In Robert Boyle’s day, competition between men of science (that is chemist) was keen. He relates several stories where in studying the nature of mercury and other metals chemist made what appeared to be mercury but were in fact alloys and/or amalgams of mercury.
Robert Boyle was not above passing with disfavor, comments toward those that were alchemist and “physicians” who attempted to answer questions based on false premises, or, those who wrote books describing their “arts”, while concealing information necessary to duplicate or question their experiments. At the time belief in the four “elements;” earth, air, fire and water was held by most of the learned ones. Likewise, many believed that heat and cold; wet and dry were the separating factors for the “elements.” Some continued to believe that it was not necessary to experiment as all that was needed to be known had been already revealed. Yet search for the philosopher’s stone or conversion of base metals into gold and silver was in the minds of chemist.
Thus Boyle separated spagyrist, (spagirist) and spagyrical from chemist (chymist) and chemical. In early dictionaries this distinction is well noted. Webster defines a spagirist as an alchemist.
Spagyrical is to draw, cut, tear, separate. (Reminds one that the physicians of the day practicing blood letting, etc.) Spagyricist (physicians) pretended to account for changes in the human body as did chemist account for changes in the substances they studied.
It is interesting that a spade is sometimes defined as one unable to procreate; that is an impotent person.
Intelligence at the time was that mercury was the “vapors” produced in fire, that sulfur was the substance burned and that salt was the ash that remained; these three constituted all that was thought to be of a solid substance (that is earth). Since mercury was the “vapor” released by fire, it must always be present. It was known that roasting of mercuric ore, freed the liquid. So the leap in faith was that by combining other metals, that mercury could found, i.e., obtained (freed). (Wood’s metal and many other alloys come from their investigations. Examples are the amalgam of silver and mercury that is used for tooth filling, and solder used to join copper pipes. Until recently solder contained lead but the formulation was changed so that minuscule traces of lead could not find its way into potable water.)
In enjoying the writings of Robert Boyle, “discoveries” abounded and distinction should not be lost sight of as experiments began to reveal the properties of the elements and the states of matter (gas, liquid and solid.) These three states have now been joined by an additional three - but that’s another story.
In the mid 1600's, competition between men of science (that is chemist) was keen. Boyle relates several interesting stories in his studying the nature of mercury and formation of alloys from other elements that had some of the properties of mercury.
“Whether Mercury may be obtained from Metals and Minerals, Or (To Speak Chymically) An dentur Mercurii Corporum?
That there may be extracted or obtained from Metals and Minerals a fluid substance, in the forme of running Mercury, is the common opinion of Chymist; in who’s books we may meet with many processes, to make these Mercurys: which because they are said to be offered by Minerall, and especially Metalline bodies, these Writers affect to call (how aptly I now examine not) Mercuios corporum.
But notwithstanding all this, divers of the more learned of the Spagirists themselves, have look’d upon the pretensions of other Chymists to the art of making these Mercury’s as but a Chymical brag: and some judicious modern Writers, applauded therein by most of the mechanicall Philosophers, have proceeded so far, as to explode all these Mercury’s of body’s as meer non entia Chymica, nay some of them have not scrupl’d to censure all those who pretend to have seen or made of any of them, as credulous or Imposters.
In the management of this controversie, I confess I am not satisfy’d with either of the contending parties, and therefore thought I shall not refuse to comply with your curiosity to receive in a few lines my thoughts, whither there are or may be any such Mercury’s as are disputed of ; yet I desire leave to premise such a state of the controversie, as I think will avoid some verball janglings, and at least acquaint you clearely with sense wherein I desire to have my opinion understood.
Waving then, in the present enquiry, the Question that may occur, Whither or no the Mercury’s said to be obtain’d from metals and Minerals are primitive ingredients; or Hyposticall Principles only extracted or separated from the body’s that afford’d them? I shall propose the question in these terms: Whither or no from a Metall or Minerall body, there may, without the addition of any body, that we may be sure has any common Quick-silver in it, be obtained, by the help of Art, or substance sembling common Quicksilver, by being ponderous, fluid when actually cold, Amalgamable with Gold and some other metals, and indisposed to wet or stick to ones hand, or to body’s not of a Metalline nature.
To give you now my present thoughts, about this question, I shall offer them to your consideration, in the following propositions.
