents of crude — Gold, wont to be employed by — Chymifts, are generally diftill’d Lie quors tbat are acid, andin the lately mention d Solvent, made of crude — Salts and common water, Acidity feem‘d to be the predominant quali- ty (which makes the ufe of Soluti., ons made in Agua Regia, &c. ful. pected by many Phyficians and Chy- — mifts;) yet fitly chofen Alcalizate — Bodies themfelves, as repugnant as they ufe to be to Acids , without — the help of any Liquor will be en-— abled by a melting Firein no long time to penetrate and tear afunder the parts even of crude Gold; fo | that ic may afterwards be eafily ta- ken up in Liquors that are not acids a or even by water it felf. na a if a v7 ; hi : -_ A Sy y a ie -, | Coxaient u2 Coerofibiti ite, l id po PER. VIL. He Traé& about Salt- peter, chat | gave occafion to thefe Anno- tations, may furnifh us with an emi- nent Inftance of the Production of Solvents. For, though pure Salt- peter it felf, when diffolv'd in water, is not. obferv’d to be a Menftruum for the Solution of the Metals here-' after to be named, or fo much as of | Coral it felf; yet, when by a con- venient Diftillation its parts are fplit, if I may fo peak, and by Attrition, or other Mechanical ways cf work- ingon them, reduc‘ to the fhapes ‘of Acid and Alcalizate Salts, it then’ affords two forts of Menftroums: of very differing natures, which be- twixt them diflolve or corrode a great number and variety of Bodies3 as the Spirit of Nitre without addi- tion is a Solvent for moft Metals, .as. Silver, Mercury, Copper, ‘Lead, &c.. and. alfo divers Mineral Bodies 5 5: as. | B 2. Tin- 48 ‘or ee’ Pechanical Deiaine c Tin-glafs, Spelter, Lapis calcd 8 &c. and the fixed Salt of Nitre ope- — ; rates upon Sulphureous Minerals, as — common Sulphur, Antimony, and di- — vers other Bodies, of which I elfe= q where make mention. | ¥Y the former Trials tt has ape B peard, that the increafe of Mo- tion in the more penetrating Corpu-— {cles of a Liquor, contributes much to its Solutive powers and I thall now adds, that the Shape and Size, which are Mechanical affections, and fometimes alfo the Solidity of the fame Cor pufcles does eminently con-— cur to qualifie a Liquor to diffolve this or that particular body. Of this, even fome of the more famili- ar practices of Chymifts may fupply us with Ioftances. For there is no account fo probable as may be given upon this fuppofition,why 4gua For-- sew hich will diffolve Silver, without medliogy . ° U a —— v . = HA — Coyrokibenets 02 CoeraGb tity. r9 - medling with Gold, fhould, by the addition of a fourth part of its weight of Sal Armoniac, be turn’d into 4- qua Regia, which, without medling with Silver, will diffolve Gold. But there is no neceflity of having re- courfe to fo grofs and compounded a Body as Sal Armoniac to enable _ Aqua Fortis to diflolve Gold: For, the Spirit of common Salt alone be- _ fome compounded Solvents, fuch as Ing mingled in a due proportion, will © _ fuffice for that purpofe. Which (by the way) fhews, that the Volatile Salt of Urine and Soot, that concur. to the making up of Sal Armoniac, are not neceffary to the diflolution of Gold, for which a Solvent may be made with Agua Fortis and crude - Sea-falt. I might adde, that the ~ Mechanical affections of a Afenftruum — may have fuch an intereft in 1ts dif- folutive power, that even Mineral or Metalline Corpufcles may become ufeful Ingredients of it, though per- haps it be a diftill’d Liquors as might be illuftrated by the Operations of B 3 is 4s i an ‘Oyti Of Antimony add peated Redtifications of what Chy- - mifts callits Butter, which, whateve | fome: fay to the contrary, does — much ry In pita ae ub- ange | : EXPER. Ix. Ut fhall return to our Aqua Re- B gia, becaufe the mention I had occafion to make of that Solvent — brought into my mind what I de-— visd, to make it probable , that a finaller’ change , than one would lightly imagine, of the bulk, fhape, or folidity of ‘the’ Corpufeles of a Menftruum may make it fit to dif- folve a ‘Body it would not work on before. And this I the rather at- tempted, becaufe the warier fort'of Chymifts themfelves are very fhye — of the inward afe or preparations — made of Gold by the help of 4gua — Fortis, becaufe of the odious ftink — a tind ; we 3 the venenof ity they — Bi! hcl * Sous —_ =. = ° Sree aS ae = SS ——-« Taarolibenefs 02 Coerofthility. 1 fufpect in that corrofive Menftruum : Whereas Spirit of Sale we look up- on as amuch more innocent Liquor, whereof, if it be but diluted with fair water or any ordinary drink, a good Dofe may be {afely given in- _ wardly, though it have not wrought _ upon Gold or any other body , to _ take offits acrimony. But, whether or nothis prove of any great ufe ia - Phyfick, wherein perhaps, if any quantity. of Gold be to be diffol- _ ved, a greater proportion of Spirit of Nitre would be needed the fuc- cefs will not be unfit to be men- _tion’d in reference to what we were - faying of Solvents, For, whereas we find not that our Spirit of Salt here in England will at all diflolve crude Gold, we found, that by put- ting fome Leaf-gold iato a conveni- ent quantity of good Spirit of Salt, when we had dropt-in Spirit of Nie tre (thaking the Glafs at each drop, ) till we perceived, that the mixture was juft able in a moderate heat to difflolve the Gold, we found, that | | B4 we be of the Bechanical 2 "OF! we had been oblig’d to Bi ut after the rate of twelve drops of the — ~ latter Liquor to an ounce of the for- 4 mer 3 fo that, fuppofing each of thefe | drops to weigh a grain, the fortieth © part of Spirit of Nitre being added, . ferved to turn the Spirit of Salt into. a kind of Aqua Regia. But to know the proportion otherwife than by - ghefs, we weigh fix other drops of the fame Spirit of Salt, and found them to amount not fully to three grains and an half: Whence it ap- peared , that we added but about a ~ feventieth part of the Nitrous Spirit © to that of Sale. The Experiments that have been hitherto recited, relate chiefly to the Produttion of | 'Corrahvie! Menftru- ums 5 ‘and therefore I thall now adde an‘ account of a ‘couple of Trials, that I made manifeftly to leflen of — pi to deftroy Corrofivenefs in — iquots very confpicuous for that quality: sat EX. Vy, “Cogrolivenels 02 Corroibility. 23 : | ty ‘@:-% 7Hereas one of the moft cor- i rofive Menftruums , that is _ yet known, is Oy! of Vitriol , which _will fret in pieces both divers Metals _and Minerals,and a great number and variety of animal and vegetable bo- dies 5 yet if you digeft with it for a _ while onely an equal weight of high- -ly rectified Spirit of Wine, and after- wards diftill che mixture very war'- ly, (for elfe the Experiment may ve- ‘Yy eafily mifcarry,) you may obtain | _a pretty deal of Liquor not corrofive at all, and the remaining fubftance will bereduc’d partly zto a Liquor, which, though acid, is not more fo than one part of good Oy! of Vitri- ol will make ten times as much com- _mon water, by being well mingled with it5 avd partly into a dry fub- {tance that has fcarce any tafte at all, much lefs acorrofiveone. — ; EXPER. X. E X- EXPER, XE Nd though, good Aqua F Forti | the moft*generally emplo od ef corrofive Menftruums , as Besa capable of diffolving or eto not onely many Minerals, as Tin- — glafs, Antimony, Zinke, &c. but all — Metals except Gold, ( for, though it make not a permanent Solution of crude Fin, it quickly frets the parts” afunder, and reduces it to an immal-. leable fubltance ; ) yet to fhew, how | much the power of corroding may be taken away by changing the Me- — chanical Texture of a Menftruum, — even without feeming to deftroy the fretting Sales, I practisd ( and — communicated to divers Virtwofi) the — following Experiment, elfewhere mentioned to other purpofes. We took equal parts of good A- — gua. Fortis, and highly dephlegm’d : Spirit of Wine, and having min- © gied them warily and by degrees, _ | Sia ge y Ms — = ex — a > cae ba Se a - — . : +49 4 a x ae ibe ws - —— Corwrdfibenelsn2 Coerolibility. 25 (without which caution the Opera- ‘tion may prove dangerous,) we u- —mnited them by two or three Diftilla- tions of the whole mixture 5 which afterwards we found not to have the -Jeaft fretting tafte, and to be fo de- _ prived of its corrofive nature, that it ‘would not work upon Silver, though by Precipitation or otherwife re- duc'd to very {mall parts; nay ,.1t would {carce fenfibly work in a good ‘while on Filings of Copper, or up- _ on other bodies, which meer Vine- gar , or perhaps Rhenifh wine will corrode. Nay, Iremember, that with ‘another Spirit, (that was not Uri- nous ) and afterwards with Alkool of Wine we fhew’d a more furpri- ‘Zing Specimen of the power of €i- “ther deftroying or debilitating the Corrofivenefs of a Menfirunm, and checking its Operation. For, ha- ving caufed a piece of Copper- plate to be put into one ounce of Aqua _ Fortis, when this Liquor was eager- ly working upon the Metal, Icaus‘d - anounce of the Alkool of Wine, ot | the it fhould place mene pi gitated mixture ; whole effervefcence, at the firft inftant, feemed to be mueh i ne creafed , but prefently after was checked, and the Corrofivenefs of the Menftraum being fpeedily dif- abled or corrected, the remaining Copper was left undiffolved at the bottom, Nor are thefe the anely acid Men- ftroums that Thave many years fince. been ableto corre by fucha way > For I applied it to others, as Spirit of Nitre, and even Aqua Regis it felf; but a has not an equal opera tian upon all, and leaft of all ( as_ fax as. [can remember ) upon Spirit | of Salts as onthe other fide ftrong — Spirit of Nitre was the Adenfiruum — upon which its effects were the mott 5 fatisfactory. Moft of the Chymitts pretend, - : what the Solutions of bodies are per- : form'd by a certain Cognation and } Sympathy between the Menftruum — end the body it is to work upon. — | , Ana i, te = - SS z "TH Coewofibenels 02 Coevotthility, 27 And it'is not to be denied, that indis ‘vers Inftances there is, as it were, a Confanguinity between the Mene ‘f{truum and the body to be diffolved 3 as when Sulphur is diflolved by Oyls whether expreft or diftill’d? But yet, as the opinion is generally propofed, I cannot acquiefce ih its partly becaufe there are divers So+ Jutions and other Phenomena, where it will not take place, and partly becaufe even in-thofe inftances wherein ‘tis thought moft applicable, the effect feems to depend upon Me- chanical Principles. — ; EXPER. XI . Nd firft, twillbe difficult to fhew, FX what Confanguinity there is between Sal Geni, and Antimony, _and lron, and Zinke, and Bread, and _Camphire , and Lapis Calaminaris, - and fleth of divers kinds, and Oilter= fhel's, and Harts-horn, and Chalk, and Quick-lime; fome of which be- ee | long | ong to a Veuweble « A ome to the Mineral, and fome to. the Animal Kingdom $ and yet all of them ood divers others (asi havetried ) may, even without the afliftance of exter- nal Heat, be diffolved or corroded by one fingle Mineral Menftraum, Oy] of Vitriol. And which is not to be negleGed on this occafion, -fome of them may be bodies ; fup- pofed by Chymiftsto have an "Antix pathy to eachother in pons of seers | rofion or Diflolution. EXPER. XI, Obferve alfo, that a Diffolution — | may be made of the fame body by Adenftrunms , to which the Chy- mifts attribute (,as I juft now ob- ferved they did to,fome Bedies ) a mutual Antipathy, and which there- fore are not like to. have a Sympathy; with the fame third body 5 asi found by trial,.chat both Aqua Fortis. and : Spirit of Urine, upon whole mix- ture = / - Conofivencts 02 Corratibitity, 29 ture there infues a conflid with a ‘gteat effervefcence, will each of them apart readily diffolve crude ‘Zinke, and fo each of them will, the Filings of Copper. Not to mention, that pure Spirit of Wine and Oy! of Vitriol, as great a difference asthere is between them, in I know not how Many refpects, and as notable a heat as will infue upon their Commix- ture, will each of them diffolve ‘Camphires to which may be added other inftances of the like natures As for what is commonly faid, that ~Oyls diffolve Sulphur, and Saline ~Menftruums Metals, becaufe (as they {peak ) Simile fimili gaudet: 1 anfwer , That where there is any fach fimilitude, it: may be very pro= bably afcribed, not fo much, with the Chymifts that favour 4riffogle, to the effential forms of the bodies that até to work on each other, nor, with the meer Chymifts, to their Salt, or Sul- phur, or Mercury, as fuch; but te the congfuity between the pores. and figures of the Menftruum , te ON te | the Ni E° Silver, for diate 4 not one- the body diffolved Sie it, and to, | fome other Mechanical i fections of 3 a EXPER. xiv. | “4 : ly will be diffolved by Nitre which they reckon a Salt, but be a- malgam’d with, and confequently diffolved by, Quickfilver, and alfo by the operation of Brimftone, be eafily incorporated with that Mine- ral which Chymifts are wont to ac- count of fo oleagioots a natures an 1 infoluble i in Aqua Fortis. ‘sail y , nim ; 4 EXPER. xv. Nd as for thofe Diffolution’: . that are made with Oylie and inflammable Menftruums, of com-— mon Sulphur and other inflammable bodies, the Diffolution does not make for them fo clearly as. they imagine. . Coerotthencls 02 Cozrottbility. 31 » Imagine, For if fuch Menftruums _ operate, asis alledged, upon the ac- count of their being, as wel! as the _ bodies they work upon, of a fulphu- reous nature, whence is it that high- ly rettified Spirit of Wine, which according to them muft be of a moft Sulphureows nature, fince being fet on © fire “twill flame all away without _ leaving one drop behind ity will not - Cunlefs perhaps after a tedious while) diffolve even Flowers of _ Brimftone , which effential as well as exprefsd Oyls will eafily take ups * as Spirit of Wine tc felf alfo will do | almoftin 4trice, if € as we fhall fee -- anon ) by the help of an Alcali the > Texture of the Brimftone be al- | ter’d, though the onely thing that is _added to the Sulphur being an in- — combuftible fubftance ; is nothing near of fo fulphureous a nature asthe Flowers, and need have no Confan- guinity upon the fcore of its Ori- - gine with Spirit of Wine, as. ‘tis alledged that Sale of Tartar has" fince [ havetried, @ hat fixe Nitre, em= employ’d inttead of it, will de lo fame. : | FA EXPER. XVI He mention of Nétre brings in- — to my mind, that the Salt-pe- — ter being wont to be lookt upon by Chymifts as a very inflammable bo- - dy, ought, according to them, to be of a very fulphureous natures yet we find not that ‘tis in Chymical — Oyls, but in water, readily diffol- ved. And whereas Chymifts tell us, that the Solutions of Alcaly’s, fach as Salt of Tartar, or of Pot-— afhes in common Oyls, proceed from the great cognation between | them, I demand, whence it happens, that Salt of Tartar will by boiling | be diffolved in the expreft Oy! of — Almonds, or of Olives, and be re- duc’d. with it to a foapy body , and © that yet with the effential Oy! of Ju-— niper or Anifeeds, &c. where what — they call the Sulphur i is made pure — and | * , Me re t, vy 4 ely a . es, Convkibenels 02 Cootidtlity, 33 _ and penetrant, being freed from the _ @arthy, aqueous and feculent parts, _ which Diftillation difcovers to be in the expreft Oyls; you may boil Salt of Tartar twenty times as long without making any,Soap of them, Or perhaps any fenfible Solution of the Alkaly. And Chymifts know} how difficult it is, and how unfuc- Cefsfully *tis wont to be attempted to diffolve pure Salt of Tartar in pure Spirit of Wine, by digefting the not peculiarly prepar’d Salt in the cognate Menftruum. [I will not urge; that, though the moft confpicuous mark of Sulphur be inflammability, and isin an eminent degree to be, found in Oyl as well as Sulphur 3 yet an Alkaly and water which are © neither fingly, nor united inflame mable , will diffolve common Sul, phar: | | C¢ po EX: ray y r bie am ' «. I . ‘ v “EXPER. XVIL. Ut to make it probable jake : the Chymi fts, (for I propofe 4t but as an Ai tise = ad hominem a ) that the Solution of Sulphur in. ex-— preft Oyls depends upon fomewhat elfe befides the abundance of ‘the fe- cond Principle in both the bodies 5 I will adde to what I faid before, an affirmation of divers Chymical Wri- ters themielves, who reckon dqua Regis, which is plainly a Saline Men-. {truum, and diffolves Copper, Iron, Coral, &c. like Acid Liquors , a= mong the Solvents of Sulphur, and by that power among other things diftinguith it from Agua Fortis. Aad on the other fide if, there bea Con- -gruity betwixt an expreft Oyl and another body, though it be fuch as, by its eafie Diffolubienefs in Acid Salts, Chymifts fhould Proncloey be of a ialine. pacure , an ey preft ~Oyl a reacily enou,h work bee 1 eas ba " i? er y ‘ \ ‘ 7 “Cowolibenets 02 Cogrolibility. 35 it; as I have tried by digelting even crude Copper in Filings with Oy! of © ~ {weet Almonds, which took up fo much of the metal as to be deeply coloured thereby, as if it had been a Corrofive Liquor: Nay, 1 thall adde, that even with Milk , as mild a Liquor as *tis, I have found by Trial, that without the help of fire _akiad of Diffolution may , though - not in few hours , be made of crude _ _ Copper, as appeard by the green- _ fh blew colour the Filings acquired, when they had been well drenched in the Liquor, and left for a cer- tain time in the Veflel , where the air had very free accefs to. them. Efides th the ss sheila ad shot y newly drawn from Aqua Regia, it may be proper enoughto urge an- — other of the fame kind upon the ge- nerality of the Helwontians and Pa- ; B —t Vag De a ‘ % re * ay hi ‘4 te — racelft ans, who admit what the Heads of their Sects deliver concerning the Operations of the Alkaheft. For whereas ’tis affirm’d , that this irre- — fiftible: Men firunne will ‘diffolve all tangible’ bodies here below, {0 as they may be reduc'd intoinfipid was ter 3 as onthe one fide ‘twill be very — hard to conceive how a fpecificated © ao ae na a Menftruum that is determind to be — either Acid , or Lixiviate, or Uri- nous, &c. thould be able to diffolve fo great a variety of Bodies of dif- fering and perhaps contrary natures, in fome wheregt Acids , in other Eixiviate Salts:“and in others Uri- nous are predominant 5 foon the o- © ther fide i if the c be not a © Me sae! j pS oe a ee am ——- Coarolthenels 02 Coevoltbility. 