A Chymical Dictionary

Alcali

Salts solvents and liquid preparations · A Chymical Dictionary

At a Glance

The word. Salt defined through extraction from ash or calx.

In the book. Amnis alcalisatus introduces a water associated with the extraction of Alcali, while Impurum alcali distinguishes an impure form.

A place to read. The historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 2; facsimile PDF page 330.

Historical Definition

Alcali is every kind of salt extracted from ashes, or from the calx of any material, by boiling in lye.

Meaning

The historical class is organized by material source and operation. Ash or calx supplies the starting matter, and extraction by boiling in lye yields the salt. “Every kind” makes the category broader than a single substance. It would therefore be misleading to substitute the formula or common name of one modern alkaline material for the whole entry.

For interpretation, ask what has been burnt or reduced to calx. Different starting materials may be grouped under the same operational name. The definition says how a class of products is obtained; it does not claim that every member is identical in all properties.

Use in the Book

Amnis alcalisatus introduces a water associated with the extraction of Alcali, while Impurum alcali distinguishes an impure form. These qualifications demonstrate that the root term can be modified by origin or state.

Places to Read

Amnis alcalisatus. Water associated with passage through chalk and the obtaining of Alcali.

Impurum alcali. A residue distinguished through the purification of alkali.

Calx lignorum. A direct identification of a calx as ash from wood.

Historical source: 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 2; facsimile PDF page 330 — Facsimile

Sources. A Chymicall Dictionary (1650), s.v. Alcali ; compare Amnis alcalisatus, Impurum alcali, Calx lignorum

See also. Amnis alcalisatus; Impurum alcali; Calx lignorum