2. Good clay, 2 parts; fine siliceous sand, 3 parts; brine, q. s.; common salt, 1 to 2 parts; as before. 3. Powdered clay, 2 parts; powdered charcoal, 3 parts (by weight); water q. s. to form a stiff dough. The kilning must be so arranged that the heat is applied gradually, and the vessels exposed to a current of hot air; and it must be continued until all the charcoal is burnt out, carefully avoiding over-firing. =AL′CHEMY= (-kĭm-). _Syn._ AL′CHYMY (-kĭm-); HERMETIC ART*; ALCHEM′IA, ALCHYM′IA, L.; ALCHIMIE, Fr.; ALCHEMIE, Ger.; ALCHIMIA, It. The romantic forerunner of the modern science of chemistry. An imaginative art or science, having for its objects the discovery of a substance (PHILOSOPHER’S STONE) capable of transmuting the baser metals into gold——a panacea, or universal remedy (ELIXER VITÆ), by which disease and death were to be avoided by its possessor——an alkahest, or universal solvent——a universal ferment; and other like absurdities. A mixed metal formerly used for utensils was also called by this name. =AL′COHOL.= C_{2}H_{6}O. [Eng., L.; B. P.] _Syn._ AL′KOHOL, Eng., L.; ALCOÖL, ALCOHOL, Fr.; ALKOHOL, HÖCHST RECTIFIEIRTER WEIN-GEIST., Ger.; ALCOÖLE, It. A term commonly applied to one kind of spirit——that obtained by the distillation of any fermented saccharine liquid, and forming the characteristic principle of wines, beers, spirits, and other intoxicating liquors. _Etym._ Kohol, a Hebrew-Syriac word, is the name given to a preparation of powdered antimony used by Oriental ladies to paint their eyebrows. In course of time this term was applied to other fine powders, and ultimately to highly rectified spirits. _Hist., &c._ Although the art of distillation was probably known at a comparatively early age of the world, the preparation of pure rectified spirit is a discovery of modern times. It was not until the 13th century that Raymond Lully first showed the way to concentrate spirit by means of carbonate of potash; after which date pure concentrated spirit gradually rose into note as an article of trade and commerce in Europe. In the 16th century its distillation was in common practice in these countries. (Burns.) By means of chloride of calcium, Dr Black obtained alcohol of sp. gr. 0·800 (about A.D. 1760); and Richter afterwards procured it of a sp. gr. so low as 0·796 at 60° Fahr. (Crell’s ‘Annals,’ 1796.) Lavoisier first demonstrated the composition of alcohol (about 1780). Its analysis was subsequently perfected by M. Saussure, jun., and confirmed by MM. Dumas and Boullay, and Gay-Lussac; and by many others since. _Nat. Hist._ Alcohol is peculiar to the organic kingdom, being exclusively produced, in the natural way, by the process of fermentation.