37 _ fpecificated Menttruum, ‘twill very much disfavour the Opinion of the _Chymilts, that will have fome Bo- dies diffoluble onely by Acids as -fuch, others by fixt Alkalys, and _ others again by Volatile Salts 5 fince a Menftruum, that is neither Acid, Lixiviate, nor Urinous, is able to diffolve bodies, in fome of which one, and inothers another of thofe _ Principlesis predominant: So thar, if a Liquor be conveniently qualifi- ed, itis not neceffary that it fhould be either Acid to diffolve Pearl or Coral, or Alkalizate to diflolve Sul- phur. But upon whae Mechanical account an analyzing Menftruum may operate, is not neceflary to be here detertnind. And I elfewhere offer -fome thoughts of mine about it. Wet EX. EXPER, xx \ # | a we uly refed upon the known, ‘ if procefs that Chymifts are wont | | to employ in making Mercurius dul- cis, we fhall find it very Presbesree to out Hypothefis. For though we | have already {hewn inthe V. Expe- | riment , and ’tis generally confefts that common Sublimate made of Mercury i isa highly corrofive body 5_ yet, if it be well ground with near an equal weight of Quick fled ver, and be a few times fublimed, (to mix them the more exactly ) it will become fo mild, that ’twill not fo much as tafte tharp upon the tongue; fo that Chymifts are wont to call it Asercurins dulcis: And yet this Dulcification feems to be per- } formed in a Mechanical way. For moft part of the Salts, that made the Sublimate {o-Corrofive, abide in the Adercurius dulcis; but by being — i compounded \ with more Quickfilver, — * = they i ) eaqeunbenite 02 Copeokibitity. 39 they are diluted by it, and ( which is more confi iderable ) acquire a new Texture, which renders them unfit to operate, as they did before, when the fretting Salts were not ‘ joyn'd with a fufficient quantity of the Mercury to inhibit their corro- _ five activity. It may perhaps fome- _ what help us to conceive, how this change may be made, if we ima- gine, that a company of meer Kuife- blades be firft fitted with Hafts, which will in fome regard leffen their wounding power by covering © or cafing them at that end which is defign’d for the handles; ¢ though their infertion intothofe Hafts, turn- ing them into Knives, makes them _ otherwife the fitter to cut and pierce) ‘and that each of them be afterwards fheathed, (which is, as it were, a hafting of the Blades too; ) for then they become unfit to cut or _ ftab, as before, though the Blades _ be not deftroyed: Or elfe we may conceive thefe Blades without Hafts or aint to be tied up in bundles, | or pieces of wood , “omen eant ge | than themfelves , op areal he ced between them. - For neither in — this new Confticution would they be fit to cut and {tab as before. ‘Andi 4 by conceiving the edges of more or : fewer of the Blades to be turnd in- wards, and thofe that are not, to have more or lefs of their points and edges to be fheath’d, or other- wife cover’d by interpos'd bodies, one may be help’d to imagine, how — the genuine effects of the Blades : may be varioufly leffen’d or diverfi- fi'd. But, whether thefe or any other — like changes of Difpofition be fan-— cy’d, it may by Mechanical Iluftra- tions become intelligible , how the ~ Corrofive Salts of common Subli- — mate may lofe their efficacy, when — they are united with a fufficient — quantity of Quickfilver in Adercuri- ~ us dulcis : In which new fate the © Salts may indeed in a Chymical © phrafe be faid to be fatiated 5 but — this Chymical phrafe does not ex- — plicate — Sere} Coqtafivenets 02 Cozcokibitity. 41 plicate how this Saturation takes away the Corrofi venefs from Salts that are {till adtually prefent in the fweet Mercury. And by Analogy to fome fuch Explications as the a- bove propos’d, a poflible Account may be render’d, why fretting Salts do either quite lofe their {harpnefs, as Alkalies, whilft they are imbodi- ed with Sand in common Glafs 5 or _ Jofe much of their Corrofive Acidi- ty, as Oyl of Vitriol does when with Steel it compofes Vitriolum Martis 5 or elfe are tran{muted or difguis:d by conjunction with fome corroded bodies of a peculiar Tex- ture, aswhen Agua Fortis does with Silver make an extreamly bitter Sale or Vitriol , and with Lead one that is pofitively {weet almoft like common Saccharum Saturni. “0 thew, haw one the « Eficacy* of a Menftruum may depend — even upon fuch feemingly {light Me- chanical Circumftances as one would — not eafily fulpec any neceffity of, I fhall employ an Experiment, which though the unpradis’d may eafi ily fail of making well, yet, when I tried it after the bett manner , I did é it with good fuccefs. I put then up-— H on Lead a good quantity of well rectified Agua Fortis, in which the Metal, as { expeGed, continued un- — diffolved ; though, if the Chymifts fay truly “that the diffolving power of the Adenfiruum confifts onely in the acid Salts that it abounds with, © it feems naturally to follow, that the. more abundance of them there is in a determinate quantity of the Li- quor, i it fhould be the more power- — maby § f f y — Corrolivencts nz Coyofibility, 43 “fully able to diffolve Metalline and Mineral bodies. And in effe& we fee, that, if Corrofive Menftruums ‘be not fufficiently dephlegmed, _ they will not work on divers of them. But, notwithftanding this _ plaufible Doétrine of the Chy- _mifts, conjeGuring that the Saline Particles that fwam in our Agua Fortis might be more throng’d to- _ gether, than was convenient for a body of fuch a Texture of Saline parts, and fuch intervals between them, I diluted the Menftruum by adding to it what I thought fit of - fair water, and then found, that the defired Cong:uity betwixt the A- gent and the Patient emerged , and the Liquor quickly began to fall upon the Metal and diffolve it. And if you would try an Experiment to ~ the fame purpole, that needs much lefs circumfpedtion.to make it fuc- ceed, you may, inftead of employ- - ing Lead, reiterate what I eliewhere mention my felf to have tried with mon waters bi his, ee ae And this it may fuffice to have faid at prefent of the power or faculty — a MM ba that is found in fome bodies of Cor. | roding or Diflolving others. Where- of I have not found among the 4-— riftotelians, 1 have met with, fo — much as an Offer at an Intelligible © account. And I the lefs expe& the — vulgar Chymitts will from their Hy- — pottatical Principles afford us a Sa= tisfactory one, when,befides the Par- ticulars that from the nature of the — things and Helwont’s Writings have been lately alledg’d againft their Hypothefis, 1 confider; how flight ace counts they are wont to give us even oo of the familiar Phenomena of Corro- — five Liquors. For if, for example, you ask 2 vulgar Chymift why Aqua fortis diffolves Silver and Copper, us \ | ° i — oO a P.. | | — Cogrofibenels 02 Cozrofibility, 45 tis great odds but he will tell you, tis becaufe of the abundance of fret- ‘ting Salt that isin it, and has a cog- ‘nation with the Salts of the Metal. -Andif you ask him, why Spirit of Salt diffolves Copper, he will tell you ‘tis for the fame reafon 5 and yet, if you put Spirit of Salt, though very ftrong, to 4gua fortis, this Li- -quor will not diflolve Silver, be- caufe upon the mixture, the.Liquors acquire a new Gonftitution as to the Saline Particles, by vertue of which the mixture will diffolve, inftead of Silver, Gold. Whence we may ar- gue againit the Chymifts, that the Inability of this compounded Liquor | to work on Silver does not proceed — from its being weaken’d by the Spi- ritof Salts as well becaufe, accord- ing to them, Gold is far the more compact metal of the two, and re- quires a more potent Menftruum to _workuponit, as becaufe this fame compounded Liquor will readily dif- folve Copper. Andtothe fame pur- | oe pofe Lala ip ae thers this the fitreft place wh _ Propofe them. git é bi ~ ‘ - . : i j = » 4 f \ \ a : = - } i 7 +s = » / * ve ‘ ¢ F = 9 7 e « , a” ee ~ ‘ \ y t , *» - . , : { wa \ ’ , r ~ 7 ; ~ » - S , . 4 \ « ) N 7 ”" = 4 ‘ \ - ; ’ - ‘ i ‘ : ) ‘ -“ = ' , \ res z < L. 7 “ Coprafibencts any Coprofibiity, 4p ft SCT. I About . the. Mechanical] | | Origine of COK RO. JS IBI a jhe r. | . Orvofibility being the quality Cc that anfwers Corrofivene/sy Rive he that has taken notice of the Advertifement I formerly gave about my ufe of the Term Corrofivene{s ib pi ‘Sion - in thefe Notes, may j eafily judge, in what fenfe I employ the name of the other Quality 5 which (whether you will ftile it Oppofite or Conjugate ) for want | of a better word 5 l call Corro|ibi- lity. This Corrof bility of Bodies is as well as their Corrofivenefs a Rela- tive thing; as we fee, that Gold, for inftance’, will not be diflolved eee by \ ums, but is by the former. Atndthis. ; ‘relative AffeCtion , on whofe ace count a Body. comes'to be cotrodi- — by Aqua fortis ,. dock will a A 4 Regis 5 whereas. Silver is fot folu-— @ ble by the latter of thefe Menftru- ¥ ble by a Adenfiruum, {eems toconfift — chiefly in #hree things, which: all of + them depend upon Mechanical Prin ; ciples. Of thefe ‘Gualificatiogs the frft : is, that the Body to be corroded be © furnifh’d with. Pores of fuch a big- nefs and figure , that the Corpufcles- of the Solvent may enter them, and ~ yet not be much agitated in them — without giving brisk knocks or © fhakes to the folid parts that make — up the walls , if I may fo call them, of the Pores. And ‘tis for want of | this condition, that Glafsis penetra- — ted in a multitude of places, but not diffipated or diflolv’d by the incident beams of Light, which permeate its - Pores without any confiderable re- fiftance 5 and though the Pores and © Commiffures of a Body were lefs : Mir g eS ps oe en ee — — ? Cogrativenets and Copvalibility,49 minute, and capable of letting in fome grofler Corpufcles, yetif thefe were, for want of folidity or rigid- nefs, too flexible, or were of a fi- gure igcongruous to that of the Pores they fhould enter, the Diffo- lution would not infue 5 as it hap- pens when pure Spirit of Wine is in _ the cold put upon Sale of Tartar, or _ when Agua fortis is put upon powder of Sulphur. ) The fecond Qualification ofa Cor- -rodible Body is, that its confiftent Corpufcles be of fuch a Bulk and _ Solidity , as does not render them -tuncapable of being disjoyn‘d by the action of the inGouating corpufcle’ of the Menftruum. Agreeable to this and the former Obfervation is the practice of Chymifts, who of- “tentimes, whenthey would have a_ Body to be wrought on by a Men- {iruum otherwife too weak for it in its crude eftate, difpofe itto receive © the action of the Menftruum by pre- Vioufly opening it, ( as they (peak ) ee | is, by eplarging the Pores, ma- ee ae king 50 ; Ot the wecdanicat Drigine of king a comminution of the Coi pu- f{cles, or weakening their Cohefion. And we fee, that divers Bodies are ; brought by fit preparations to be re- foluble in Liquors that would not work on them before. Thus, as was lately noted , Lime-ftone by Cal- | cination becomes Cin part ) diffo- . luble in water 5 and fome Metalline — Calces will be fo wrought on by Sol- vents, as they would not be by the fame Agents, if the preparation of the Metalline or other Body had not ‘ given them a new Difpofition. Thus, : though crude Tartar, efpecially in lumps, is very flowly and difficuldly diffoluble in cold water, yet when ‘cis burnt it may be prefently diffol-— ved in that Liquor; and thus, though the Filings and the Calx of _ Silver will not be at all diffolv’d by” common water or Spirit of Wine 3 yet if by the interpofition of the Saline Particles of Aqua Fortis, the Lunar Corputcles be {o disjoyn’ d, and fuffer fuch a comminution as they do in Cryftals of Lune, the Metal thus: 4 4 ~~ hs f Coro benels and Cogroftbility, 51 prepared and brought with its Saline Additament into a new Texture ‘yy will eafily enough diflolve, not ane- ly inwater, but, as I have tried, in well rectified Spirit of Wine. And the like Solubility [ have found in the” Cryftals of Lead made with _ Spirit of Verdigreafe, or good di- — ftill’d Vinegar, and in thofe of Cop- per made with Agua Forté. The /aft Difpofition to Corrofibi- lity confifts in fuch a cohefion of the parts, whereof a Body is made up, asis not too {trict to be fuperable by the action of the Asenfiruum. — This Condition, though of kin to the former , is yet fomewhat differ- ing from it, fincea body may con- — fift of parts either bulky or folid, which yet may touch one another | ‘in fuch {mall portions of their Sur- faces, asto be much more eafily dif- fociable than the minute or tefs folid ’ parts of another Body , whofe con- tact is more full and clofe, and fo _ their Cohefion more {trict D3 By 25 ‘ot the Bechanitat Oris ine of By what has been faid it may _ feem probable , that, asI formerly — intimated, the ‘Corrofibility of Bas % dies is but a Mechanical Relation, — refulting from the Mechanical Af- ~ feétions and Contexture of its parts, | as they intercept Pores of fuchfizes — and figures as make them congruous — to thofe of the Corpulcles of the © Menfirunm, that are to pierce be- — tweenthem, anddisjoynthem. - Thatthe Quality, that difpofes the body it affects to be diffolv’d: ys ‘ Corrofive and other Menftruums, | does (as hath been declared) in ma- ny cafes depend upon the Mechanical ~ Texture and Afleétions of the bo- dy in reference to the Menftruum ~ that is to work upon it, may be made very probable by what we are in due place to deliver concerning | the Pores of Bodies and Figures of : Corpulcles. But yetin compliance © with the defign of thefe Notes, and ~ agreeably to my cuftom on other — Subjects, I fhall fubjoyn a few Expe- — riments on this occafion allo. — i : “0 Xow ~ Eoxrotidenels and CogroGbility. 53 ieee RSF. F we put highly rectified Spirit of I Wine upon crude Sulphur, or even Flowers of Sulphur, the Li- quor will lie quietly thereon, ef{pe- cially in the cold, for many hours and days without making any vifi- ble Solution of its and if fuch ex- actly dephlegmed Spirit were put on _ very dry Salt of Tartar, the Sale would lie in an undiflolved powder at the bottom: and yet, if before _ any Liquor be employed, the Sul- phur be gently melted, and then the . Alkali of Tartar be by degrees put to it, and incorporated with it; as there will refult a new Texture dif- _ coverable to the eye by the new. colour of the Compofition, fo there will emerge a difpofition that was not before in either of the Ingredi- ents, to be diflolved by Spirit of Wine 3 infomuch, that though the mixture be kept . it be quite cold, | ) or or long after” fa rool it be carefully fecur’d from the accel of the air, the Spirit of Wine being put toit, and fhaken with it, will, if you have gone to work aright, ace quire a yellow Tincture in a minute : of an hours and perhaps in lef than half a quarter of an hour a red one, being richly impregnated : with {ulphuréous Particles difcover- able by the Smell, Bb ce and divers Operations. EXPER. IL oT known to (everal Chy- mifts, that Spirit of Sale does not diffolve ‘crude Mercury in the colds; and I remember, I kept — them for a confiderable time in no : contemptible heat without finding — any Solution following. But I fup- — pote, many of them will be gratified — by an Experiment once mention’d ~ to mé by an ingenious German Gen- ~ roa. namely ; That if Mercury : beg " ee ie — Cogrolibenels and Cogrofthility. 55 ~be precipitated per fe, that is, re- _duc’d toa red powder without ad- ditament, by the meer operation of the fire, the Texture will be fo _chang’d, that the above-mention’d ‘Spirit will readily diffolve it; for I found it upon Trial to do fo; nay, -fometimes fo readily, that I fcarce re- -member that [ ever fawany Asenfiru- ym fo nimbly diffolve any Metalline ‘body whatfoever, | we EXPER. UL He former Experiment is the more remarkable, becaufe, _ that though Oy! of Vitriol will in a. | good heat corrode Quickfilver, ( as | we have already related in the firlft Section, ) yet I remember I kept a Precipitate per fe for divers hours in a confiderable degree of Heat, with- out finding it to be diffolved or cor- -roded by the Menftruum. And yet having, for trials fake, put another parcel of the fame Mercurial Pee er der into fome Agua ortiata or Spirit Nitre, there infued a fpeedy Diff : lution even in the cold. ~~ And that this Difpofiti ition to be ' diffolved by Spirit of Sale, t that | Mercury acquires by being turned it Ine to Precipicate per fe, that is, by being calcin'd, is not meerly the effect of the operation of the fireupon it, but. of fome change of Texture pro- duced by that Operation; may be probably argued from hence, that, whereas Spirit of Salt isa very pro- per Atenfiruum, as 1 have often tri- ed, for the. diffolving of Iron or Steel ; yet, when that Metal is re= duced by the aGtion of the fire Ce- {pecially if a kind of Vitrification, — and an irroration with diftill’d Vi-- negar have preceded ) to Crocus Adartis, though it be thereby brought to a very fine powder, yet © I found not, that, as Spirit of Sale ‘ will readily ‘and with heat and noife diffolve Filings of Adars, fo it would § have the fame or any thing near fuch an Operation upon the Crocus + but © i Cowrolibenefsand Cow ofibility. 57 but rather, after a good while, it would leave in the bottom of the Glafs a confiderable , if not the greateft, part of ic fcarce, if at all, fenfibly alterd. And the Menftru- um feem’d rather to have extracted a Tincture , than made an ordinary Soltition 5 fince the colour of it was a high yellow or reddifh, whereas Mars, diflolved in Spirit of Salt, af- fords a green Solution. _Whether ‘by repeated Operations with frefh ‘Menfiruum = further Diflolutions might in time be made, 1 had not oc- “cafion to try, and it may fuffice for our prefent purpofe, that Asars by the operation of the fire did evi- dently acquire, not, as Mercury had done, a manifeft facility, but onthe contrary, a great indifpofition to be diflolved by Spirit of Salt. ’ To fecond this Experiment , we vary d it, by employing, inftead of Spirit of Salt, ftrong Oy] of Vitri- ol, which being pour’d on a little Crocus Martis made per fe, did not, as that AMenftrnum is wont to do up. on $ on F Pips of. hide Malek and manifeftly fall upon the rool with froth and noifle, but Conthe ce trary }) refted for divers hours. calr ly upon it, without fo pairs preducing with it haf fenfibh Dl warmth, | EXPER. Vi T ageces very well with our D De | &rine about. the dependance of | the Corrofibility of Bodies upon 1 their Texture, that from divers Bo- dies, whilft they are io conjun@ion- with others, there refule mafles, and thafe homogeneous as to fenfe, chat are eafily diffoluble in Liquors, in which a great part of the matter, if jit were feparated from the reft, would not be at all diffolved. Thu ' we fee, that common Vitriol is ea- fily diffolved in meer water 3 where- ; | as if it be skilfully calcio’d, ic will yield fometimes near half its firft — weizht of infipid Colcothar, which ~ ee noel L Coerolihenels and Coerotrbilitp. 