19 How the Volatile Becomes Acid, Acid Alkali, and Conversely: How Alkali Becomes Acid and Acid Volatile

Chapter outline

Acid mediates between volatile and fixed principles, as vegetables mediate between animals and minerals.

Putrefaction and changing proportions explain reciprocal transformations of the three principles.

Experiments distinguish an asserted intimate conjunction from mere concentration or loss of water.

The author argues for teaching the reasons for additions and operations rather than copying unexplained processes.

Rooted spirits and vinegars illustrate both successful mediation and errors made by common practitioners.

Universal subjects can supply missing homogeneous principles because all three kingdoms share one origin.

This chapter brings us to a notable point that practitioners should take very carefully to heart if they wish to make progress in the art. Animals cannot become mineral without vegetables, nor minerals animal without vegetables, for the vegetable is the medium between the animal and the mineral. Just as these universals and specifics require their media for union, so every individual in each kingdom must have its medium to bring its parts together, maintain and preserve them. In the newly introduced terminology this medium is called acidum in general. Universally, specifically and individually, in every subject throughout the universe it mediates between the volatile and the alkali, between the upper and the lower. Without it, the upper will not unite with the lower. The volatile, as the upper, is supremely volatile; the alkali, as the lower, supremely fixed. The volatile never unites directly with the fixed—the volatile with the alkali—without the acid. Acid is the medium and middleman, the intermediary, coagulator or uniter of all things. It is neither so volatile nor so fixed, but lies between them: a hermaphrodite that carries on both shoulders, the true chymical tongs.

Here, however, we should understand the coming together of a homogeneous volatile, acid and alkali, rather than heterogeneous ones. How are heterogeneous things to bind so closely that they become inseparable? For example, take spirit of wine, oil of vitriol and salt of urine. Pour the spirit of wine and salt of urine together, then add the oil of vitriol drop by drop. At first it will strongly resist, effervesce and hiss, but will finally grow quiet and unite intimately. If the wateriness is afterward distilled off, no spirit of wine will be perceived: with the oil of vitriol it has fixed itself upon the alkali. In this the student sees nature’s most beautiful union, even among contrary or heterogeneous natures, each belonging to a different quality and kingdom.

I shall now explain how the volatile becomes an acid, and the acid an alkali: how one becomes the other’s magnet. As soon as the rainwater collected above begins to putrefy, or the implanted spirit begins to work, warm and kindle the water, it begins separating and making itself increasingly bodily; in its present state it is wholly volatile. The volatile always tends to become fixed through intermediate degrees; conversely, once fixed it tends through many degrees to become volatile again. Through its ceaseless motion this spirit therefore passes from volatility into increasing warmth and heat. The heat makes it perceptible and sharp, so that it presents a sourness of taste that we commonly call an acid. The more spirituous it becomes, the more earth it produces. Acid causes precipitation, revealing through this separation the earth dissolved in the water, made thin and subtle and turned into water. Acid now reveals it; the sourer and hotter this spirit becomes, the more earth it separates. Yet lest this earth become too powerful, and the acid eat itself to death upon it and become alkaline, the acid takes its nourishment from the volatile. It attracts the volatile like a magnet, converts it to its own nature and makes it an acid. The more volatile the acid draws to itself, the hotter it becomes; the more it ferments, the more earth it dissolves, into which it must afterward act again. The more earth it dissolves, the more the acid becomes alkaline and fixed.

Once earth is fully impregnated with acid, and acid has dissolved as much earth as it can and magnetically attracted as much volatile as its action required, the acid is no longer so strong in fixing and precipitating. It now stands between them, saturated both by the earth, an alkaline part, and by the volatile. It hangs in the balance, waiting to see which of the two parts will gain the upper hand. It immediately joins that side and helps it beget its own likeness throughout. For example, suppose alkali or earth gains the upper hand, being stronger and more powerful, and greater in quantity than the volatile, while acid stands between them. Earth or alkali then makes the acid entirely alkaline. Because earth has overcome it, the acid attracts the volatile and makes it entirely acid; once it has become acid, earth’s increasing dominion makes it alkaline and earthly too, up to the highest ascending degree. Thus the volatile becomes wholly acid, then wholly alkali, earth and stone. Conversely, if the volatile is too strong and the earth too little, the volatile converts the acid to its own nature and makes it volatile. Acid meanwhile makes alkali into an acid, and this acid becomes volatile through and with the abundant, supervening volatile.