There are divers processes of making the mercury’s of bidt’s, that are so darkly deliver’d that the gererality of Chymists cannot suficiently understand them, to be able to try them; for some of these processes are set down in terms of Art, which, for their great darknesse or ambiguity, are not to be understood but by the authors themselves, or those who are vers’d in the more mysterious parts of Hermetick Philosophy. And others there are of these processes, that require some menstruum salts, or other instruments, that ‘tis not in the power of ordinary Chymists to procure. Instances of this kind may be frequently enough mett with, by those that have the curiosity to peruse heedfully the Writings of those that passe for Adept Philosophers. And for a specimine of such processes, I am content to annex to the close of this paper, the way delivered by Lullius of making Mercury of Silver, Helmont’s way of preparing Mercury of Lead, and Paracelsus’s way of extracting the Mercury’s of all Metals.
There are divers processes to make Mercury’s of body’s, that are either false, or accompanied with circumstances that make them unfitt to be trust’d. For there are these processes that having been curiously try’d, those that had a great desire to find them true, have not been found to succeed at all in practice. Hence we have so many complaints of Chymists, that have lost their labour in endeavouring to make according to Beguinus’s directions (in his Tyrocinium Chymicum) the Mercury of Silver, though I do not take that to be one of the difficultest to be prepared; and he that converses much among those that have made attempts to make the Mercury’s of other bodies, as Gold, Antimony, &c. according to the vulgar processes extant in Chymicall books, will (if I mistake not) find by their confessions, how little the vents of their endeavours answer their labours and expectations. Nor doe all the Manuscript processes that are communicated to private friends, as great Arcana, much excell those I have been speaking of; as severall of my acquaintance have complained to me, that they have found to their coste. And here not to mention my own experience (which by the help of good Principles made me timely desist from unlikely attempts) amongst the many Chymists I have known, I remember not to have found above three or four credible persons, that would affirme to me, that they made or saw the Mercury of any metal or minerall (except of native Cinnaber, which is the natural oar of Quicksilver) in a constant way, by any process he had found in printed books, so that, so many of these processes have been upon triall found false, wary men may be excus’d if they do not think fit to beleeve either processes of mercurification: which though not yet try’d seem’d not more probable, than those that have been already found so unsuccesful, that not only many learned modern Naturalists, but Angelus Sala, and divers other eminent Chymists themselves, have publish’d to the world, that these Mercury’s are to be found no where, but in the bragging Chymists books and promises; and some have, as has been already intimated, gone so far as to brand all those for cheats, that pretend they can make such Mercury’s, and those for credulose that believe they can be made. But what I think of this severe opinion I shall quickly have occasion to declare.
There are some processes, wherin it is thought that Mercury of a metall or Minerall is obtained; when indeed the obtain’d substance is misnam’d or the true Mercury that is said to be extracted, was put in, though in a disguised forme, by the operator.
I will not here give instances of the subtile cheats, that may be put upon the ignorant and unwary, and sometimes too upon the skilfull, if they be not also cautious; but shall content my selfe to illustrate the propositions, by a few known and therefore innocent instances; and first there are some, who finding themselves unable to make the true Mercury’s of metals or minerals make bold to ascribe the name of Mercury’s, to productions who’s qualities are very remote from those, that are agreed to be essentiall to Quicksilver. Thus Globerus speaks much of his Mercury of Luna, which yet is far from being running Mercury, or having the ponderosity and other properties of true Quicksilver. So Angelus Sala himselfe in his Anatomy of Antimony would have us to look upon the Reguline parts of that mineral, as its mercury; because he takes if for granted, it must contain mercury, and is pleased to fancy no other can be obtained from it. But the difference of the Peguline part of Antimony, and running mercury in point of consistence, gravity, and other quality’s will, I presume, indispose men to confound them. And therefore, I will proceed, to confirme the second part of our proposition; by shewing that Mercury obtained by some processes that may succeed, made art of the Additament imploy’d by the Artist in the operations, and so was ont properly extracted from the metal, but only recovered from the body, compounded of the metal and the Additament. Of this, I remember, I have elsewhere given an easy instance, in a deluding experiment, that I long since shewed some Vertuosi, in who’s presence having mingled the flings of Copper with a certaine salt, and put them in a conveniently shap’d vessel of Glass, I warily held it over a competent fire of well kindled charcoals, till the salt was thorowly melted, and in part sublim’d by which operation the Copper seemed to be quite chang’d, especially in colour, and was really become inflamable, and there remained in the lower part of the Glass, a pretty deal of running Mercury, so that they would have gone away perswaded, that they did see me make the Mercury of Venus, if I had not been carefull to undeceive them, which I did by telling them, that this Quicksilver was only the common Mercury, that lay disguised in the compounded Sublimate I had imployed together with the Copper, which set the Mercury at liberty from the corrosive salts it lay concealed in before, by presenting them a Metall more disposed to be wrought on them than Quicksilver is.