59 not onely is not foluble in water. but which neither Agua Fortis no’ ‘Aqua Regis, though fometimes they will colour themfelves upon it, aré able (as faras I have tried) te make Solutions of. We fee like- wife, that fimple water will, being boild for a competent time with Harts-horn, diffolve it and make a Jelly of it: And yet, when we have taken Harts-horn throughly calcind to whitenefs , not onely we found that common water was no longer a fic Solvent for it, but we obferved, that when we put Oyl of Vitriol 1¢ felf upon it 5 a good part of the white powder was even by that -Corrofive Menftruum left undif- -folved. EX: 7N the ep ome) of et acing ng ne Experiments I refer to a way of making the Flower or Powder of common Sulphur become eafily diffo~ iuble, which otherwife. tis far from — being, in highly rectified Spirit of | Wine. Wherefore I thall now adde, that “tis quickly perform’d by gent ly melting the Sulphur; and incor: — porating with it by degrees an equal i ora greater weight of finely pows derd Salt ot Tartar, or of fixe Nie tre: For if the mixture be pur warm into 4 Mortar that is fo too5_ and as foon as ‘tis reducd to pow- der, be pur into a Glafs, and well fhaken with pure Spirit of Winesd it will, Cas perhaps I may have elfe-— where obferved, ) in a few minutes. acquire a yellow colour, which afs— terwards will crow deepef; and ma- } nifeft 1 {elf by che {mell and effeéts 7 to be a fea) Solution of Sulphur 5 ) and | a Corrofibenels and Cogroftbility, 61 ‘and yet this Solublenefs in Spirit of Wine feems procur'd by the change of Texture, refulting from the Commixtion of meer Salt of Tar- ‘tar , which Chymifts know, to their trouble, to be it felf a body almoft as dificult as Sulphur to be diffol- ved in phlegmlefs Spirit of Wine, unlefs the Conftitution of it be firft alterd by fome convenient addita- ment. Which Jaft words I adde, becaufe,though Spirit of Verdigreafe be a Menftruum that ufes to come off in Diftillation much more intire-— ly than other acid Menftruums from the bodies it has diffolved5 yet 1t willferve well for an additament to open (as the Chymifts fpeak ) the body of the Salt of Tartar. For this purpofe I employ Spirit of Ver- digreafe, not made firft with Spirit of Vinegar, andthen of Wine, after the long and laborious way prefcri- bed by Bafilivs and Zwelfer, but eali- Jy and expeditioufly by a fimple Di- Millation of crude Verdigreafe of the better fort. For when you have ere’ | with ait with this lone i beng be need, once ote, ° niuch good Sale of Tartar > as. W take up in the cold, if you draw | a the Menftruum ad ficcitates 5 remaining dry Salt will be moanieltl altrer'd in Texture even to the eye, and will readily enough in high recti- fied Spirit of Wine afford a Soluti- on, which I have found cor nfider= ‘able in order to divers ates that concern not our,prefent Difcourfe. _ . fh PE My © { 7 : ¥ r¢ a. 52 it Ye Tite, 09 TeV ery c a) f a EXPER. Vi 0a a. O the Confidération of the Fol= lowers of Helmont I thalf yecommend an Experinient of that. famous Chymift’s, which feems to) fute exceedt) iz well with the Do- rine propus'd in this Seétion. For he tells us, chav, if by a fubrle Men- ftruum to which he afcribes’ th al power. Quickiilver be devefted Cor deprived ) o} Of its external Sulphur, a he terms it, all che reft of | — Coarofibenefs and Cogrotibitity, 63 _ Metal, which he wittily enough _ ftiles, the Kernel of Mercury, will _ be no longer corrofible by it. So that upon this Suppofition , though - common Quickfilver be obferv'd to — be foobnoxiousto Aqua Fortis, that _ the fame quantity of that Liquor will diffolve more of it, than of - any other Metal; yet, if by the de- privation of fome portion of it the latent Texture of the Metal bealter‘d, | though not (that remember ) the wiftble appearance of it; the Body that was before fo eafily diflolved by Aqua’ Fortis ceafes to be at all diffoluble by it. © ° ~~ pa EXPER. VIL AS for thofe Chymifts of differ- \ ing Sects, that agree in giving credit to the ftrange things that are affirm’d of the Operations of the Alkahef? , we may in favour of our Do@rine urge them with what is _deliver’d by Helmont, where he af- ai. E ferts, ve * fers, tg al ahd Doda as Stones » Minerals, and Metals chemfelves, by having this Liquor duly. abft tracted — or diftill’d off from them>.may be — changed into Salt , equiponderant _ _to the re{pedtive bodies whereon the — Menftruum was put. So that fup- | pofing the Alkaheft to be. totally ab- firacted 5 ( as it feems very proba- ¥ ble to be , fince the weight of the ‘ body whence: cwas drawn. off ic not alter’ds ) what other change than. of Rexante can be reafonably, imagind — to have been made in the tranfmu- ted bodies > and yet divers of them, as Flints, Rubies, Saphyrs, Gold, Silver, &c. that were infoluble be= fore, fome of them in any known Menftruums, and others in any but Corrofive Liquors, come to be capa- ble of being diftalyid, in common Water. / - Goxolibenets anv Cozvatibility. 65 EXPER. VIII. . ‘P-eATs a remarkable Phenomenon, that fuits very well with our opinion about the intereft of Me- chanical Principles in the Corrofive _ Power of Menftruumis, and the Cor- rofibility of bodies, that we pro- due‘d by the following Experiment : _ This we purpofely made to thew, after how differing manners the fame | ‘body may be diffolv’d by two Men- - ftraums, whofe minute parts are ve- ry differingly conftituted and agita- ted. For whereas ‘tis known, that if we put large grains of Sea-falt in- to common water , they will be dif- folved therein calmly and filently without any appearance of conflicts If we put fuch grains of Sale into good Oy! of Vitriol, that Liquor will fall furioufly upon them, and produce for a good while a hifling - notfe with fumes, anda great ftore ~ of bubbles, as if a potent Menftru- if | a um um Gene : come fone obort metal or mineral. And this Expe timent I the rather mention, becaule — it may be of ufe tous on divers ott ner J occafions. For elfe ‘tis not — onely, though it be the so eeablelel : shat I made to the fame parole | E X P E R. IX. Or, ahaonae Aqua Fortis or 3 f.. Regis, being pourd upon F ‘lings, of Copper , will work upon them ~ : with much noife and ebullition, I~ have tried, that good Spirit of Sal Ar- i moniac or Urine, being put upon the f like Filings, and left there without - {topping the Glafs, will quickly be- — gin to work on them, and quietly dif- folve them almoft as water dif- folves Sugar. To which may be added, that even with Oy! of Tur- _ pentine I have, though but lowly, 4 diffolved crude Copper; and the — Experiment feemed to favour our Conjecture. the more ) becaufe ha- 4 ving tried it feveral times, it ap- pear'd, La tw de p = — PO ga en ee a eres ee ho ee ——, Cowolivenels and Cogroftbility. 67 _pear'd, that common unrectified Oyl Fond perform the Solution much | quicker than that which was puri- 7 fed and fubtiliz’d by rectification 5 which though more fubtle and pe- netrant, yet was, it feems, on that account lefs fit to diffolve the Metal, than the groffer Oy! whofe particles “might be more folid or more advan- tageoufly thap'd , or on fome other Mechanical account better qualified for the purpofe. _ | S EXPER. X. tg Ake good Silver, and, having : diffolv’d igin Agua Fortis, pre- ‘cipitate it with a fufficient quantity of good Spirit of Salt; then having wath d the Calx, which will be very white, with common water, and dri- ed it well, melt it with a moderate fire into a fufible Mafs, which will be very: much of the nature of what — Chymitts call Cornu Lune, and which ‘they make by precipitating diflolv d Bare CE a he iy ‘sive oie baie Soh of cor mon Salt made in common wate - And whereas both Spirit of Salt a nt Silver diffolv’d in Aqua Fortis ¥ wil | each of them apart readily diffoh alve in fimple water, our Luna Corneanot onely will not do fo, but is fo indif: pos'd to Diffolution, that I remem= ber I have kept it in Digeftion, foci in Aqua fortis, and fome in Aqua Re- gia, and that for a good while, and in no very faint degree of heat, with= out being able to diffolve it ‘ike’ ty Metal, the Menftruums having in- deed ting’d themfelves upon it, but 7 left the Compofition undiffolv'd at the bottom. = With this Inftance ( of Which fore more might be afforded by Chymical Precipitations ) 1 fhall conclude what I defign’d to offer at prefent about the Corroft bility of Bodies , as” it may be confider'd in a more ge- neral way. For as to the Difpofi-” tion that Particular Bodies have of being diffolved in, or of refifting, Determinate Liquots, It were much ealie rh Rt My ‘Cowativenels and Corrolibility, 60 « ~ -eafier for me to enlarge upon that _ Subjeét, than it was to provide the Inftances above recited. And thefe | are not fo few , but that ‘tis hop’d _ they may fufficeto make it probable, that in the Relation betwrxt a Sol- vent and the Body it is to work up- on, that which depends upon the Mechanical affections of one or both, is much to be confider’d, and _hasa great intereft in the operations _ of one of the bodies upon the o- ther. OF THE ‘ MECHANIC AL CAUSES meen ¥ MICAL PRECIPITATION. = By the Mesncurdble: | ROBERT BOYLE Eq; Fellow of the R. Soctety. - Fe Po RN DOR, | ‘Printed by E. Flefher, for R. Davai Bookfeller in Oxford. 16755 Aas ¥ . vik i r : rn We A ; . « 4 ; . | * ‘ eenseogeeeensss sioavases Caueees 3 -Advertifement. OE Hough 1 shall not deny, that, Be: in Grammatical ftridinefs , /. Precipitation fhould be reckon- ed among Chymical Operations, not Qualities, yet I did not much fcruple to infert the following Difcourfe a- mong the Notes about Particular Qua- lities, becaufe many, if not moft, of — the Phenomena, mentioned in the en- Suing Effay, way be confidered as de- ‘pending, fome of theu,upow a power, that certain bodies have to caufe Pre- cipitation, and fome upon fucha Dif- pofition to be firuck down by others, as may, if men pleafe, be called Pre- -cipitability. vd fo thefe differing Affe#ions may with (at leaft) tolee rable Congruity be referred to thofe that we have elfewhere ftiled Chy- “mical Qualities. a A 2 But . bat i! 1 aman pe ! qa hy uty’ NH Mets) eau iA i 0) al Advertifement: — But though Ihope,t may in thefe Lines have faid enough concerning the name given to thefe Attributes,yet per= haps it will be found in time, that the things themfelves may deferve a larger Difcourfe ihan my little leafure would allow them. For that is not a caufe-— deft Intimation of the Importance of the | fubje@, wherewith I conclude the fol- lowing Trait, ince befides that many more Inflances might have been parti-_ cularly referred to the Heads treated of inthe Infuing Effay, there are im= proper kinds of Precipitation (befides) thofe wnientioned in the former part of the Difcourfe) to which one may nog zmcongruousiy refer divers of the Phas nomena of Nature, as well in the greater as inthe leffer world, whereof either no Caufes at all, or but improper ones are wont to be given. And befides the fimeple Spirits and Salts ufually ems ployed by Chymifis, there are mang compounded and decompounded bodies not ouly fattitious but natural, (and, fome juch as. one would scarce fufpe@) that may in congrnous fubjetts produce) ? . ‘ N ‘4 e. yy, 4 » ia _ Advertifement. 7 _fuch Precipitations, as 1 {peak of. And the Phenomena and Confequents of fuch ‘operations may in divers cafes prove — conducive both to the Difcovery of Phy- ical Caufes , and the Production of ufeful effets ; though the particulari- ging of fuch Phénomena do rather belong to a Hittory of Precipitations, than to fuch a Dijcourfe as that which follows, wherein I propofed not fo much to deliver the latent Myfteries, as to inveftigate the Mechanical Caufes of ‘Precipitation. ri see Ww cr es en AD . =a Ci) OF THE _ MECHANICAL mAUSES af | ! a OF ah en YM 1.C AL PRECIPITATION. CHAP. I. ) Y Precipitation is here meant ‘ fuch an agitation or motion of —-a heterogeneous liquor, as in no long time makes the parts of it fubfide, aad that ufually jo the form _ of a powder or other confiftent bo- dy. ay a As \ oe on aes: 7 Weeatonng ¢ call the fubftance that is made | to to the bottom of the liquor, the Pre- cipitate 5 {o for brevity fake: wetha al call the body that is put into the li- quor to procure that fubfiding, the Precipitant 5 as a\fo. that whichis to be ftrack down, the Precipitable fub-~ fiance or matteryand the liquor where=— in it {wims before the feparation > ' the Afenfirunm or Solvent. i When a hafty fall of a heteroge-_ neous body ts procured by a Precipi- — tat the Operation is called Prcrieee 4 tation 1p the proper or ftrict fenfes © But when the feparation is adel without any fuch addition,or the fub- 7 {tance, feparated from the fluid part © of the liquor, ihftead of fubfiding © emerges, then the word is ufedina — more comprehenfive;but lefs Proper) i ‘acceptation. - As for the Canfes of Precipitation the very name it felf in its Chymical | x the Peripatetic Schnals.jil is not to be | 7 expected, that they fhould have given i us” ae ha . ——- pE Chymical Pecipitation, 3 ‘an account of the Reafons of the thing. And ‘tis like, that thofe few Arifiotelians, that have, by their converfe with the laborato- ries or writings of Chymifts, taken - motice of this Operation, would, ac- cording to their cuftom on fuch occa- fions, have recourfe for the explica- tion of it to fome fecret fympathy or antipathy between the bodies whofe ~ attion and readtion intervenes in this Operation. But if this be the way propofed, of accounting for it, I {hall quickly have occafion tafay fomewhat to it in con- - fidering the ways propofed by the Chymifts, who were wont to refer Precipitation, ezi/er,as 1s moft ufual, to afympathy betwixt the Precipita-_ . ting body and the AMenfiruum which — ‘ makes the Solvent run to the embra- ces of the Precipitant, and fo let fall the particles of the body fuftained beforesor( with others)to a great an- _ tpathy or contrariety between the acid falt of the Asexfirwum andthe — fixed falt of the Oil, or, folution mn Hig 3) e ies cals "ealchaed Teas whi peat | general and ufual Wiis der: they im- ploy. 2) cae But I {ee not, bist either of tt thet | _caufes will either seesic to all thePe be | ‘give a atrue account even of ine oF thofe, to which it feems applicable. For firft, in Precipitations, wherein — what they call a /yapathy between ; the liquors, is fuppofed to produce — the effe& , this admired fympathy — does not Cin my apprehenfion evince © fucha myfterious occult Quality as — is prefumed, but rather coniifts in a — greater congruity as to bignefs, (bape, motion and pores of the minute parts — betweenthe Afenfiruum and the Preci- pitant,than between the fameSolvent — and the body it kept before diffolv- — ed. And though this fympathy — rightly explained may be allowed to ~ have an intereft in fome fuch Preci- — pitations as let fall the diffolved bo- — dy in its priftine nature and form, — and only reduced into minute pow- © der 5 yet I find not, thatinthe gene- — | sality — 2e. ——s pEDHypmical Precipitation. 5 _ ality of Precipitations this Doérine _ will hold 5 For infome that we have _ made of Gold and Silver in proper _ Menftruums, after the fubfiding mat- - ter had been well wathed and dried, _feveral Precipitates of Gold made, - fome with oil of Tartar, which a- _ bounds with a fixed falt, and is ‘the —ufual Precipitant, and fome with an ~ Urinous Spirit, which works by Ver- tue of a fale highly fugitive or Vo- latile, I found the powder to exceed the weight of the Gold and Silver I . had put to diffolve 5 and the Eyeit _ felf fufficiently difcovers fuch Preci- _ pitates not to be meer metalline pow- ders, but Compofitions, whofe con- fifting not (as hath been by fome bo- © _ dy fufpected) of the combined Salts alone, but of the metalline parts alfo, may be ftrongly concluded not only fromthe ponderoufnefs of di- vers of them in reference to their bulk,but alfo manifeftly from the re- duction of true malleable metals from feveral of them. CHAP. 6 of the eBerbanat “ ites | ‘ee MR aa he a aie CHAP. T TH E other tidied way ‘aa fer | plicating Precipitations may, in aright fence, be made ufe of by a Naturalift on fome particular occafi- ons. But I think it much too narrow — and defective, as’tisin a general way — propofed, to be fit to be acquie(ced _ ine For firft’tis plain, that ‘tis not only Salt of Tartar and other fixed Alcalies that precipitate moft bodies — that are diffolved in acid Menftru- — ums; as in making of dAarum fulminans, oilof Tartar precipitates — the Gold out of Aqua Regis:But acta — liquors themfelves do on many occa- — fions no lefs powerfully preeipitate — metals and other bodies.out of one another. Thus fpirit of Salt, Cas E have often tried) precipitates. Silver — out of Agua fortis: The corrofive Spirit of Nitre copioutly precipitates that white powder whereof .they — makeBexoardicuns Adinerale: Spirit * QOL Sip es eet ~—e —— « aw és irae sit | — ss Chypmical fPzectpitation., 7 -oilof Sulphur made by a glafs-bell precipitates Corals, Pearls, cc. dif- -folved in Spirit of Vinegar, as is _knownto many Chymifts, who now ule this Olewm Sulphuris per Campa- vam, to make the Magiftery of Pearls, &c. for which vulgar Chy- mifts imploy Olewm Tartari per deli- | quium. | | _ [have fometimes made a Atenfiru- wm, wherein though there were both Acid andAlcalizate Saltssyet I did not find, that either acid Spirits or oil of Tartar,or even Spirit of Urine would ‘precipitate the diflolved fubftan- ces. | ~ And I have obferved,both that Salts _ ofacontrary nature will precipitate bodies out of the fame Menftruum, -asnot only Salt of Tartar, but Sea- falt being diflolved, will precipitate éach other, and each of them apart _ will precipitate Silver out of Agua fortis, and that even,where there is — _ -aconfefled contrariery betwixt two ~ liquors,it may be fo ordered,that nei- ther of them fhall precipitate what TR, aie . 