From the book
A Chymical Dictionary
Gerhard Dorn and John French · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordA name for saltpetre.
- In the bookSal nitrum gives an account of a salt boiled from earth, especially rich earth in places associated with excrement.
- A place to readThe historical definition below, 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 35; facsimile PDF page 363.
Historical definition
Nitrum is saltpetre.
Meaning
The compiler supplies a direct material equivalent. No source, preparation or degree of purity is added under this heading.
Use in the book
Sal nitrum gives an account of a salt boiled from earth, especially rich earth in places associated with excrement. Sal practicum names a mixture of saltpetre and sal ammoniac. These further entries should be read for their own qualifications, rather than imported wholesale into the plain Nitrum equivalence.
Places to read
- NitrumRead the complete historical definition and its commentary.
- Sal nitrumA salt obtained from earth associated with organic deposits.
- Sal practicumA named mixture of saltpetre and sal ammoniac.
Source note
Historical source. 1650 dictionary, unnumbered definition page 35; facsimile PDF page 363 — Facsimile
Sources. A Chymical Dictionary 1650, 1650 dictionary, facsimile PDF page 363, Nitrum