The Sceptical Chymist: or Chymico-Physical Doubts & Paradoxes, Touching the Spagyrist's Principles Commonly call'd Hypostatical; As they are wont to be Propos'd and Defended by the Generality of Alchymists. Whereunto is præmis'd Part of another Discourse relating to the same Subject.Boyle, Robert
Philosophy
The Sceptical Chymist: or Chymico-Physical Doubts & Paradoxes, Touching the Spagyrist's Principles Commonly call'd Hypostatical; As they are wont to be Propos'd and Defended by the Generality of Alchymists. Whereunto is præmis'd Part of another Discourse relating to the same Subject.
Boyle, Robert
Chemistry -- Early works to 1800
This is so evident, sayes _Carneades_, in some obvious Examples, that
I cannot but wonder at their Supiness that have not taken notice of
it. For when Wood being burnt in a Chimney is dissipated by the Fire
into Smoke and Ashes, that smoke composes soot, which is so far from
being any one of the principles of the Wood, that (as I noted above)
you may by a further _Analysis_ separate five or six distinct
substances from it. And as for the remaining Ashes, the Chymists
themselves teach us, that by a further degree of fire they may be
indissolubly united into glass. 'Tis true, that the _Analysis_ which
the Chymists principally build upon is made, not in the open air, but
in close Vessels; but however, the Examples lately produc'd may invite
you shrewdly to suspect, That heat may as well compound as dissipate
the Parts of mixt Bodies: and not to tell you, that I have known a
Vitrification made even in close vessels, I must remind you that the
Flowers of Antimony, and those of Sulphur, are very mix'd Bodies,
though they ascend in close vessells: And that 'twas in stopt glasses
that I brought up the whole Body of Camphire. And whereas it may be
objected, that all these Examples are of Bodies forc'd up in a dry,
not a Fluid forme, as are the Liquors wont to be obtain'd by
distillation; I answer, That besides that 'tis possible, that a Body
may be chang'd from Consistent to Fluid, or from Fluid to Consistent,
without being otherwise much altered, as may appear by the Easiness
wherewith in Winter, without any Addition or Separation of Visible
Ingredients, the same substance may be quickly harden'd into brittle
Ice, and thaw'd again into Fluid Water; Besides this, I say it would
be consider'd, that common Quick-silver it self, which the Eminentest
Chymists confess to be a mixt Body, may be Driven over the Helme in
its Pristine forme of Quicksilver, and consequently, in that of a
Liquor. And certainly 'tis possible that very compounded Bodies may
concur to Constitute Liquors; Since, not to mention that I have found
it possible, by the help of a certain _Menstruum_, to distill Gold it
self through a Retort, even with a Moderate Fire: Let us but consider
what happens in Butter of Antimony. For if that be carefully
rectify'd, it may be reduc'd into a very clear Liquor; and yet if You
cast a quantity of fair water upon it, there will quickly precipitate
a Ponderous and Vomitive Calx, which made before a considerable part
of the Liquor, and yet is indeed (though some eminent Chymists would
have it Mercurial) an Antimonial Body carryed over and kept dissolv'd
by the Salts of the Sublimate, and consequently a compounded one; as
You may find if You will have the Curiosity to Examine this White
powder by a skilful Reduction. And that You may not think that Bodies
as compounded as flowers of Brimstone cannot be brought to Concurr to
Constitute Distill'd Liquors; And also That You may not imagine with
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