19 g Dt the Berhanival @ les ds diffalved by the others of whi: 1t - fhall have occafion ta give ere long a remarkable inftance. But it will beft appear, ae the 4 abovementioned Theories of the Peripateticks and Chymifts are at’ leaft infufficient to folve the Phenol mena (many of, which were probably — not known to moft of them,and per- — haps not weigh’d by any,) if we pro- ceed toobfervethe Afechanical ways, by which Precipitations may be ac- — counted for; whereof Ifhall at pre- — fent propofe fome Number, and fay ~ fomewhat of each of them apart 3 ~ not that I think all of them to be ~ equally important and comprehen- — five, or that I abfolutely deny, that ~ any one of them may be reduced to fome of the others but thatI think, © it may better elucidate the fubje@, — to treatof them feverally, when I fhall have premifed, that lwouldnot — thence infer,that though,for the moft — part,Nature does principally effec — Precipitations by one or other of — thefe ways, yet in divers cafes fhe may ; oF Chymical Precipitation. “fay notimploy two or more ofthem _about performing the Operation, To precipitate the Corpufcles ofa metal out of a Menftroum, wherein Bi cing once throughly diflolved it } would of it felf continue,in that ftate, the two general Ways that the na- ture of the thing feems to fuggett to him that confiders it, are, either to add to the weight or bulk of the dif- folved Corputcles, and thereby ren- der them unfit to accompany the ‘particles of the Menftruum in their ‘motions 5 or to weaken the fuftaining © power of the Menftruum, and there- by difable it to Keep the metalline particles {wimming any longer:which falling of the deferted parts of the - metal or other bodie , does often. times the more eafily infue,becaufe in many cafes,when the fuftaining parti- cles of the Menftruam come to be ‘too much weakned » that proves an eccafion to the metalline Corpulcles, difturbed in the former motion that ‘Kept them feparate, to make occur- fions and coalitions among them- ¢ : felves, 40 OF the Berba vical Caufeg felves, and their fall ba ‘ nes the effed, though not * equally fo, of both ways of Precipitation 5 as on the other fide, there are feveral c occafi- ons on which the fame Precipitanty that brings the fwimming particles of the metal to ftick to one. another, does likewife, by mortifying or difabling the faline Spirits or other parts of the folvent ; weaken the fuftaining power of that liquor. ae CHAP. Mh." AO defcend now to the diftin® Confiderations about thefe two’ ways: The firft of the moft genera Caufes of Precipitation is fuch aCo- hzfion procured by the Precipitane inthe folution, as makes the com- pounded corpufcles, or at leaft the affociated particles of the diflolved body,too heavy to be fuftained,: or. toobulky to be kept in a fare of -fuidity by the = 3 Tha 4s eee of Chymical fPzecipitation. 12 . That in many Precipitations there - Ismade a coalition betwixt the fmall. parts of the Precipitant and thofe of the diffolved metal, or other body; and frequently alfo with the faline ‘fpirits of the Menftruum, may be ea- _fily thewn by the weight of the Pre- cipitate, which though. carefully wafhed and dryed, often {urpaffes, and fometimes very confiderably , ' that of yourcrude metal that, was difé folved; of which we lately gave an inttance In Aurue fulainans and pres cipitated Silver; & we may yetgivea more confpicuous one, inthat which Chymifts call. Luna Cornea: For; if having diffolved Silver in good Aqua fortis, you Precipitate it with, the folution of Sea-falt in fair water, and fromthe very white Precipitate wafh the. loofe adhering falts, the remaining powder, being, dryed _and flowly melted, will look much —tlefs. like a metalline body than _ like a piece of horn, whence alfo it takes its name; fo conGiderableis Bena “tibast the» nm you drép-in-deliquated falt of Eartar; your Precipitate will | be of 2e\biicke Or! orange colour: | From which’experimént and fome o- thers: Inwould gladly take a rife. to perfwade: ‘Chysmifts’ and: thi ys that®’tis!' not fo: indifferent; as thofe feém tothink! wholléék on Precipi* ‘tationburas @ kind of: Comminution; by what’ rhiedns: the ‘precipitation’ is sartordled, For by’ ‘réafon of the {trict adhefion of divers faline. Ps ticles of the’ précipit: tant and the fol- veat; the ‘precipitated * ‘body, “not- with{tanding all he wonted abluti- * 4 | ons. P wiekft ¢ - “4 4 of Chpmical Peceipitation. 13 ons, may have its qualities much dir verfified . by thofe of thé,pasticlesof the liquors;,when theleare fitted to ftick very. faft) to, ite, yWohich laf words’ I add, ‘becaufe, sthough that fometimesshappens, .yet: itydoes not always, thete being: a geater difler- ende .thansevery body takes notice of between Precipitatiohs y.as you will:be induced to think ,.if you pre- bipitate thexfolution of Silver with Copper, with f piritof Sal Armoniat, — withealeswatet; with oil of Tartar, with quick-filver, with crude Tartar and with:Zink.»; And:in the, lately _ propofed Example, you wall think ic probable, that °tis not allone, whe- | i to diffolved: Mercuty-or Silver, - you! imploy: she fubtile diftilled Spi- rits of Salt, ar the grofsbedy, whe- “ther ina dry: form, jor. barely diffol- ved in cominoh. water. »):-And. thus ‘much of the Conducivenef ‘of weight to ithe ftriking down the Regpulties ofa diflolved Body.! ’ That alfo. se Bad ofa body: may very, emuch icontribute: tos:make’ it - pleas B 2 : fiok fink or netiatin’ a Tiquors esr obvious inftances, Thus Salt or ‘Sugar; being put into water: either in : lumps orevenin powder that isbut — s é n* i je fae oe 7 5 7! 4 ‘grofs, falls at firft to the bottom, and — lies there}; notwichftanding the Air — that may be intercepted betweenits parts or externally adheretoit. But when by the infinuating ation of the water it is’ diflolvedinto minute particles, thefe are carried up and down with thofe of the liquorand fubfide not. The like happens, when a piece of filver is caft into: Agua fore ‘i tis, and in many other cafes. | On the other fideIshave fever] times obferved, that fome bodies that had long’ fwam in a Menftroum, whillt their minute ‘parts were kept. from convening init, did after- wards by the coalition. of many of thofe particles into bodies of a vifli- ble bulk coagulate.and fubfide, ( though fometimes, to hinder the evaporation of the Menftruum, the veflels were kept ftopt. ) Of this I elfewhere mention. divers examples'5 — and of Chypmical Wvzecipitation. 15 and particularly in urinous and ani- tal fpirits, welldephlegm’d, I have found, that after all had for/aconfie derable time continued in the form of a perfec liquor, and as to fenfe homogeneous, ftore of folid car- pufcles, convening together, fetled - at the bottom of the glaffes in the form ‘of faline Cryftals. Having alfo long kept a very red folution of Sulphur firft unlock’d, (as they {peak ) made with highly rectified {pirit of urine, I obferved, that at length the Sulphureous particles , making little cancretions between - themfelves, totally fubfided and left the liquor almoft devoid of tincture. By which you may fee, that ‘twasnot impertinent to mention ( as [lately did) among the fubordinate caufes of Precipitation, the affociating of the particles of 4 diflalved body with one another. “Of which Telfe- where give a notable Example in the fhining powder that I obtained from Gold diffolved in a peculiar Menftruum, without any Precipi- AA table inftance to prove, ‘that the CO+ alitions 6f particle’. into elufters ‘of the! felf fame matter? will render them unfit for the motion requifite . tofluidity. For in thisiodd precipi- — tation by fire, wherein sthe fame Menftruum: is both the dyiquor and the Precipitate, being motall made at ence, the Corpufcles that firft daf-— clofe themfelves: by: theityredneG, 3 are rejected by tholeofthe Mercury — that yet remains fluid)’ as unable te accompany them in the ia pee = | Reconterea maceparys as» ereak ay ome i WN, “CHAP. | i “ra of Chymical: eect pttatton, 17 | 619, GRPAR. IV oo: _ ° PD Efore Idifmils that way of Preci- *§P > pitating; that depends upon the uowieldinefs which the: Precipitane gives to the body it is to ftrike down, it may not'be impertinent, efpecially “inreference to the foregoing’part of this Paper,toconfider,that-perhaps in _ divers cafes the ‘Corpufcles ofa dif- folved body may be madeounfit to be any longer fuftained in the Menftru- um, though the Precipitant adds very little to their ‘bulk, or atleaft much _ more to their {pecific weight thanto | ait.) For I have elfewere thewn, that in divers folutions made of bodys by acid Menftruums, there are cither ge- merated or extricated many {mal] Aerial particles; and it willbe eajl granted, that thefe may be'fmall e. | nough toibe detained in the pores of ‘the liquor and be invifible there, if we confider, what a multitude of gerja] and formerly imperceptible bubbles fans B 4 Sowellg a8. ot the. PBechanic cal Gaules is afforded by common waterin our -Pneumatical Receivers, when the jncumbent air that before preffed the — liquor, is pumpt out, And if the Corpufcles of thediffolved body have o any little Cavities or pores fit to lodge — Aerial particles, or have afperous— furfaces, between whofe prominent parts the generated . air may conve- niently lies in fuch cafes, I fay, thefe Invifible bubbles may be lookt upon, as making with the folid Corpulcles they adhered to, little aggregates much lighter iz fpecie than the Cor- pufcles chemfelves would be; and — confequently if the Precipitant con- fift. of particles of fuch a fize and © fhape as are fit to expel thefelittle bubbles, and lodge themfelves in the cavities pofleffed by them before, there will be produced new. aggre- gates compoled of the Corpufcles.of the diflolved body and the particles of the Precipitant 5 which aggregates though they do take up very little or _pethaps not at all more room ( take=: ing that wordina popular fenfe) than’ | chofe, ——- SECHpmical Precipitation, 19. thofe, whereof the Aerial bubbles amade a part, will yet be Specifically heavier than the former Aggregates were,and may thereby overcome the-fuftaining power of the Men- ftruum > ngcie! | . One thing more may be fit to be taken notice of before we pafs on further, namely, that. ’tis upon the {core of the Specific gravity of a bo- dy, and not barely upon theationof - _ the Precipitant, that an aggregate or © a Convention of particles does ra- ther fall to the bottom than rife fo the top. For, though the A- - gents that procured the Coalition, make the clufter of particles become ofa bulk too unwieldy to continue in the liquor as parts of it; yet if each of them be lighter ## /pecie than an equal bulk of the Menftruum, ox — if they fo convene as to intercept a _fufficient number of little bubbles or aerial Corpufcles between them, and fo become lighter than as much of the Menftruum as they take up the —yoom of,they will not be ean er aN . et 30 , OE the: Bechanica Ginter but emerges as mays Be Sood a hePré- paration of thofe Magifteries of V getables, l’el{where mention 3: where fome deeply: colour’d= plants being made totinge plentifully the Lixivi- um they are boyled in, are afterwards by the addition of Alum made ta curdle, as it were, intocoloured Con- cretions, which being (totally or in part ) too big to {wim as they did be- fore they conven’d, and toolight ia comparifon of the Menftraum to fub- fide,emergetothe top and floatthere. An eafier and neater Example to the fame purpofe I remember I fhewed by diffolving Camphire in highly reai- fied {pirit of Wine, ‘till the folution was very {trong. For though ‘the Camphire, when put imLumps into the fpirit, funk to the bottom of it’s yet, when good ftore of water, (a liquor fomewhat heavier’ in Specie than Camphire,) wastpoured upon the folution, the Camphire quickly -concreted and returned to its own nature, and within a while'emerged to the top of — ie and floated of Ghpmical Peeripitation. -ar floated.there, Thefe particulars I. WAS willing to mention here, that I might give an,inftance or two of thofe pre- cipitations,, that: I, merly {pake of as improperly fo called.) And, c ‘IT muft,not decline taking. notice ofa Phenomenon, that fometimes occurs in Precipitations, and at fir ft fight may feem: contrary to.our Dottrine -aboutthem, ) For now,and then, it happens, that after fome drops of the Precipitant have begun a Precipita- tion’ at the top or bottom of the Sol- vent, one fhakes-the/veffel, thatthe Precipitant may be.the fooner diffa- fed through the other. liquor , but then they are quickly: furprized to find, thatinftead of haftning the coms pleat Precipitation, . the matter al- ready. precipitated .difappears, and the folyent- returns to be clear, on; a3 to fenfe, as uniform,.as,it was before the Precipitant wag putinto it. Bu this Phenomenon does, not at all crofs gur Theory. For,)when this hap- pens,though that partof the Solvent, to. Aawhich: the Precipitant reaches, .is ; | difabled ‘on Difcourfe to 6 Toppare the diffol- ved body, yet this quantity’ of the Precipitant is byt fmall in proportion to the whole bulk’ of the folvent. And therefore, when the agitation of the veffel difperfes the clufters of Joofly concreted particles through the whole liquor, ( which is feldom fo exactly proportioned to the body it was to work on, asto be but juft ftrong enough to diffolve it) that eater part of the Liquor, to which Eitoie the fhaking of the veffel the Precipitant did not reach, may well be lookt upon as a freth Menftruum, | which is able to mortifie or overpow- er the {mall quantity of the Precipi- tant that is mingled with it, and fo to deftroy its late operation on nthe body diffolved, by which means the foluti= on returns, as to fenfe, toits former — ftate. Which may be illuftrated by a not unpleafant Experiment, I re-— member I have long fince made by precipitating a brick-coloured pow- _ der out of a Ttrong {olution of Subli- mate of Chpmical Precipitation. 23. mate made in fair water. For this fub- fiding matter, being laid to dry in | the Philter,by which *twas feparated from the water, would retain adeep but fomewhat dirty, colour; and if then, putting itintothe bottom ofa © wine glafs,I poured upon it, either clear oil .of Vitriol, or fome other ftrong acid Menftruum, the Alcali- zat particles being difabled and f{wal-. lowed up by fome of the acid ones of the Menftruum, the other acid ones would fo readily diffolve the refidue — of the powder, that in atrice the co- Jour of it would difappear and the whole mixture be reduced into a clear Liquor, without any fediment at the bottom. | Thus much may ‘fuffice at ptefent : ‘about the firft general way of Preci- pitating Bodies out is the e Liquors they Jyaid IN. | i vane = i & ‘ . , a ‘ ; y » * . o- i. ee B- ‘Ue: GHA P. e * . , . . 4 A < DIL LYE SEICUP GEC oat oly r a a le Riss ae 3 1044 ide" EP OEE ct al: haha ae ‘ M gos ie ie oe ex] Yiw, Od bik. Bigg Tantem, Wha yj h = CH mM Ls Wi, wail i of aK gq aye ty ; 19 i | iF Pista Ww 1IGEW. 93 A gO t " rs +H EB avalher’ wt hie two rite pal ways) by which’ Precip ite fi may beeffeed; is thé dita mee afte Solvett to fuftaiy t dilfolve d body. Wer trrap ie (OB. Re ~lsF here balde!bery of intaice Wherein this fecond” ni Ob ne | PrevipitatieAsomay be aoe sted by | Nature with the firtt way forinerly propofeds Battie i ‘th posi wheteiti Nature nidyy °C as for aierhy muted)? amploy Bott the wa thérein, yet soho caes'they fe if ently ae Dnt that In farmed way the fibGd ie eit bi ce féIVed Mo chiefly, exnfed-by the °additiona ae well as action of the este pitant ; whereas in moft of dads in- {tances of the later way, the effet is produced either without falt of Tar- t4r4 oP any fuch Precipitant, . or by fome other quality: of the Precipt- | fang “of ria: Precipitation, 25 tant more than by its weight, or at Jeaft' befides the weight it adds: Though [ forget’not, that I lately gave an example of 4 fhining pow- der of Gold, that fell to the. bottom of a Menftruum without the help. of an External Precipitant : : But that was donefo flowly,that i it may be dif- puted, ‘whether j it were a true Preci- pitation 5 s and I alledged ° it not as fuch, buttofhew, that the increaled bulk of Particles may make them un- fit to {wim in Menftritms, wherein they fwam whilft they were. more minute.® And the like an{wer | ma’ be ‘accommodated to the Precipitate per fe newly mentioned, _ This premifed, I proceed. now. to obferve, that the general way, aft propofed, contains in it. feveral fub- : ordinate wayes, that are more parti- sopra! 5,of | which I fhall. now 1 mentie the; shief- that. otcur to me; and though Hb briefly, illuftrate each_of them dy examples. And firft a Pre- cipitation. may be made, if the faline OF other“diffolving particles of the m Mentftru- Me Of the 9 |! “i Menftroun are : mortified c or rendre i particles of a Precipitaie ‘ae are of a-contrary nature. Se ae ~ Thus Gold ard forme hed ‘ofa | rals, being diffolved in Aqua Regis, will be precipitated with {pirit of urine and other fuch liquors aboun- . _ ding with volatile and falino-falphae. reous Corputcles, upon whofe ac- coyint it is that they acts — whence, thefe {alts themfelves, though ca(t intoa Menftrnum ina dry form, will ferve to make the like ‘Precipitations. And I the rather on this occafion mention Urinous fpirits than Salt of Tartar, becaufe thofe volatile par- ticles add much lefs of weight to the little Concretions , which compos the Precipitated powder. &: Upon inftances of this kind, many of the modern Chymifts have bui that Antipathy, betwixe the Salts of the folvent and thofe of the Menftru- um, to which they afcribe almott all. Precipitations. But againft this T, have reprefented fomething as | | j le of Chpmical fPeecipitation. 27 and fhall partly now, and partly in the fequel of this difcourfe add fome farther reafons of my not being fatis- fied with this Dodtrine. For, be- ‘fides that-tis infufictent to reach ma- ny of the Phenomena of Precipitati- ons, (as will ere long be fhown, ) and befidesthat ‘tis not eafie to make out, that there 1s any real antipathy be- _ twixt inanimate bodies; I confider, t. That,fome of thofe Menftruums, to which this Antipathy is attribu- ted, do after a thort commotion . (whereby they are difpofed tomake _ convenient occurfions and coaliti- — ons) amicably unite into concretions participating of both the Ingredi- ents; as I have fomewhere fhewn by. an. Example purpofely devis’d to make this out; to do which I drop- ped a.clear folution of fixed Nitre, inftead of the ufual one of commen falt, upon a folution of filver, in 4- _ qua-fortis: .For the faline particles of the Solvent and thofe.of the Preci- pitant, wall, as | have elfewhere reci- | % Ree C ted, | ‘ unite into fuch Cry ftals of Nitre for : 28 Ot the Becbanical Cautes — _ recited, for the moft part ang % the main, as they were obtained — from: And though this notion of the — Chymifts, if well explained, beap- -. plicable to far more inifaitees than the propofers of it feemed to have thought on, and may be madegood ~ ufe of in Practice 5 yet I take it to. be fuch as fs not true Univerfally, and ,where it is true, ought to be ex- plicated according to Mechanical Principles. For, if the particles of the Menftruum and thofe of the - Precipitant be fo framed, that upon the action of the one upon the other, there will be produced Corputeles too big and unwieldy to continue in © the ftate of fludity, there will infue a Precipitation: But if the conftituti- on of the corpufcles of the Precipi- tating and of the Diflolved body be — fuch, that the Precipitant alfo it felf - is fit to be a Menftruum to diffolve that body in; then, though there be an union of the Salts of the Precipi- tant —, of Chymical Peectpitation. 