Quartatio

Operations instruments and practitioners · A Chymical Dictionary

At a Glance

The word. A gold assay described through the separation of silver from gold.

In the book. The numerical ratio belongs to the historical account and is retained exactly.

A place to read. The historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 39; facsimile PDF page 367.

Historical Definition

Quartatio or Quartura is the highest trial of gold, performed in this way: nine parts of silver are mixed with one part of gold by melting in the fire. Both are then dissolved with aqua fortis. All the silver turns into water, and the gold settles at the bottom like a dark powder.

Meaning

Trial means testing or assaying. The entry identifies a procedure by the different behavior attributed to two metals in a dissolving liquid. Silver passes into the liquid, while the gold is described as a dark residue. The color of that residue matters: a metal need not retain its familiar polished appearance throughout an assay.

Use in the Book

The numerical ratio belongs to the historical account and is retained exactly. The article’s name alone should not be used to silently change nine parts to a different proportion. This dictionary is evidence for the wording of this particular description.

In This Edition

This is a historical description of an assay. Its language of turning into water denotes dissolution within the account; it does not claim that silver becomes the element water. References to powder, solution and metal should be followed through the stated stages before identifying the resulting material.

Historical source: 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 39; facsimile PDF page 367 — Facsimile

Sources. A Chymicall Dictionary (1650), s.v. Quartatio; 1650 facsimile PDF p. 367