It is posible to obtain, att least from some metals and Minerals, true running Mercury, that cannot be justly thought to come meerly from the additament. This proposition a Chymist might more compendiously express by turning it into this short Assertion. Dantur Mercurii corporum; but I thought the words I have imployed would express my sense more warily and clearly; and yet ex abundanti, I shall add this further explication, that though the proposition speaks affirmatively, but of some Metals and Minerals; yet it does not deny, either that more Minerals or that all Metals may afford true running Mercury: by which I understand (according t what I formerly noted) a Minerall body fluid, opacous, exceeding ponderous, Amalgamable with Gold, and not apt to wet or stick to one’s fingers, or any other body’s besides some Metalline and Mineral ones.
That such a Mercury may be obtained with out the help of Additaments, whereof Quicksilver is an ingredient, I have been persuaded to believe by the following observations.
I remember that many years ago, having had an occasion to distill Copper with certaine saline substances, I was not a little surprised to find in the vessels (that had been luted together) some globules of running Mercury, which I could not reasonably suspect to come from the Additament, which was not Sublimate, nor any thinge I could Judge to contain Quicksilver. And though the indisposition I had to admitt the Mercury’s of body’s, that so many learned men looked upon as non entities, made me somewhat diffident of the genuineness of the Mercury I had obtained, (whereof I had not quantity enough to make Just tryals) yet afterwards, when I found that accidents of the like nature had happen’d to several of my freinds, I began to think, that what I had kept only for a few dayes as a questionable rarity, might really have been Venerial Mercury.
A laborious Chymist of my acquaitance comming to visit me once when I was not well, was very earnest with me to communicate to him the way of making the Mercury of Antimony and of Saturn, and when I told him that I had no such processes of my own, and that I was far from believing those that I had mett with in printed books, to be tre ones, he would not acquiesce in this anwser, but declaring that he resolved to make attempts to gain such Mercury’s, and had rathere do it, by Methods of my proposing, than of his own devising, he pressed me os much to let him know which way I would go to work, in case I had the same design, that he then had, that to be rid of his importunity, I told him what on a sudden came into my thoughts and as sometimes the mind, being put to such plunges, happens upon a lucky hit, and such as much premeditation would not have led it to; so it happen’d as that time to me; for when I, because of my distemper, had forgott tiis affair, the Chymist, who was a plain honest man, came to me with great joy to give me thanks for the instructions I had given him, bringing along with him some Mercury of Antimony, and a little mercury of Lead, that he had already made by the help of those instructions; by pursuing which, he expected to obtaine much more Mercury from the Minerals when they should be longer digested with the concourse of the air, in those Salts that I had advised him to grind with them. This pleasing success of directions, which I had as to divers particulars forgotten, made me desire them of the Chymist, who, beginning to be proud of his attainment, when he perceived I remembered not so much as he thought I did, ungratefully delay’d to bring me the account he promised me at first, till the plague reaching the place where he lived, and dispatching him, deprived me of the hopes of satisfying my curiosity. ...”
***
These writings of Boyle regarding the subject of mercury reminds us that bubonic plague was sweeping England (and Europe) at the time. (Samuel Pepys’ Diary gives a close account of the disease.) Further, the beheading of Charles I, rise and fall of Cromwell, restoring the Crown to Charles II, and the Church of England being reinstated over the Presbyterian rebellion occurred during the time of Boyle’s studies. The majesty of it all is that the writers of Boyle’s time wrote in clear succinct easily understood English.
Many of the references cited as web pages at the beginning of this essay are from the same period of time.
For those that enjoy a good book, I recommend Robert Boyle’s The Skeptical Chymist which has been reprinted by the Classics of Science Library. Spelling is as printed in the original 1680 publication.
****
Joe Wortham’s Home Page, About Joe Wortham, Directory of Web Pages
Questions? Comments? [email protected]