29 tant and the metal ( or other Solx- tum) and perhaps of the folvent too, yet a Precipitation will not neceffa- _ rily follow, though the faline par-. ticles of the two liquors feemed, by the heat and ebullition excited be- tween them upon their mecting, to exercile a great and mutual antipa- thy. To fatisfie fome Ingenious men about this particular, I diflelved Zink or Speltar ina certain urinous {pirit; — _ (for, there are more than one that may ferve the turn; ) and then ‘put to it a convenient quantity of a proper: acid {pirit 5 but though there would bea manifeft confli@ thereby : occafioned betwixt the two liquors 5 yet the fpeltar remained diffolved in the mixture. And I remember,that for the fame purpofe I devifed another Experiment, which is fomewhat more eafie and more clear.. I diffolved -Copper.calcined per fe, or even crude, in ftrong-fpirit of falts, (for unlefs — it be fuch, it will nat. be fo proper, ) aud having put to it by degrees a } C2 good ~ 30 pt the Bechanicat¢ Cafes: good quantity of fpirit of Sabre | : —niac or fermented Urine, » though if there would be a great commotion with hiffing’and bubbles produced; ‘ the Copper would not be precipita- ted, becaufe ‘this Urinous {pirit will as well as the Salt, (and ‘much more readily ) diffolve the fame metal, and ‘it would be kept diflolved: notwith- ftanding their operation on’one ano- ther 5 the intervening of which; and their action upon the metalline cor- pufcles, may be gathered fromhence, that the green folution, made with | {pirit offaltalone, will bythe fuper- — vening urinous {pirits be changed either into a blewifh greenyor, ifthe — proportion of this {piri ‘be very great, into a rich blew almoft like ultramarine. And from thefe two Experiments we may probably argue, that when the Precipitation of a metal &c. infues, it isnot: barely on | the account of the fuppofed Antipa- — thy betwixt the Salts, but becaufe the waits of that: feeming Antipathy do - ‘of Chymical jeectpttation, 31 - do likewife upon a Mechanical ac- -count difpofe the Corpufclesof the - confounded liquors fo to cohere, asto _ be too unwieldy for the fluid part. , “CHAP. VI. ! Nother way, whereby the dif- A folving particles of a Menftrus — um may be rendred unfit to fuftain the diflolved body, is to prefent them another that they can more eafily workon dels aly _ Anotable Experiment of this you have in the common practice of Re- fiers, who, to recover the Silver out of Lace and other fuch mixtures wherein it abounds, ufe to diffolve it in Agua fortis, and thenin the folu- _tionleave Copper plates for a whole night ( or many hours. ) But if you _ have a mind to fee the Experiment without waiting fo long, you: may 2h 6. . impley i a Ave the ways whereby 1 hide, # ten quickly difpatched it. As foon — then as [have diffelved a convenient | quantity, which needs notbea great — one, of Silverin cleanfed A qua fortis, - I add twenty or twenty five timesas — much of either diftilled water or rain water; (for though common water — ~ will fometimes do well, yet it fel- ’ dome does fo well5) and then into the clear folution I hang bya ftrihg a clean piece of Copper, which will be _ prefently covered with little thining © plates almoft like feales of fith, which — one may eafily fhake off and make room for more. And this may dlla- ftrate what we formerly mentioned about the fubfiding of metalline cor- pulcles,when they convene in liquors, wherein, whilft they were difperfed iu very minute parts, ‘they {wam freely. For in this ‘Operation the - little fcales of Silver feemed to be | purely metalline, and there isnofa- — line Precipitant, as Saltof Tartar or of Urine, imployed to make them fubfide. ron TEM wie d > sai ” ay ‘a Liat of Chpmical jeecipttation. 33 . fabfide. Upon the fame ground,Gold and Silver diffolved in their proper Menftruums may be precipitated - with running Mercury ; and if a So- Jution of blew Vitriol ( fuch as the Roman, Eaft-Indian, or other ofthe like colours ) be made in water, a clean plate ot Steel or Iron being im- merfedin it, will prefently be over- _ Laid witha very thin cafe of Copper- which after a while will grow thick , vers but does not adhere to the iron foloofely as tobe fhaken off, as the Preeipitated filver newly mentio- ned may be from the Copper-plates — whereto it adheres. And that in thefe operations the faline panticles may really quit the diffolved body, and work’ upon the Precipitant, _ May appear by the lately mentioned practice of Refiners, where thé Aqua- fortis, that forfakes the particles of the ‘filver, falls a working uponthe -copper-plates imployed about the Precipitation, and diffolves fo much of them as to acquire the greenith | Bie C4 blew 34° ot the Bethanical Caules blew. colour of a good. Saal of that metal. . And the Copper we — can eafily again without falts.obtain : by raed out of thatliquor — with iron, and that too) remaining — diffolved in its place, we can preci- - pitate with the taftlefs powder of another Mineral. 4 | Befides thefe two ways of salir ning the Menftruum, namely, by mortifying its faline particles or fe- ducing them to work on other bor © dies, and to forfake thofe they firlt diffolved, there are fome other. mays : of weakning the Menftruum. A Third way of effecting this,is by . leflening or difturbing the agitati- © onof thefolvent. And indeed fince we find by experience, that fome © liquors when they are heated, will either diflolve fome bodies. they © would not diffolve at all whenthey | were cold, or diflolve them more powerfully or cOpioully when hot than cold; °tis not unreafonableto — fappole, that what confi iderably lef- | fens. — = _ pl Chpmical Pecipitation, 35 fens that agitation of the parts of the Menftruum that is neceflary to the keeping the diflolved body in the ftate of fluidity, fhould occafion the falling of it againto thebottom. In flow operations I could give divers examples ofthe precipitating power of Cold; there being divers: foluti- onsand particularly that of Amber- greece, that Thad kept fluidall the . Summer, which inthe Winter would fubfide. And the like may be fome- . times obferved in far lefs time in the folutions of Brimftone made ia certain oleaginousMenftruumsjand I have now & then had fome folutions, and particularly one of Benzoin made in f{pirit of wine, that would fur- prize me with the turbidnefs (which | begins the ftate of Precipitation ) it would acquire upon a fudden change of the weather towards Cold,though it Were not In the winter feafon. | Another way of weakening the Menftruum and fo caufing the Preci- pitation of a body diffolved in it, is | Re the dilating « or « tefiesiegith ee tenaci+ ty of it, whether that tenacity pro=_ ceed from vifcofity or the compe- tent number and conftipation of the i artse Of this wehave aninftancein the Magifteries ( as many Chymifts are — pleafedto callthem ) of Jalap, Bens # | - goin, and of divers others, Refi- nous and Gummous bodies diffolved in {pirit of wine. For by the affufion of common water, the Menftraum being too much diluted is not able - to keep thofe particles in the ftate of fluidity, but muft {ufferthem to fisb- — fide, (as they ufually doin the form of white powder, ) or, (as it may happen fometimes, ) makefome parts emerge. Examples alfo ofthis kind | are afforded us by the common:pre- | parations Of Adercurius Vite. "or though in oil of Antimony, made by © the Rectification ofthe butter, the — faline particles are fo numerous and > keep fo clofe to oneanother, that they are able to fuftain the Antim ‘T nia -—— HEChpniical Pzecipifation. 37 nial Corpufcles they carried over -withthemin Diftillation, and keep them together with themfelves in the form of a jiquors yet when by the copious affufion of the water, thofe fuftaining particles are fepara- ted and removed to a diftance from each other, the Antimonial Cor- pufcles and the Mercurial (if any fuch there were, ) being of a ponderous ‘mature, will eafily fubfide into that ‘Emetic powder, which, ( when well owafhed ) the Chymifts flatteringly enough call Adercuriws Vite. ‘But here 1 muft interpofe an ad- vertifement, which will help to fhew us, how much Precipitations depend upon the Mechanical contextures of “bodies. For, though not only in othe newly recited examples, but in divers others, the affufion of water, by diluting the falts and weaken- ming the Menftruum, makes the me- ‘tall or'other diflolved body fall pre- cipitately to the bottom 5 yet ifthe faline particles of the folvent, and Bll thofe 38.6 Dtibe apecbanical ¢ Caules thofe of the body be: fitted. for fo. ftriG@ an union, that the‘ Corpu(cles | ~ gefulting from their. Cualidianl will not fo eafily be feparated by the pai J ticlesof water, as fuffer themfelves to be carried up anddown with them, whether becaufe of the mi- nutenefs of thefe compounded Cor-' pufcles, or becaufe of fome congrul- ty betwixt them and thofe of the water 3 they will not be precipitated out of the weakened folution, but {till continue a part ofits as I have tryed partly with fome folution of Silver and Gold, made in acid Men- ftruums, but muchisabri fatisfadtoe | rily in folutions of Copper, madein the urinous fpirit of Sal Armoniac. For, though that blew folution were diluted wich many thoufand times as much diftilled water as thediffolved metal weighed; yeti its {wimming — Corpufcles did by their colour mani- feftly appear to be dif a epi ‘ the whole liquor. CHAP. , Bi ae | of Chpmical eecipitation. 39 pt is CHAP. Vil. P)yUT, to. profecute our former BD) difcourfe; which we broke off afterthe mention of Afercuriws Vite, *twill.now be feafonable to add, that we have made divers: other. Precipi- tations, by the bare affufion of wa- ter, out of folutions, and fometimes out of diftilled, liquors 5 which, for brevity fake, [here omit, that.I may haften to the: laft way Ifhall now {tay.tomention. . ..... ~oAnother way then, whereby Preci- pitations of bodies may be produced by debilitating the Menftruum they fwim. in, isby leffening the propor- tion of the Solvent to the Solzium, without any evaporation of the li-. quor. Thefe laft words Iadd, be- caufe. that, . when there . 18. an obftruGion or any. other expulfi- on (of the Menftruum by heat, if © ek rap | | it ‘41 DF the Bech nica ¢ y it be total, ‘tis called Exficcation, as when dry falt of Tartar is obtainec from the filtrated Lixdeines of the calcined Tartar; and though the evaporation be not total, yet the effets of it are not wont® to be reckoned’ amongft Precipitat i- ons.. And although the way, Tam about to propofe, i Fie be attentive- ly confidered, has much affinity with the foregoing, and the Phenomena may perhapsinfome fort be reduced to them} yet the inftances that T fhall name, havin not, that I know, been thought of by others, and being fuch as every one would not dediice from what I have been méntio- ning, I fhall add aword of the’ in- ducements I had to make the try-. als, as well as of the fuccefs of them. Confidering then; hat Water will not diffolve Salts - indefinitely ,’ 5 but when it has received itsdue propor tion, “twill then diffolve no more, but; if they be put into ” let them fall of Ehpmital PPecipttation. 40 fall to the ground and continue undiffolved 5; and that if when water is fatiated, any of the liquor be evaporated or otherwife wafted, | it will in proportion let fall the fale ithad already taken up3 I conclu- ded, that if I could mingle with water any liquor, with which its particles would more readily afloci- ate than with thofe of Salt, the depriving the folution of fo many of its aqueous particles would be equivalent to the evaporation of as much water or thereabouts, as they, by being united, could compofe. — Wherefore making a Uixivinm of di- -ftilled water or clean rain-water, and of Salt of Tartar foftrong, that if a grain more were caft in it, it would lie undiffolved at the bot- tom; I put a quantity of this fiery Lixivium into a flender cylindrical veffel, till it had therein reached -fach a height as I thought fit; then taking as much as I thought fufh- cient of ftrong {piri of wine, that ‘gee 2 would 42 Of the BechanicalCaules,. would buro. every drop away, that | fo it might have no flegm nor wa- ter of its own, I poured this upon the faline,folution, \and fhaking fh a liquors, pretty well together to: bring themto mix as well asI could, I laid the tube in a, quiet place, and afterwards found, asl expected : that there was a pretty quantity of white falt-of Tartar fallen to the bottom of the veffel, which fale had, been meerly forfaken. by the aque:, } ous particles that fuftained it.be- fore, but forfook it to pafs into the. {pirit of wine, wherewith they were more difpofed to affociate them- felves 3; which I concluded, becaufe having, before I poured on this laft named liquor, made_a, mark, on the olafs to fhew how far the dixivinm reached, I found ( what ] looked | for ) that after the Precipitation, the Lixivium, that remained yet {trong enough sto continye unmixed with — the incumbent {pirit, had its furface | not where the mark. fhewed , ithad been of Chymical Peecipitation. 43 been before, but a confiderable di- {tance beneath it, the fpirit of wine _ having gained in extent what it loft in [trength by receiving fo many - aqueous particlesintoit. I chofeto make this tryal rather witha Lixi- —vinm of Salt of Tartar than with oyl of Tartar per Deliquium, be- eaufe in this laft named liquot the aqueous and faline particles aré more clofely combined and there- fore more difficult to be feparated | than I thought they would bein a _ Lixivium haftily made, though very {ftrong.. And though by much agi- © tation I have fometimes obtained fome falt of Tartar from the above- mentioned oils yet the experiment fucceeded nothing neat fo well with that liquor as with a Lixivinm. I made alfothe like tryal with ex- ceedingly dephlegmed {pirit of wine and as ftrong a Brine as I could _ make of common falt diflolved with- out heat in common water; and [ thereby obtained no defpicable pro- portion of finely figured fale, that : soe was 44 or the @Pechanicat Saules was let fallto thebottom. But this experiment, to be fuccesful, requires ~ 7 greater care in him that makes i it, than the former needs. 4 To confirm, and fomewhat ial 5 vary this way of Precipitation, I fhall add, that having made aclear folution ‘of choice Gum Arabic in | common water, and poured upon it — alittle high rectified {pirit of wine, — on this accafion there was alfo — : made, and that in a trice, a copious — precipitation ofa light and purely white fubftance not unpleafant to behold. And for further Confirma-— tion I difiolved a full proportion of Myrrhein fair water, and into the filtrated folution, which was tran-— fparent, but of a highbrown colour, I dropt a large proportion ( which Circumftance is not to be omitted } of carefully dephlegm’d fpirit of — wine, which according to expe@a- tion made a copious Precipitate of — the Gum. And thefe inftances I the rather fet down in this place, Secaufe they lcem to fhow 2 that fimple «> pf Mhypmical Precipitation, 45 fioiple water is a real Menftruum, which may have its diffolving and - fuftaining virtue weakened by the acceflion of Liquors, that are not doubted to be much ftronger than it. __ By fpecifying the hitherto menti- oned wayes, whereby Precipitations may be Mechanically performed and accounted for, I'‘would by no means be thought todeny, that there _ may be fome omitted here, which either others that fhall confider the matter with more attention, orl my felf, if Ifhall have leifare to - doit, may think on. For I propofe thefe but as the chiefthat occurr to my prefent thoughts; and I forbear to add more inftances to exemplifie them, becaufe I would not injure fome of my other papers, that have a greater right. to thofe Inftances. Only this I fhall‘notein general, that the Doctrine and Hiftory of Preci- pitations, if well delivered, will be a thing of more extent and moment than feems hitherto to have been imagined 3 fince sot only feveral of ee en eer 46 DE the Pechantcal Caules Sc. the changes in the: blood and-other _ liquors and. juices. of the humane — body may thereby be the better un- : derftood 5 and they prevented; or their | ill confequences — remedied 5 but in. the practical part of Minera- logy divers ufefull things may pro- 3 bably be performed’ by’ the affift- ; ance of fuch,a: Doétrine and Hifto- ry. To keep. which conjecture — abate feeming’ extravagant, I fhall - ouly here intimate; that ‘tis not a- — Jone..in: bodies: that are naturally — or permanently liquid, but in thofe folid and ponderous bodies, that are for a fhort time made fo’ by the — violence of the fire, that many of _ the things fuggefted by this Do-— rine may have place. For.whilft — divers of thofe Bodies are in fufion, | they may be treated as liquors; and — metalls, and perhaps other hetero- _ geneous bodies may be obtained — from them by fit though dry Pre- — cipitants, as in fome other writings — I partly. did,.and may elfewhere 7 further, declare. FINIS.. Re ea aie Experiments and Potes Pe «ABOUT THE eee NICAL PRODUCTION OF | Magnecifm. m. __ By the Honourable ROBERT BOYLE EG; Bellow of sai R. Society. hes 6 ND OOF: Printed by &. Flefher, for R. bist — Bookfeller 1 in Oxford, 1675- ADVERTISEMENT - Coricerning the following NOTES About OCCULT QUALITIES: | Sk: folowing Papers ( about — i Magnetiim and EleGricity) “= mould appear with lefs difad- _ vantage, ifthe Author's willingness and Promife, that this Tome fhould be fur- nifved with notes about -fome Occult Qualities, well as about divers forts of — thofe that are prefumed to be Manifett, did mot prevail with bin to let the enfu- ing Notes appear without thofe about the Pores of Bodies and Figures of —Corpufcles, that fhould have preceded thew, and fome others that fhould have a accom- accoopanted? them, But chofe rat her to venture th abroad in the Condition, , fuch they now appear in, ‘than mak already printed about manifelt ; ties flay longer for Acceffions, whi fome troublefome Accidents pil not faffer him to haftento the prefs, and without which, henow fears this Tome may {well to a more than compete we | Bulk en lite be ge oRee Experiments and rotes ABOUT THE Mechanical Produétion OF : err ticn L QUALIT LES. . . bes the vertues of the | Loadftone be none of the leaft famous of Occult Quali- ties, and are perhapsthe mott juftly admired ; yet I hall venture to offer fomething to make it probable, that fome, even of thefe, may be in- troduced into bodies ‘by the pro- duction of Adechanical changes in them. | To make way for what Iam to deliver to this purpofe, it will be ex- WS: pedient x 2 ot the gerbanical ic -pedient to remove that g from. fo uch as Broke an Mechanical account of Magneti Sy which isa belief, that thefe Qual do immediately flow from the Sub- antial Form of the Loadftone, — whofe abftrufe nature is difpropor- — ‘ tionate to our underftandings. But — for my past, I con-— , EXPER. I. fe(,Ufee no neceffity & a admitting this fap- pofition; forl fee, that-a piece of — Steel fitly fhaped and well excited, — will, like a Loadftone, have tenden™ I terminate Poles; and with them — point atthe North and South; it will — 4 draw other pieces of Iron and Steel © to it, and which is more, communi- cate to them the fame kind, though — not degree, of attractive and dire-_ &ive vertue it had it felf, and will — ‘ poffefs thefe faculsies not as light and tranfient impreffions, but as fuch fetied and durable Powers that it 7 may retain them for many years, if the Load{tone, to which it hasbeen cxf of Bagnetilm, — 3 _ duly applied, were vigorous enough: Of which fort Iremember I have -feen one (and made fome tryals with it ) that ytelded an income to the owner, who received money from Navigators and others for fuf- _ fering them to touch their needles, {words, knives &c. at his excellent Magnet. Now, in a piece of fteel or iron thus excited, ‘tis plain, that the Magnetic operations may be re- gularly performed for whole years bya body, to which the form of a Loadftone does not belong, fince, as ithad its ownform before, fo it retains the fame ftill, continuing as malleable, fufible &c. as an ordinary ~ piece of the fame metal unexcited : fo that, if there be introduced a fit difpofition into the internal parts of the metal by the action of the Load- {tone, the metal, continuing of the {ame Species it was before, will need _ nothing fave the continuance of that acquired difpofition to be capable of performing Magnetical Operati- -ons3 and if this difpofition or inter- y | A 4 nal be e detiraged: etsy the! forth of the metal be not at all injured, ' et the former: tn! of ‘AteraQiog “a fhall be abolifhed, — EXPER. I. as appears when an | os <-" - excited ifon ismade _ red hot inthe fire, and fattened: to 7 cool again. ose meet | And here give me rene totake — notice of what Ihave elfewhere re- — lated to another purpofe, namely — a ‘that a Loadftone EXPER. III. may CasI have © ' more than once ~ tryed) bs eafily deprived by ig- — nition of its Power of fenfibly at- — tracting Martial bodies, and yetbe fcarce, ifat all , vilibly changed, but | continue a true Loadftone in other capacities, which, according tothe — vulgar Philofophy ought todepend ~ upon its Sbftavtial Form, and the — Loadftone thus fpoiled may, not- withftanding this Form, have its Poles altered at pleafure like a | | piece } v~ : of Wagnetiln. 