A course of chemistry containing an easie method of preparing those chymical medicins which are used in physick : with curious remarks and useful discourses upon each preparation, for the benefit of such who desire to be instructed in the knowledge of this art / by Nicholas Lemery, M.D.

Dissolution of Coral.

Take what quantity you please of Coral finely powdered on a Marble; put it into a large matrafs, and pour upon it distilled Vinegar enough to cover the matter four fingers high, there will happen a great effervescency, which being over, set your matter in digestion in warm sand for two days, stirring the matrass from time to time. Leave the Coral to settle at bottom, and decant the clear li∣quor into a bottle. Pour again so much distilled Vinegar on the remainder, as before, and leave it two days in digestion; separate the clear liquor, and continue to add more distilled Vinegar, and to draw off the Impregnation, until all the Coral is in a manner dissolved. Then mix your dissolutions, and pour them into a glass Cucurbite, or else into an earthen one, evaporate in sand two thirds of the liquor, or until there appears upon it a very fine skin: Filtrate this Impregnation, and keep it in order to make the Salt, and Magistery, as I shall shew hereafter.

It may be given for the same purposes as the Salt, the dose is from ten to twenty drops in some appropriate liquor.

Remarks.

Red Coral is generally used, because it is thought to have more virtue than the rest, by reason of its Tincture.

The effervescency which happens, when Vine∣gar doth penetrate Coral, is reckoned among cold effervescencies, if there be any such; for my part, I cannot say that I ever perceived any coldness in it. In truth it is very strange, that so great an Ebul∣lition, or motion of the parts, should not pro∣duce any sensible heat, but you must consider, that Coral, having large pores, may be easily dissolved, and so the acids need not jostle it very much, which would be requisite to produce any consider∣able heat.

Some do use in this operation the acid Lotion of Butter of Antimony, or pure Spirit of Vitriol, instead of Vinegar; but because these spirits do leave too great an acidity in the Preparations of Coral, I conceive it better to use distilled Vinegar.

Coral being an alkali, the acid points do stick in it, and suspending its parts, do render them imperceptible; and this is the reason that the Vine∣gar doth lose all its acidity, because the acidity did only consist in the activity of its points, which do now sheath themselves in the alkali.

If you would, by way of curiosity, distil this dissolution, instead of Evaporating it, as I have

said, you'd gain nothing but an insipid water, because the acid is fixt with the Coral. This water is evaporated away, because it would serve for no∣thing, and would only weaken the impregnation.

The dissolution of Perle, Crabs-eyes, burnt Harts-horn, and all other alkali matters, is per∣formed after the same manner; their Salts and Magisteries may be likewise made as those of Co∣ral, which I am going to describe.

It is here remarkable, that the solution of this sort of alkalies in distilled Vinegar, smells much like spirit of Wine, and that some quantity of it may be drawn, with a very gentle fire; the reason of it is, that in the making of Vinegar, the acids had in a manner fixed this sul∣phureous Spirit, but when they do enter into the pores of Coral, they are forced to quit it, and so let it recover its volatility.