It is clear, and can be demonstrated by material operation, that while acid acts and works into earth in this way, earth takes a volatile to itself and transforms it along with itself into an alkali. Acid in turn takes up and dissolves earth, eats itself to death upon it, and becomes alkaline and fixed. Its sharpness is thereby sweetened and blunted so that it can no longer spread, corrode or dissolve. Although not every acid ever takes up enough earth to become entirely alkali by dissolving earth, it nevertheless takes up enough to acquire a body and attain a visible, tangible form. This is seen in the material operation of any acid: if earth is dissolved in it, but not completely, pour off the dissolved portion, evaporate it to one third, then set it aside to crystallize. The acid will form crystals, which would not happen if it contained too much earth. Conversely, dry the earth left behind that the acid has not completely dissolved, and heat it to glowing. Dissolve it with water, reduce it by coagulation to one third and expose it to the air. Nothing, or very little, will crystallize—only what remains of the acid. The rest will settle to the bottom without crystallizing, as a salt we call alkali.

That is the theory; next comes practice to confirm it. Take a volatile, an acid and a dead earth containing nothing, and let them act together as follows; you will discover the truth. Take 6 parts rectified spirit of wine strong enough to ignite gunpowder, 4 parts simply distilled wine vinegar, and 2 parts aqua fortis or spirit of vitriol. Mix the vinegar and aqua fortis, then pour both over 5 parts Cologne chalk, or another earth that contains no salt but is entirely empty. After pouring them over it, add the spirit of wine in a flask. Place it in a water bath and fit a head and receiver, so that whatever rises passes into the receiver. Leave it thus to digest and dissolve for a day and night, or two days and nights, at the first or second degree. Let it cool, then carefully pour the clear liquid off the incompletely dissolved earth, leaving the earth as dry as possible. Dry it further and reverberate it under the muffle. Then leach it with distilled rainwater, filter and coagulate. You will find a little alkaline salt, fixed into and as an alkali from the acid spirit of nitre and vinegar. Distil the clear water in a water bath until an oil remains. The volatile passes over, though weakened, because the acid has fixed a part of it. Set the oil in a cool place to crystallize: you will obtain nitre or a nitrous salt; with a different acid, a different kind and sort of saltpetre or vitriol.

Let us examine these parts: the volatile, the acid, and the earth or alkali. That the volatile has fixed itself in the acid, and that the acid rectifies, fixes and attracts it, is evident. The spirit of wine was previously very sharp and ignited gunpowder; now it is entirely weak, like mere phlegm. Everyone can see that it has left its volatile or sharpness with the acid and alkali. That acid has taken up and dissolved an earth or alkali is equally clear. Previously it was a clear spirit and watery aqua fortis; now it has assumed a saline form, neither wholly fixed nor wholly volatile, but inclined to both. A homogeneous volatile can readily make it volatile again, while a homogeneous fixed substance can just as readily fix it. It has lost its corrosive quality and strong or vehement acidity because it has dissolved earth within itself. This is perceived by taste: it is mild and sweet, like a common salt from the reverberated chalk and the alkali leached from it. One clearly sees that acid has become alkaline, or changed into alkali, and that earth has magnetically attracted and alkalized it. The experiment thus sufficiently demonstrates that the volatile becomes acid, and acid alkali. Earth is much stronger and more powerful, so that it has not been able completely to overcome the acid and change it entirely into itself. Earth therefore has the upper hand and overcomes both upper parts.