8 piece of Irons as I have elfe- where particularly declared. And I will confirm what I have been faying with an experiment that you donot perhaps expect namely, that though it be generally taken for granted ( without being contra- diéted that I know of by any man) that, in afoundLoad{tone, that has ~ never been injured by the fire, not only the attractive Power, but the particular Vertue that it has to point conftantly, when left to it felf, with one ofits determinate ex- treams to one determinate pole, _ flowes immediately from the fub- {tantial or at leaft effential Form ; yet this Form remaining undeftroy- | ed by Fire, the Polesmay bechan- — ged, and that with eafe and {peed. For among my notes about Magne- tical Experiments, whence I bor- ’ row fome paflages of this paper, I findthefollowing Account. Ex- fox eprabce tip sri end of a pant - fed needle, and with the oppofite — extream or Pole the North-end of — the fame needle, I made among other © tryalsthe following Experiment. Taking a very {mall fragment of © a Loadftone, I found, agreeably to © my conjecture , ‘that by apply {ometimes one Pole, fometimes ee other, to that pole of ( afmall but) a — very vigorous Loadftone that was ; fit for my purpofe, Icould at plea- — fure, in a few minutes, change the Poles of the little fragment, as I tryed by its operations upon a needle — freely poifeds though by applying — a fragment a pretty deal bigger, (for ~ in it felf it appeared very. (mall, ya & | was not able in far more hours than } Iemployed minutes before, tomake — any fenfible feos ofthe Poles. ae, j . & SN a ee Og Pagnerifm, Oe This fhort Memoria! being added to the preceding part of this dif | courte, will, I hope, {atishe you, that - how unanimoufly fo ever men have deduced all wagnetick operations from the form of the Loadftone 5 yet fome internal change of pores or fome other Mechanical alterati- onsor inward difpofition, either of the excited Iron or of the Load- ftone it felf, may fuflice to make a _ body éapable or uncapable of exer- - cifing fome determinate magnetical operations 3 which may invite you to caft a more unprejudiced eye up- on thofe few particulars, U thall now -fabjoin to make it probable, that ~ even Magnetical Qualities may be : Mechanically produced or altered. EXPER. V. fhops of Artificers, as Smiths, rners of metals &c. thst, when hardened and well tempered tools ic often obferved in the u are. well heated by Attrition, if whileft 8 Of the | Hechanicat } ~ whileft they are thus wa apply them to filings or chips. they callthem, or thin fragments of Steel or,Iron, they will take thi i. up, asif the inftruments were touch- ed with a Loadftone: but as they will not do fo, unlefs they be thus — _ excited by rubbing till they be warm- ed, by which meansa greater com- motion is made in the inner parts — of he Steel fo neither would they — retain fo vigorous a Magnetifm — as to fupport the little frag- | 4 ments of Steel that ftuck to them after they were grown cold a- gain. Which may be confirmed by 1 what, if I much mifremember not, 4 I fhewed fome Acquaintances of yours; which was, that, by barely rubbing a conveni- _ EXPER. VI. ently fhaped piece ; of Steel againft the — floor till it had gained a fufficient — i heat, it would whileft i¢ continu- © ed fo, difcovera manifelt, chough © but faint attractive power, which — vanifhed together with the adventi- tiousHeat, ~ EX- a Sas SS .) pf@Bagnetifni, 2g / EXPER. VIL. id rE elfewhere obferve, which Y perhaps you alfo may have - done, that the Iron bars of windows, _ by having ftood very long in an erected pofture, may at length grow Magnetical, fo that, if you apply the North point of a poifed and exci- ted Needle to the bottom of the — Bar, it will drive itaway, & attract the Southern 5 and if you raife the magnetick needle to the upper part ofthe Bar, and apply it as before, this willdraw the Northern extream, which the other end of the bar ex- pelleds probably becaufe , as ‘tis elfewheredeclared, the bar is intra of time, by thecontinual action of the Magnetical effwvze of the Tar- raqueous Globe, turned intoa kind of Magnet, whole lower end becomes the North-pole of it, and the other the Southern. Therefore accor- . - ding to the Magnetical Laws, the former muftexpel the Northern ex- > tream 46 Ot the Wet tream of the Needle, anc draw It. oe a ey * re . bina) | %, £ dy Rae : ae : dis ea kid Y othe \ “EXPER: vit rave found: ine aba: and le wa Y {tron nor but “e ition obfervers _ may have done foteo, that, fabar- of Trop; Bat cs not ttood long in pendicular, the Sreneaenea exe periment will fucceed) (probably up+ on fuch af account as that Ff have lately intimated’: ) Bat then this vires tue, di(played by the extreams of the bar of fron, will not be atall permanent, but fo tranfient, that) ifthe bar be but inverted and held a again uprighe, that end which juft before. Ww AS theu ppermolt, and drew. e the nerch+end ‘of whe needle, will j now, being lowermoft, drive it away, which, as was lately oSlerved, aed not haspen toabar which hag beet fome years or other competent time kept im the fame Pofition. So Hie ‘ SEs = = = re of Magnetifn. 11 fince length of time is requifite to make the verticity of a bar of Iron {o durable & conftant, that the fame extream will have the fame virtues in reference to the Magnetical needle, whether you make it the upper end or the lower end of the bar, it feems not improbable to me, that by length oftime the whole Magnetick virtue of this Iron may be increafed, and confequently fome degree of at- traction acquired. ates And by this Confideration I fhall endeavour to explicate that ftrange ‘thing, that is reported by fome Moderns to have happened in Ztaly, where a bar of Ironis affirmed to have been converted into a Load- ftone, whereof a piece waskept a- mong other rarities in the curious Aldrovandus his Mufeum Metallicun. For confidering the greatsefs of its Specific Gravity, the malleablenefs and other properties, wherein Iron differs from Loadftone, I cannot eafi- ly believe, that, by fuch a way asis mentioned, a metal fhould beturned » into | the en eee y jects delive: red : The chiefeft and cleareft thing in it being, that at the top of the Church of Arivinia great iron-bar, that was placed there. to. fupport a Crofs of anhundred pound weight, was at length turned into a Load- ftone. But whether.the, reality of this tran{mutation .was. examined, and how it appeared that the frag- ment of the Loadftene prefented to Aldrovandus was taken. from that bar of Iron, Iam not fully fatisfied by that Narrative. Therefore, when Iremember the great refemblance [r° have fometimes feen) in colour, be- fides other manifeft Qualities, be- twixt fome Loadftones, and fome courfe or almoft rufty Iron, I am — tempted to Cofjecture, that thofe | that obferved this Iron-bar when broken to_ have acquired a a Magnetical virtue, -which they — dreamed not that traé oftime might — com= 5. i of Bagnettim, 13 - communicate toit, might eafily be per{waded, by this virtue and the re- -femblance of colour, that the Iron was turned into Loadftone : efpe- cially they being prepoflefs’d with . that Ariflotelian Maxim, whence our Author would explain this ftrange Phanomenon, that inter Syubolum hae —bentia facilis eft tranfmutatio. Bur, leaving this as a bare conje- . ure, we may take notice,that what virtue an oblong piece of Iron may need a long. tract of time to acquire, _ by the help onely of its pofition, may: be imparted toit in a very {hort time; _ by the intervention of fuch a nimble agent, asthe fire. As may be often; though not always, 2 3908 oblerved in Tongs, EXP ER... IXe and fuch like Iron i$ 95} Utenfils, that, having been ignited, have been {et to cool, leaning againf{t: fome wall or other prop, that kept them in an erected pofture, which makes it probable that the great ‘commotion of the parts, made by the vehement heat of the fire, difpofed | B the 14 Mf the Dechanical Peopucion ‘the Iron, whilft it was yet foft, and had its pores more lax, and parts more pliable, difpofed it, Ifay,tore- ceive much quicker impreflions ‘from — the Magnetical effavia of the Earth, — than it would have done, if it had — : | {till been cold. EXPER. X. And’tisveryob- — : fervable to our prefent purpofe, what differing ef- fects are produced by the operation of the fire, upon two Magnetick bo- - dies according to their refpedtive — conftitutions. For, by keeping a Loadftone red-hot, though you cool | it afterwards in a perpendicular po- fture, you may deprive it of its for- mer power of manifeftly attracting : But a bar of Iron being ignited, and fet to cool perpendicularly , does thereby acquire a manifeft verticity. Of which differing events I muft not — now {tay to inquire, whether or no the true reafon be, That the peculiar Texture or internal conftitutionthat — makes a Loadftone fomewhat more — than an ordinary Ore of Iron,(which © | metal, Z “a P ae | | of Dagnetifm. Ras metal, as far as I have tried, is the -ufual ingredient of Loadftones) be- ing {poiled by the violence of the fire, this rude Agent leaves it inthe con- dition of common Iron, or perhaps of:.ignited Iron-ore : whereas the fire does foften the Iron it felf (which is a metal not an Ore) agita- ting its parts, and making them the more flexible, and by relaxing its pores, difpofes it to be eafily and plentifully pervaded by the Magne- tical {teams of the Earth, from which it may not tmprobably be thought to — receive the verticity it acquires; and this the rather, becaufe, as I have often tryed, and lt elfewheremention- EXPER. XI. ed, if an oblong i Loadftone, once {poil’d by the fire, be thorowly ignited and cooled ei- ther perpendicularly, or lying hori- . zontally North and South, it will, as well as a piece of Iron handled after the fame manner,be made to acquire ‘new poles, or ehange the old ones, as the skilful experimenter pleafes. oH B 2 But. 16 DE the BWeehanical odu ion. But whatever be the true caufe of s the difparity of the fires operation — upon a found Load{tone and a bar of Iron, the effe feems to {trengthen © 4 our conjecture, That Magnetical o- — perations may much depend upon Mechanical Principles. And I hore'® 4 you will find further probability ad- — ded to it, by fome Phenomena reci- _ ted in another paper, to which I P once committed fome promifcuous Experiments and Oblervations rie | netical. \ EXPER. XIE F I may be allowed to ‘tae an | Experiment from a little Tra& * * Relating to the that yet. lyes by ME, Magnetifm of the and has been feen but — Fatt; by two or three friends, it may be added to the inftances al- ready given about the produdion of Magnetifm. For in that Experiment © I have fhewn, how having brought a. good piece of a certain kind of Eng- — lith Oker, which vet perhaps oy no | tter a of Magnetilmn, ¥7 fitter than other, toa convenient fhape, though, till it was altered by the fire, ic difcovered no Magnetical Quality; yet af- tex it had been kept red-hot in the fire and was fuffered to cool in a convenient pofture, it was enabled to exercife Magne- tical operations upon a pois’d Needle. ad 4 2MPER. XI, . § for the Abolition of the Magneti- Aroea vertue in a body endow’d with it, it may be made without deftroying the Subfiantial or the Effential Form ot the _ body, and without fenfibly adding, dimi- nifhing, or altering any thing in reference ' tothe Salt, Sulphur and Mercury, which Chymifis prefume Iron and Steel, as well as other mixt bodies, to be compofed of. For it has been fometimes obferved, that the bare continuance.of a Loadftone it felf in a contrary pofition to that, which , ‘when freely placed,it feems to effea, has either corrupted or fenfibly leffened the vertue of it. What I formerly obferved to this purpofe,.1I elfewhere relate, and fince that having a Loadftone, whofe vi- gor was look’d upon by skilful perfons as - very extraordinary, and which, whilf it was in an Artificers hand, was therefore held at.a high rate, I was careful, being by 18 Of the Pechanical Pxodumion 7 by fome.occafions call’d out of Londen, to lock it up, with fome other rarities, ina Cabinet, whereof I took the key along with me, and fiill kept it in my own ~ Pocket. But my ftay abroad proving much longer than I expected, when, being re- turned to London, I had occafion to make ufe of this Loadftone for an Experiment, I found it indeed where F left it, but fo exceedingly decayed, as to its attractive power, which I had formerly examin’d © by weight, by having lainalmoft a yearin an inconvenient pofture, that ifit had not been for the circumftances newly related, © I fhould have concluded that fome body had purpofely got it out in my abfence, — and f{poiled it by help of the fire, the ver- — tue being fo much impaired, that I cared little to employ it any more about confi- — derable Experiments. — EXPER. XIV. And this corruption of theMagnetical vertue, | which mzy in tra& of time be made in a Loadftone it felf, may in a trice be made by the help of that Stone in anexcited Needle. For ’tis obferv’d by Magnetical Writers, and my own Trials purpofely made have affured me of it, that a well pois’d Needle, being by the touch of a good Loadftone, excited and brought to turn one of its ends to the North and the | one | of Paanetitn, Ig other to the South, it may by a contrary | ‘touch of the fame Loadftone be deprived _ of the faculty it had of direting its de. terminate extreams to determinate Poles. _ Nay, byanother touch (or the fame, and even without immediate Contact, if the Magnet be vigorous enough) the Needle may prefently have its direction fo chan- ged, that the end, which formerly poin- ted to the North pole, fhall now regard the South, and the other end fhall initead of the Southern, re{pect the Northen pole, >A ND to make it the more probable, that the change of the Magnetifm communicated to Iron may be produc’d at leaft in good part by Mechanical ope- rations, procuring fome change of texture in the Iron; I fhall fubjoyn a notable Ex- periment of the ingenious Doctor Power, which when I heard of, I tryed as well as I could; and though, perhaps for want of conveniency, I could not make it fully an- {wer what it promifed, yet the fuccefs of the trial was confiderable enough to make it pertinent in this place, and to induce me to think, it might yet better fucceed with him, whofe Experiment, as far as it concerns my prefent purpofe, Pca ea A a eax vor pre AD. panical; , &e. - 3 ulcielrecet, as Scnith call it, a of Iron, be, by being ignited and fuffered to cool North and South, and hammered at the ends, very manifettly endow’d with Magnetical vertue, this vertue will ina trice be deftroyed, by two or three fmare blows ofa {trong hammer upon the —7 of the oblong piece‘of Iron. } But Magneti(mis fo fertile a Subjed, that : if I] had now the leifure and conveniency — to range among Magnetical Writers, I~ thould {carce doubt of finding , among their many Experiments and Obfervati- ons, divers that might be added to thofe _ above delivered, as being eafily applicable — to my prefent Argument. And T hope .- you will find farther probability added to what has been faid, to thew, that Magne tical operations may much depend upon ra chanical Principles, by {ome Phenomena te+ cited in another Paper, to which Lonce committed fome promifcuaus Emporsnents ) and Obfervations Magnetical. ; FINIS.— - Experiments and Rotes ABOUT T H ae Mecnanicat Oricine | OR PRODUCTION Electricity. = By the Honourable ROBERT BOYLE Etq; Fellow of the R. Society. LONDO N, _ Printed by E. Flefber, for R. Davis Bookfeller in Oxford. 1675: % dg tH HOH ot pe Aa tOd Te es _attsige? A ola Yo wh > —y 7 ; ; Wt A ad? sds aN Awe ai a ; . ‘ ; “ " : . : | | | arbi? inst 20k “Experiments and Notes \ABouT THE ‘? Mecuasrcat Ontorxe P R o D u c T ION : £ BUO “3 Tae tis not t neceffary to Be- lieve Eledtrical ‘Attra@ion - Cwhich you know is gene- rally. at among Occult Qualities ) to be the effect of, a naked and foli- tary Quality flowing | immédiately from; a, Subftantial Form ; but that Pi may rather. bethe effect of a Materl al E@lyvium,, ifluing from. and Yee HUF QHR £02! the. Fiat Body (a ng "pers “. 