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.

Remarks.

You must put about sixteen pints of water to boil with the fifteen ounces of the dross of Regu∣lus of Antimony, though the liquor does coagu∣late like a Jelly when it is cold, by reason of the salts and sulphurs joyning together; for the dross of the Regulus is nothing but a mixture of the fixt parts of Salt-peter, and Tartar, that have retain∣ed with them some of the more impure Sulphur of Antimony.

Now seeing that these salts do become Alkali by means of Calcination, the acid which is poured upon them, does break or destroy their strength, and makes them quit the sulphur which they held

dissolved, from whence the precipitation of the Golden Sulphur of Antimony does proceed.

So soon as vinegar is poured on the dissolution of the dross, volatile sulphurs do arise which are very disagreeable to the smell; the precipitate which is afterwards made, is like to a Coagulum or curd, in great quantity.

This Sulphur does operate much like to the Crocus metallorum, of which I shall soon speak. The Chymists have called it Golden sulphur, by reason of its colour, which is near like unto that of Gold; but it is probable that the Antients did understand by the Golden Sulphur of Antimony, some other sulphur than this, because almost all of them have writ, that there was a gross superficial sul∣phur in Antimony, like unto common sulphur, which is this of which our present preparation is made, and another more fixt, and like unto that of Gold, which they held to be Sudorifick.

You must not imagine that our Golden Vomi∣tive Sulphur is altogether Pure, it is still loaded with a great deal of earth and salt, which it has still retained in the precipitation, and it is this salt which by rarefying its parts does give it this co∣lour.