2 Di the Berhanical Deigine perhaps in fome cafes aflifted in its Operation by the external air) feems agreable to divers things that may ~ be obfervd in fuch Bodies and their — manner.of -atting.. .... .-.., 42 There are differing Hypothefes — (and all of them Mechanical, pro- posd by the Moderns) to folve the Phenomena of Electrical Attra@ion. Of thefe Opinions the Firft is that of the learned Jefuite Cabews, who, though a Peripatetick and Commen- tator on Ariffotle, thinks the draw: ing of light Bodies by Jet, Amber, &c.may be accounted for,by fuppo- _ fing, that the {teams that iflue, or, if | I may fo f{peak, fally, out of Amber, when heated by rubbing, difcufs and expell the neighbouring airs which after it has deen driven off a little way, makes as it were a {mall whirl- wind , becaufe of the refiftance it finds. from the remoter air , which has not been wrought on by the E- Jectrical Steams; and that thefe, fhrinking back {wiftly enough to the Amber, do in their returns bring a- . ‘bf Eledtritity, 3 long with them fuch light bodies as they meet within their way. On occafion of which Hypothefis 1 thall offer it to be confider’d , Whether by the gravity of the Atmofpheri- cal Air, furmounting the Specifick Gravity of the little and rarifi'd At- __ Amofphere,made about the Amber by ‘its emiffions, and comprifing the light Body faften’d on by them, the Attraction may not in divers cafes be elther caufed or promoted. _ Another Aypothefis is that propo- fed by that Ingenious Gentleman Sir Kenelmw Digby, and embraced by the very Learned Dr. Browne, ( who feems to make our Gilbert himfelf to have been of it _) and divers other fagacious men. And according to this Hypothefis, the Amber, or other _Eleétrick , being chaf'd or heated, is made to emit certain Rayes or Files of unctuous Steams, which, when they come to be a little cool'd by the external air, are fomewhat condens'd, and having loft of their _ former agitation, fhrink back to the een oe body erik oP kon fallie out 3°and ‘carry ‘with them ‘thofe light™badie $5 - «that their farther ends happen toad. hereto, at the time of: thetr!. Retta-_ “tion's As when adrop of Oyl ior Syrup’ ‘hangs from the end of afmall ftick 5 if that Be dextroufly sand — ‘Catitioutly ftrueks the vifcous fub- — ftanceé will,° by that impulfe, «be — f{tretch’d out, and prefently: retreat | ing, ‘will briag along with it‘the dutt - or other: light "bodies that» chanced to ftick, to” the ‘remoter’ parts of — its OPT ee LA WG ryt a And phig bay ‘of explaining Ble- , étrical Attradtions is employ‘dralfo by “the Learned Gafendw,)vehd addes toit, that thefe BleGtical Rays Cif they maybe: fo call’d) being emitted -fevetal -whys', andvdonfe- qirently éroifiag one another, gevin- ty cle pores -of the Straw, or other lighe body to- be attraéted ,’and> by means of their. Deaflarion take'the — fatter hold of it, and have the greater of ‘ forced +o carry it-slong wih them, ~ when they f iH back to the Am- * ‘ | i a ea of Electricity. im 4 or i Bb a were atten 4 A third Hypothefis there is, which was devifed by the Acute Cartefins, who diflikes the Explications of o- thers, chiefly becaufe he thinks them not) i ae \to Glafs , which he fuppoles unfit to fend forth Effluvia, and which is yet an Electrical body 5 - and.therefore attempts ta account for Electrical AttraGions by the in- tervention of certain particles, fhap’d, aimoft like {imall _ pieces of Ribbond, which he fuppofes to be form’d of. this. fubtile matter har- baur’d in the pores or crevifes. of Glafs. But this Hypothefts, though ingenious in it felf, yer depending upon. the knowledge of divers of his peculiar Principles, I cannot in- telligibly, propofe jc in few, words, and therefore, {hall re- fer you, to himfelf, for anaccount of it: which : I the Jefs feruple;, to do.,. becanfe thongh it be..not. unworthy ‘of the - wonted, Acutenefs.of the Authour, | a he feems himf{elf, to doubt, whe- A 4. ther Princip, part yn Aire tod, <.. «DE the Beebe _ ther it w ¥ : @ oe: oA ; nical Datgine qi fe 4 ‘al ill reach all Elegtrical Bo» diess and itfeems to\me, that the reafon why he rejects the way of — explicating Attraction by the Emif- — fion of the finer parts of the at- trahent (to which Hypothefis, if it be rightly propofed, I confefs my felf very inclinable’)) is grounded upon a miftake, which , though a ‘Philofopher may , for want of Ex- — perience in that Particular, without difparagement fall into, is never- thelefs a miftake. For whereas our excellent Author fays; that Eledrical Effinvia, {uch as are fuppofed to be emitted by Amber, Wax, &c. can- \ not be imagin'd to proceed from — Glafs, I grant the Suppofition to be plaufible, but cannot allow it to be true. For as folid a body as Glafs is, yet if you but dextroufly rub for two or three minutes a couple of pie+ ces of Glafs againft one another, you will find that Glafs is not onely capa- ble of emitting Effiuvia, but fuch — ones 2s to be odorous, and fometimes to be rankly ftinking. ak | of Gleavicity, == 7 -- But it is not neceffary,that in this Paper, where I pretend not towrite - Difcourfes but Notes, I fhould con- fider all that has been, or I think may be, faid for and againft each of the above-mentioned Hypothefes; fince they all agree in what is fuffici- ent for my prefent purpofe, namely, _ that Electrical Attractions are noty the Effetis of a meer Quality, but of a Subftantial Emanation from > the attracting Body: And ‘tis plains that they all endeavour to folve the Phenomena in a Mechanical way, without recurring to Subftantial Forms, and inexplicable Qualities, - or fomuch as taking notice of the _Hypoftatical Principles of the Chy- ~mifts. Wherefore it may fuffice in this place, that I mention fome Phe- nomena that in general make it pro- _bable, that Amber, &c. draws {uch light Bodies,as pieces of Straw,Hair, and the like, by vertue of fome Me- chanical Affecions either of the at- tracting or of the attracted Bodies, or of both the one and the other. | i, The BY ot tee Botti fern is5 T ag EleGsical dodies draw not udlefs they \be warm'ds © which Rule though I have now-and ; then found to.admit of an Exception, — ( whereof I elfewhere offer an ace count,) yet, as tothe generality of common Eleéricks, it holds well.e- — qnough to give much countenafice.to — our DoGrine, which teaches the ef- — fects of Electrical Bodies to be. per form'd by Corporeal. Emanations, ‘ For tis known ,,that Heaty by agi- | tating rhe parts bf a fit Body, {elicites it as it were tofend forthus Bfflwopa, as is Obvious. in odoriferous,Gums — and Perfumes, which, being heated, 4 fend forth thetr fragrant’ ticams,, both - further and more copioutly than\o- om therwife they ‘woulds 9.04 stnld sid: 2. Nextyithes.been obfervid, that Amber, &Ke. warm’d bythe fire,does not 2 attract fowigoren flys asif itiace f gets an’ equal de aree of) heat: by a eing chafdior, rub’d : So that, the t geal ataies of motion inotheinter- ~ nal maces and inthe Emanations wd a eC a opp ob Glearictyp. 9 othe 2 aa may, 'as well as. the, ce- ‘gree of it, contribute to the Attraci- on. And my particular Obfervati- ons incline me to, adde, that the cf fed may, oftentimes. be much, pro- - moted by, employing both. thefe ways fucceflivelys as.J thought I ma- nifeftly found when, I firft warm’d the Amber at the fire, and prefent- ly after chaf'd it a litle upon a piece’ of cloth. Forthena very few rub- bings fecm’d to excite, it more than many more would. otherwife haye done :. As if ‘the heat ‘of the fire had put the parts intoa general, but confus d, agitation; to which ‘cwas €afie, for the fubfequent Attrition Cor Reciprocation of Preflure) to give aconvenient modification in a. Body whofe Texture.difpofes it to become vigoroufly EleGtrical. .3, Another Obfervation that is made about thefe Bodies, is, That _ they require Terfion as well as Ac- _ trition 5 and though I doubt whether the Rule be infallible, yet I deay not but that weaker Electricks ree quire 10 DF the Pechanical Deigine quire to be as well wip’d as chaf'ds and even good ones will have their © Operation promoted by the fame — means. And this is very agreeable — to our Doétrine, fince Terfion, be- — fides thatit is, as | have fometimes — manifeftly known it, a kind orde- | gree of Attrition, frees the Surface — from thofe adherences that might choak the pores of the Amber, or» at leaft hinder the emanation of the {teams to be fo free and copious as o- therwife it would be. ia ta i 4. “Tis likewife obferv'd, That — whereas the Magnetical Steams are — fo fubtile ,; that they penetrate and | perform their Operation through all kind of Mediums hitherto knowa to uss Electrical Steams are like thofe of fome odoriferous Bodies, ealily check’d tn their progrefs, fince tis affirm’d by Learned Writers, who fay they fpeak upon particular Trial; that the interpofition of the fineft Linnen or Sarinet is fufficient tohin- der all the Operation of excited — Amber upon a Straw or Feather — placd 4 | of Electricity. ir plac’d never fo little beyond it, - §. It has been alfo obferved, that the effe@s of Electrical AttraGion are weaken ‘d if the air be thick and cloudy and efpecially if the South- _ wind blows: And that Electricks dif- play their vertue more faintly by night than by day, andmore vigo- roufly in clear weather, and when the winds are Northerly. All which the Learned Kircherus aflerts himfelf to have found true by experiences infomuch that thofe bodies that are but faintly drawn when the weather isclear, will not, when ‘tis thick _and cloudy, be at all moved. 6. We have alfo obferved, hat divers Concretes, that are notably EleGrical, do abound in an effluvi- able matter (if I may fo call it ) which is capable of being manifeft- _ ly evaporated by heat and rubbing. Thus we fee, that moft Refinous Gums, that draw light bodies, do alfo, being moderately folicited by heat, ( whether this be excited by _ the fire, or by Attrition or Contufi- ah ok 3 on ) cabbisth I prt eas Pepe 4 -what latge and very well polifh’d, © wiill,'being rabid upon a: piece jof © -woollen cloth, emit, fteams, , which 4 thenoltrils themifelves.. may, |.per=— ceive} and they fometimes, feem., to- meinot uolike thofe that I took x tice of, when I-ke pr in my. moattha | drop ii two of the diluted Tin@ure — ( or Solution of .the finer. parts ) of © Aniber. made: with Spirit: of, Wine, 4 or of Sal Armotiiacs «| >, 4 ia Ib agreesvery well with what pais been faid of. sthe,corporeal, Ema- | nations of Ambers that ats attractive powerwill contijue fome time after it has. been one? excited. -For the — Attrition having. caus d. an inteftine i contmotion in the iparts of the Con- | crete, ithe heat’ or warmth that,cts thereby-excited. ought not. ta! ceafe, f as (oon asever the» :cubbing Is OVET, 7 nee continus | ee of. emitting ; eon! 7 Vi isch Eleavicity, ae | Effunie for fome time afterwards, which willbe longer or: fhorter ac- cording tothe goodnefs of the E- le@ric, and the degree of the Ante- cedent, commotion: which joynd together may fomeétimes make the efed onfiderable »tinfomuch that in. acwarmiday;' zbout'neon's did with a certain body, not much, ifvat all, bigger: than a Pea, but very vi- ‘goroufly attreCiive, move to and fro a Steel; Needle freely:poyfed, about three vininttes (ory the » twentieth part of am bour ). after d ay lett off anubbing thecAttrahéntiiA bo » 8a A hae atmay tot: rat sane | ble, that: Electrical Effiunvia fhou!d:be able tO.infinuate themfelves :ntothe _ pores ‘of; many other bodies , i fhall sadde,: that I) found them fubtile e- _ mough to attract not onely Spirit’ of ‘Wine ,:but that flnid aggregate of | Corpulcles we call Smoak: For ha- _ aving well lighted a Wax- ‘taperjwhich - ihbpreferids to: a*common Candle to Lavoidsthe!} fink of ithe fnuff, I blew “out G tite blame 5: and, when themoak 14 OF the Becbanical Dis ine afcended in a flender ftream, held, ae ‘ a convenient diftance from it, anex-— cited piece of Amber or a chafed Diamond , which would manifeftly — make the “afcending fmoak deviate — from its former line, and turn afide, — to beat, as it ‘were, againft the — Electric, which, if it were vigorous, — would act at a confiderable diftance, aad feemed to {moak fora pretty while together. g. That ‘tis not in any peculiar Sympathy between an Electric and - a body whereon it operates, that E- le&trical Attraction. depends, feems the more probale, becaufe Amber, | for inftance, does not attract onely one determinate fort of bodies, as the Loadftone does Iron,: and thofe bodies wherein it abounds$ but as far as I have yet tried, it draws indiffe- rently all bodies whatfoever, being plac d within-a due diftance from it, Cas my choiceft piece of Amber draws not onely Sand and Mineral Powders , but Filings of Steel and — Copper, and beaten Gold it felf) — i ‘Pre; of Electricity. eas By provided they be minute or light e- - mough, except perhaps it be fire; Lemploy.the word perhaps , becaufe _ Tam not yet fo clear, in this point, For having applied a {trong Electric at a convenient diftance to {mall fragments of ignited matter , they were readily enough attracted , and ‘fhin’d, whilft they were fticking to the body that had drawn them: But when I look’d attentively upon them, I found the fhining {parks to be, asit were, cloath'd with. light --afhes, which, in {pite of my dili- - gence, had been already form’d a- bout the attracted Corpulcles, upon _ the expiring of a good part of the fires fo that ic remain’d fomewhat doubtful tome, whether the ignited Corpufcles, whilf they were to- tally fuch, were attraCted; or whe- ther the immediate objedts of the Attraction were not the new form'd afhes» which carried up with them thofe yet unextinguifhed parts of fire, that chanc’dto be lodg’d inthem. But, as for flame, our Countreyman | B Gél- ae OW Ohi ey ke a ae OO Re Wyte Se MRE. i 16 Dfthe Pechanical Deigine Gilbert delivers as his Experiment, — That an Eletric, though duly exei- _ ted and applied, will not move the — flame of the fléndereft Candle. — Which fome will think not fo eafie — to be well tried with common E- — lectricks, as Amber, hard Wax, Sul- — phur, and the like unétuous Con- cretes , that very eafily take fire: Therefore I chofe to make my Tri- al with a rough Diamond extraor- dinarily attractive , which I could, Without injuring ft, hold as near as — I pleas’d to the flame of a Candle or Taper; and though 1 was not fatis- — fi'd that it did either attract the flame, © as it vilibly did the fmoak, or mani- _ feftly agitate it; yet granting that Gilbert's Aflertion will conftantly hold true, and fo, ‘that flame is to be excepted from the general Rule, yet this exception may well comport — with the Hypothefis hitherto ‘counte- — nanc d; fince it may be faid, as *tis, - if { miftake not, by Kirkerus , that — the heat of the flame ditlipatés the — Effiuvia, by whofe means the At- — tractie 4 SomOeihetrisitn 3 37 traGion fhould be perform’d. To which I fhall adde, that poflibly the Celerity of the motion of the Flame upwards, may render it very difh- cule for the Electrical Emapations to divert the Flame from its Courfe. 10, We have found by Experi- ment, Phat a vigorous and well ex- cited piece of Amber will draw, not onely the powder of Amber, but _ lefs minute fragments of it. And as - In many cafes one contrary directs to another, fo this Trial fuggefted a further, which, in cafe of good fuc- _ eefs, would probably argue, that in - Eleétrical AttraGion not onely Effiz- via are emitted by the Electrical bo- dy, but thefe Effiavia faften upon the body to be drawn, and that in fuch a way, that the intervening vil- cous ftrings, which may be fuppofed to be made up of thofe cohering Ef- fluvia,are, when their agitation cea~ fes, contracted or made to fhrink in- wards towards both ends, almoft as a highly ftretch’d Lute-ftring does when ‘cis permitted to retreat. into | B 2 fhorter es ¥ mere ' 18 OF the Beehanical Daigine SPN fhorter Dimentions. But the Con* — jeGture it felf was much more eafie © to be made than the Experiment re- gd IP ee a > oe BR i ave owe : +e ' ) quifite to examine it. Forwefound ~ it no eafie matter to fufpend an E- _ lectric, great and vigorous enough, in. — fuch a manner, thatit might, whilft . fufpended , be excited , and be fo nicely poifed, that fo faint a force as that wherewith it attracts light bo- dies fhould be ableto procure a Lo- cal Motion to the whole Body itfelf. —_ But after fome fruitlefls attempts with other Eledctricks, I had recourfe to the very vigorous piece of po- lifh’d Amber , formerly mention’d, - and when we had with the help of a little Wax fufpended it by a filken thread, we chafed very well one of the blunt edges of itupon a kind of. large Pin-cufbion coverd with a courfe and black woollen ftuff, and then brought the Eledtric, as foon as we could, to fettle notwithftanding its hanging freely at the bottom of the ftring. This courfe of rubbing on the edge of the Amber we pitch’d Upon Of Eledvicity, = 89 19 upon for more than one reafon3 for if we had chafed the flat fide, the Amber could not have approached the body it had been rub‘d on with out making.a change of place inthe whole Electric, and, which is worfe, without making it move ( contrary to the nature of heavy bodies ) fomewhat upwards 5 whereas the Amber-having, by reafon of its fuf- penfion, its parts counterpoifed by one another; to make the excited edge approach to another body, that - edge needed not at all afcend, but - onely be moved horizontally , to which way of moving the gravity of the Electric € which the ftring kept from moving downwards) could be but little or no hinderance. And a- - greeably to this we found, that if, as _foon as the fufpended and well rubb‘d Electric was brought to fet- tle freely, we applied to the chafed edge, but without touching it, the lately mention’d Cufhion, which, by reafon of its ‘rough Swperficies and porofity, was fit for the Electrical B 3 Efflu- 20 DF the @Pecbanicat Deigine — Efflavia to faften upon ,_ the edge — would manifeftly be drawn afide by — the Cufhion fteadily held 5 and # . this were {lowly removed, would — follow it a good ways and when — this body no longer detaind it, — would return to the pofture wherein it had fetiled before. And this pow-. } er of approaching the Cufhion by vertue of the operation of its own fteams, was fo durable in our vige- rous piece of Amber, that by once — chafing it, I was able to make it fol-. low the Cuthion no lefs than ten or eleven times. Whether from fuch — Experiments one may argue, that ‘tis burt, as ‘twere, by accident that Am- ber attracts another body, and not — thisthe Amber; and whether thefe ought to make us queftion, if Ele- étricks may with fo much propriety, as has been hitherto generally fuppo- | fed, be faid to Attradé , are doubts that my Defign does not here oblige me to examine. Some other Phevomena might be added of the fame Tendency with - thofe i MF the Wechanical Deigine 21 ‘thofe already mention’d, (as the ad- vantage that Electrical Bodies ufual- ly get by having well polifh’d or at -Jeaft {mooth Surfaces, ) but the Ti- tle of this Paper promifing fome Ex- periments about the Produttion of E- leGtricity, I muft not omit to recite, . how Ihave been fometimes able to produce or deftroy this Quality in certain bodies, by means of altera- tions, that appear d not to be other than Mechanical. EXPER. 1 heat {lowly evaporated about a fourth part of good Turpentine, I found, that the remaining body *. would not, when cold, continue a Li- _ quor, but hardend into a tranfpa- rent Gum.almoft like Amber, which, asI look dfor, proved Electrical. Ae firft, having with a very mild Ba E X- 32 ' ote ; EXPER. Te mm hey ~Econdly, by mixing two fach ie | guid Bodies as Petroleum and {trong Spirit of Nitre ina certain CH ae and then diftilling them tillrhere remained a dry mafs, I ob- 4 tain’d a brittle fubftance as black as - Jets and whofe Superficies ( where it was contiguous to the Retort) was. gloffie like that Mineral when po- lifhed 3 and as I expected. I found it alfo to refemble Jet, in being en-— dowed with an Eleétrical F aculty. EXPER. Il. Hirdly, Having burnt Antimo- ny to afhes,and of thofe afhes, without any addition, made a tranf- parent Glafs, I found, that, when — rubb’d, as Electrical Bodies ought to be toexcitethem, it anfwerdmyex- pectation, by manifefting a not incon- Giderable Electricity. And this is the. worthier of notice, becaule, that as a | Vitruta | te — ; of Electricity, — 23 Vitrum Antimonii, that is faid to be - purer than ordinary , may be made of the Regulus of the fame Mineral, in whofe preparation you know a great part of the Antimonial Sul- phur is feparated and left among the Scorie 5 fo Glafs of Antimony made © — without additament, may eafily, as experience has informd us, be in part reducd to a Regulus, (a Body not reckond- amongft Electrical ones. ) And that you may not think, that ‘tis onely fome peculiar and fixe part of the Antimony that is capable of Vitrification, \et me aflure you, that even with the other part that ts wont to flye away , (namely the - Flowers ) an Antimonial Glafs may without an addition of other Ingre- dients be made, | Og Oe. EOS DORR. FV. Ourthly , The mention of a Vi- trified Body brings into my mind, that J more than once made fome Glafs of Lead per fe , C which I found no very eafie wor <) that — -alfo was not wholly deftirute of - 1 Electrical Vertue, though it had bue — a very languid one. And itis not — here to be overlook’d, that this Glafs — might eafily be brought to afford a- gain malleable Lead, which wasne- — ver reckon d, that I know of, among , Eledrical Bodies. | | EXPER. V. Ifthly , Having taken fome ri ber, and warily diftill’d it, not mish Sand or powderd Brick , or fome fuch additament as Chymitts are wont to ufe, for fear it fhould boylover or break their Veffels5 but by its felf, that I might have anun- mixed Caput mortuum; Having made — this Diftillation, I fay, andcontinued _ it tillit had afforded a good propor= tion of phlegm, Spirit, Volatile Salt, and Oyl,the Retort was warily :bro- ken, and the remaining matter was taken out ina lump, which, though it ‘had quite loft its colour being burnt of Eledricity. 35 burnt quite black, and though it were grown ftrangely brittle in com- - parifon of Amber, fo that they who believe the vertue of attracting light Bodies to flow from the fubftantial ‘form of Amber, would not expect it in a Body fo changed and deprived of its nobleft parts: Yet this Caput mortuum was {o far from having loft its Electrical Faculty, that it feemed to attract more vigoroufly than Am- ber it {elf is wont to do before it be ~ committed to Diftillation. And from the foregoing Inftances afforded us by the Glafs of Antimo- ny, we may learn, that when the form of a Body feems to be deftroy- ed by a fiery Avalyfis that diflipates the parts of it, the remaining fub- {tance may yet be endowed with E- leGricity, as the Caput mortuum of Amber may acquire it 5 as.in the cafe of the Glafs of Antimony made of the Calx and of the Flowers. And from the fecond Example above- - mentioned, and from common Glafs which is Electrical, we may alfo ee learn, — ftance that they conftitute , though is Df the Berhanical Divine — learns that Bodies that are neither of | them apart obferved to be endowed 5 . with Electricity, may havethat Ver- — _ tue refult in the compounded fub- 7 it be but a fadtitious Body. To the foregoing Experiments, whofe SuccefS is wont to be uniform _ enough, I fhalladdethe Recitalof a furprifing Phenomenon, which sthough | not conftant may help to make it probable, that EleGrical Attractions need not be fuppos’d ftill to pro- ceed from the fubftantial , or even from the effential Form of the At- trahent 5 but may be the effects of unheeded, and, as it were, fortui- tous Caufes. And however, I dare not fupprefs fo ftrange an Obferva- tion, and therefore fhall relate that - which I had the luck tomake of an odd fort of Electrical Attra&tion (as _ it feem‘d,), not taken notice of (that ~ I know of ) by any either Naturalift — or other Writer, and it is this. | o a " iy | \ E X- 7 ‘ ; bf Elearicitp. 27 EXPER. VI. Hat falfe Locks ( as they call § them ) of fome Hair, being by curling or otherwife brought to a certain degree of drinefs, or of ftiffnefs , will be attracted by the flefh of fome perfons, or feem to apply themfelves to it, as Hair is wont to doto Amber or Jet exci- _ ted by rubbing. Of this I had-a - Proof in fuch Locks worn by two very Fair Ladies that you know. For at fome times I obferved, that they could not keep their Locks from flying to their Cheeks, and (though neither of them made any _ ufe, or had any need of Painting ) from fticking there. When one of thefe. Beauties firft fhewd me this Experiment, [ turn‘d it: into a Com- plemental Raillery , as fufpeding there might be fome trick in tr, though I after faw the fame thing happen tothe others Locks too. But as fhe is no ordinary Virivofa, fhe ve- | ry 28 DF the BerhanicalDeigine ry ingenioufly remov’d my fafpicions, q ahd (as I requefted) gave meleaveto ~ fatisfie my felf further,by defiring her ~ to hold her warm hand at a convent= — ent diftance from one of thofe Locks — taken off and heldin the air. For as foon as fhe did this, the lower end | of the Lock, which was free, appli- ed it felf prefently to her hand: — which feem’d the more ftrange, be- caufe fo great a multitude of Hair. would not have been eafily attract- ed by an ordinary Electrical Body, that had not been confiderably | _ Jarge, or extraordinarily vigorous. | This repeated Obfervation put me upon inguiring among fome other young Ladies, whether they had abe - ferved any fuchlike thing,but I found little fatisfaction tomy Queftion, ex- cept from one of them eminent for being ingentous, wha told me, that fometimes fhe had met with thefe troublefome Locks 5 but that all the | could tell me of rhe Circumftances, which I would have beep inform’d — about, was, that they feem’dto her to — of Eledricity, 29 to flye moft to her Checks when they had been put intoa fomewhat {tiff Curle , and when the Weather wasfrofty *. * Some years after the making the Expe- riments about the Production of Eledrici- ty, having a defite to try, whetherin the _ Attraétions made by Amber, the motions excited by the air had a confiderable Inte- reft, or Whether the Effe@ were not due rather to the Emiffion and RetraGion of Effuvia, which being of a vifcous nature may confitt of Particles either branch‘d or hookt, or otherwife fit for fome kind of Cohefion, and capable of being ftretch’d, and of fhrinking again,as Leather Thongs are; To examine this, I fay, I theughe the fittet way, if ‘twere praticable, would be, to try, whether Amber would draw a light Body in a Glafs whence the air was pumptout. And :houghthe Tri- al of this feem’d very difficult to make, and we were fomewhat difcouraged by our firft attempt, wherein the weight of the ambient air broke our Receiver, which chanced to prove too weak, when , the internal air had been with extraor- dinary diligencepumpt out; yet having a vigorous piece of Amber, which I. had caus’d to be purpofely turn’d and pol.fh’d for 30 Df the aechanital Dy gine for EleG@rical Experiments, ¥ afterwards — repeated the Trial, and found, tha In | warm Weather it would retain a ‘manifel power of attracting for feveral. minutes a (for it ftirred a pois’d Needle after above z of an hour ) after we had done rubbing it. Upon which encouragement we fufs pended it, being firlt well chafed, ina Glafs Receiver that was not great,juk over alight Body; and making hafte with our Air-Pump to exhauft the Glafs, when the Air was withdrawn, we did by a Contri- vance let down the fufpendedAmber till it came very near the Straw or Feather, and perceived, as we expected, that in fome Trials, upon the leaft Contact it would lift itup and inothers, for we repeated the Experiment , the Amber would raife i¢ . without touching it, thatis, would attrac if. owe 7 You will *probably: be the lef difpes'd to believe , That Electrical Artractions muft proceed from the Subftantial Forms of the Attrahents, or rom the Predominancy of this or that Chymical Principle in thems if I _ acquaint you with fome odd Trials wherein the Attraction of light Ba- dies vo. ofGletricitp. 31 dies feem’d to depend upon. very {mall circumftances. And though ~ _ forbearing. at prefent, to offer you my thoughts about the caufe of thefe {urprifing Phewomena, 1 propofe it onely asa Probleme to your felf and your curious Friends, yet the main circumftances feeming tobe of a Me- chanical Nature, the recital of my Trials will not be impertinent to the Defign and Subject of this Paper. EXPER. VIL. VF Took then a large and vigorous I piece of Amber conveniently fha- ped for my purpofe, anda downy feather, fuch as grows upon the Bo- dies, not Wings or Tails of a fome- what large Chicken: Then having moderately excited the Ele@trick, I held the Amber fo near it, that the neighbouring part of the feather was drawn by it and ftuck faft toits buc the remoter parts continued ia their former pofture. This done, I apply- - edmy fore-finger to thefe erected | downy ga ME the Werbanie vdowny feathers; and immediately as ‘L expected, they lefttheir preceeding ~ pofture, and applied themfelvesto.it ‘as if it had been an Eleétrical Body. And whether I offered tothem my nail, or the pulpy part of my finger, or held my finger towards the right — hand or the left,or dire@tly over,thefe downy feathers that were nearthe — little Quill did nimbly, and, for oughe appear d, equally turn themfelves to- wards it, and faften themfelves to it. — And to fhew that the fteams that i- fued out of fo warm a Body as my finger were not neccflary to attra@ — (as men {peak the abovementioned feathers, inftead of my finger, I ap- plied to them, after the fame manner, a little Cylindrical Inftrument of Sil- ver, to which they bowed and fa- {tened themfelves as they had done to my finger, though the tip of this Inftrument were prefented to them in feveral poftures. The like fuccefS — I had with the end of an Iron Key, and the like alfo with a cold piece of polifh d black Marbles and eacnee | the 5. of Elearicity. 33 the feathers did fo readily and ftrong- ly faften themfelves to thefe extra- “neous and unexcited Bodies, that I have been able (though not eafily) - to make one of them draw the fea- ther fromthe Amber it felf. | -. But it is diligently to be obferv’d, that this unufual attraction happen- ed onely whilft the electrical opera- tion of the excited Amber continued {trong enough to fultain the feathers, _ For afterwards,neither the approach of my finger, nor that of the other bodies, would make the downy fea- thers change their pofture. Yet as foon as ever the Amber was bya light affrition excited again, the fea- ther would be difpofed to apply it felf again to the abovementioned Bodies. | | .-And left there fhould be any pecu- liarity in that particular feather, I made the Trials with others (provie ded they were not long enough to exceed the {phere of activity of the Amber) and found the-Experiment to anfwer my expectation. ! C3 l with the like fuccefs. i - And left you thould think ‘thefe’ Phenomena proceed from fome pecu- liarity in the piece of Amber I em- ployed, I fhall add, that I found uni- formity enough in the fuccefs; when, in the place of Amber, I fubftituted another Eledtrick, and particularly'a: fmooth mafs of melted Brimftone. © - _ . Thefearethe Phenomenal thought fit to mention at prefent of this unufu= 34 Di the Wechanical Deigine = - I made the Experiment alfo at difs 7 - fering times, and with fomeimonths,; if not’ rather years, of interval) but sg, al way of drawing light bodies, and : with this Experiment F fhould con- — clude my Notes about Electricity,but — that I think it will not be amifs before Itake leave of this Subje@, to give © this Advertifement, That theevent of EleGrical Experiments is not al- ways{ocertain as that of many others, being fometimes much varied by feemingly flight circumftances, and now and then by fome that are alto- gether over-lock'd. This Obferva-_ tion may receive credit fromfome of: ~ the — of Electricity, — 35 the particulars above recited(efpecially con. cerning the intereft of the weather, @c. in ‘Ele@rical Phenomena. )But now | fhall add, that,not onely there may happen fome va- - ‘fiations in the fiiccefs of Trials made with Ele@rical Bodies, but that it is not fo ‘certain as many think, whether fome par- ticular Bodies be or be not Electrical. For the inquifitive Kircherus reckons Cryftall among thofe Gems to whom Nature has _denyed the attractive power we are fpeak- ing of; and yet I remember not, that, a- mong all the trials ] have made with na- tive Cryftall, I have found any that was deftitiite of the power -+he-refufes them. Alfo a late moft learned Writer reciting — the EteGricks, reckon’d up by our indu- firious Countryman Gilbert, and increafing | their number by fome obferved by him- felf; (to which'T fhall now add, befides white Saphyrs, and white Englifh Ame- _ thyfis, ‘the almoft Diaphanous {par of Lead Ofe))dénies EleGricity toa couple of tran- {parent Gems, the Cornelion and the Em- rald. And I do the lefs wonder he fhould do foto the former, becaufe I have my felf in vain tried to make any attraGion with a piece of Cornelion fo large and fair, that *twas kept fora rarity 5 and yet with di- vers Other fine Cornelions] have been ab'e to atrraét fome light bodies very manifeft- ly, 36 Di the PechantcalDagine ~ ly, ifmot briskly sand I ufually weara | Cornelian Ring, that is richly enoughen- ~ dowed with EleGricity. But asforEm- — ralds,.as Ithought it firange that Nature thould have denied them a Quality the has granted to fo many other Diaphanous — Gems, and even to Cryftal, fo I thought the affertion deferved, an Examen, upon which. I concluded, : that at leaft it does not univerfally and, conftantly hold true. Thad. indeed. feen in.a Ring a Stone of — price and great lufire, which, though — green, I found to be, (asI guefSd it would, prove) vigoroufly ia EleGrical. But this Experiment, though feemingly con- clufive, I did not look upon.as.a fair trial, becaufe the tone, was not a true Emrald, but, which is rares a, green Saphir, . And T learned by inquiry of the skillful Jewel- ler that cut it, that ir was fo far from ha- ving the foftnefs of an Emrald, that he found it harder than blew Saphyrs shem- felves; which yet are Gems of great hard- nefs, and by fome reputed fecond to none, but Diamonds. Without therefore con- cluding any thing from this Experiment, fave that, if the affertionI was toexamim were true, the want of an Ele@trical fa- culty might be thought a Concomitant ra- : ther of the pecaitur Texture ofthe Em- rald than of its green colour, I proceeded to oo oF Electricity, > 37 - ¢omake trial with three or four Emralds, whofe being true was not doubted, and found them all fomewhat, though not e- qually, endow’d with Electricity, which I found to be yet more confiderable in an. Emrald of my own, whofe colour was fo excellent, that by skilful perfons *cwas look’d on as a rarity. And though, by this fuccefs of my inquiry; I perceived I could not, as elfe I might have done, fhew the Curious a new way of judging of true and falfe Emralds, yet the like way may be, though not always certain, yet oftentimes of ufe, in the eftimating whether Dia- monds be true or counterfeit, efpecially, if, being fet in Rings, the fureft way of trying them cannot conveniently be em- ‘ployed. For whereas Glafs, though it have. fome Electricity, feems, as far as I have obferved, to have buta faint one, there are often found Diamonds that: have a-very vigorous one. And I do not re-. member 1 met with any Eletrick of the fame bulk, that was more vigorous than _arough Diamond I have, which is the fame that I formerly mentioned to have moved a Needle above three minutes af- ter I. had ceafed to chafe it. And this brings into my mind, that it has been ob- ferved, that Diamonds draw better whilft rough, than they do after they are cut and pn | | polith’d, “38 DE the apechanicat Ds igine, &c, polith’d;’ which’ feeming to contradiQ what has beea obferved by others and by — us alfo, thit Amber, for inftance, | attraGts more vigoroufly if the furface be aie sony ry {mooth than otherwife, it inducesmeée — ». to conjeure, thar, if this Obfervation a- bout Diamonds be true,.as fome of: my trials have tow and then inclined | meto — think it, and if it do not in fome cafes confiderably depend upon the lofs of the (Elerical) Subtiance of the Stone; bysits being cut and ground, the Reafon may poflibly be, that the great rapidnefs with’ which the Wheels that ferve to cut and polith Diamonds muft be mov'd, does ex: cite a great degree of heat, ( which the: fenfes may ealily difcover) in the tone, and by thit and the ftrong concuffion it makes of its parts, may force it to {pend its etHuviable matter, if I’ may fo call it, fo plentifully, chat the Stone may be im-) poverifh’d, and perhaps alfo, on the ac- count of fome litt'e change 1n its Texture, : be rendred leffe difpofed to emit thofe efflevia that are Iaftruments of Electrical | Attraction. — But as I willingly leave the ~ matter of Fa& to further Trial, fo I do: the Caufe of it, in cafe it peer sree to. farther Inquity- FINIS. a) Pr Chen ‘ ag Ao 6 i ee oe - re) rs = ¥ 4 * “~*~ 4 af aN at 4 = i \entry ee os ¢ - ai oe es 4 Br: ¥ ‘, = oh Lg ar ao = Low. - fs) a