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f ,~n;\~m may he produeed. )'et it is but appmnt ~nd
nlomenmy; for b.,in~ Icrt lO th~mfd ves, amI undifiurb·
tri, th, y '1nid:!y difn.lite . nJ fcpmte.
The "itrinl,e wd, allilkd hy he<!, and even by di·
nil],tinn, dill'.I\'cs regulus of ~ntimony. The nitrons
•cid likc\\'if~ "t:acks it ; bm the folution e. n hy no art
be made c\w Md limpid; fo that the regulus is ooly
c~lclned, in a m.nocr. by this acid.
Thc o\,\fine acid diOolm it well enough j but then it
mull be exrcc,ungly cOllcentrmd, aocl applicd in a peeu·
iiar m. ooer, ~nd efpeeiall y by difiill~tioo . Ooe or the
bcOIl\ethod, or proel1l'iog a perfcél uoioo between the
~eid of fc~· C¡\t ~od regulus 01' antimooy, is tOplllmize
the Imer, mix it with corrofivc fublimate, aod diOil tbe
whole. There rifes in the operation a white maner,
thick, and fcarce Auid, whieh is no other than the regulus
of antimooy onited ""d combioed with the acid of fea·
lalt. This cOll\ponod is extremel)' corrofi" e, alld is eall·
eJ h/ifler q( dI'limol/} .
It i, th~t the corrofi vc fublimm is here decom·
pouoJ¿d ; the melcur)' is re,i\'ified j aod that the
;!cid \1 hirh was combi oed therewith hath quitICcI it tO joio
the re~l'¡us nr ~,nti moo)', ",ith whieh its anioity ís great·
er. bUlter or antimooy, by rep~md difiillatinos,
acquim a ccofidmble degre~ of Ouidit)' and limpidnefs.
[( the acid of oit re be mixed with butter of antimooy,
•n.1the who!e dillillcd, there rifes an acid liquor, or a
!0r! 01' aqlla "g;J, which lIill retaios fome of the dif·
'1("l'ed regulus , aod is calleu bmad;e /p;r;t o[ nitre.
A!'ter the dilhlbtioo there remaios a white matICr, from
" hich !',efh (pirit of oilfe is agaio a~Oraaed, aod which
¡',iog theo \l afhed with water, is called bezoar m;':rra/.
'I'his bezo", mioeral is oeither fo vol. tile, oor fo eaullie,
as butter or antimony; becaufe the nitrous acid hath oot
the property of \'olatihiog mm llic f~bllaoces, a> the
marine acid does, aod beeaufe it remains much more in·
timate\y combioed with the regulioe parto
1f bumr or antimooy be mixed with water, the liquor
immediatcly becomes turbid aod milky, aod a precipitate
falls, whieh is oothiog but the metallie matter partlyfe·
p,ratedfromits aeid, \Vhich is toO much weakeoed by the
addilioo of wat.~r 10 keep it dilfolved. Yet thls precipi·
me Ilill retains a good deal of acid j for. IIIhíeh reafon it
contioues to be a violent emetic, aod in (ome degree coro
r~five. !t hath tbererore beeo very improperly called
1n~r,u,jtlJ vi/te.
The proper folvent or regul~s or aotimony is aqua ((.
~;/ j by means whereor a clear aod limpid folutioo of this
femi·metal may be obtaiotd.
Regulus of antimooy mixed with oitre, aod projeéled
iotO a red·hot crueible, fets the oitre io a flame, aod
makes it detooate. As it produces this clfeél by meaos
of itl phlo~illoo, it mull oeeds, at the (ame time, be eal·
cioed, and lofe its met~lIic propenics, which accordiogly
I,al'peos: aod wheo the oitre is io a trip!e proportíon tO
the «gulll9, the lamr is fi, pt'rreélly ealcioed as 10 leave
ooly a white powder, which is rufed with grm difficuhy,
and Iheo tllros 10 a f.iotly coloured glafs, oot very dif·
fcreot f,."m c'",moo gl~r." aod which is OOt reullcible tO
a regllllls by the addi'ioo or ioO.mlllJble matICr; at leall
it )'id¿1 bllt a vtry fm.1I 9uanti,y Ihercor. If lefs nitre
s T n Y.
be ured, the calx is oot fo white; the gla(s it prodllcca
is more like amet,lIioe gl~fs, aou is more eafily reduced.
The calx of the regulus thus prepared by oitre is calleJ,
00 account of the medicioal vínue a(cribed tOit, d;apho·
I'!lie a/llimol1)', Or d;aphoret;em;lIua/.
Nitre always becomes ao alkali by denagration. and in
the prefeot cafe retaios part or the calx, which it even
reoders foluble io water. This ealx may be feparmd
from the alkalí, if ao acid be employed 10 precipita\e it ;
aod then it is called tIIatu;a pu/ata. This pearly mato
ter is a calx of aotimony, fo complm ly deprived of i,s
phlofli fi9n as to be altogcther incapable or mluélioo tO a
regul.·s.
Regulus of antímooy readily joins anu Imites with fui ·
Fhur, formiog therewith a compouod whích has a very
faiot metallic Ipleodor. This compouod appears Iike a
mafs of long oeedles adheriog together latmlly; aod
uoder this (nrmit is uflla lly rouod io the ore, or at leall
wh~o ooly ftpar~ted by fufi oo from the tlooes and eanhy
maners with whieh the ore is llIixed. lt ís called erud.
ant;/IIon;'.
Antimooy flows wíth a moderate heat, and becomes
even more fluid thao other metallic fubfi doces. The
aélioo of fire diffipm s or confumes the fulphur it coo·
taios, aod its phlogilloo alfo, fo as tO cooven it ioto a
cal:< aod aglafs, as it does the regulus.
Aqllfl ((gil, which we obfervcd to be the proper fol·
veot or the reglllus, beiog poured on alltimooy, auacks
aod dinl,l,es the regulioe part, but touches not the fui·
phnr ; io coofequeoce whereor it decoOlpofes the antÍOIo,
ny, and (eparates its fulphur rrom its regulus.
There are fe'eral other ways or efTdtiog thi$deeom·
pofitioo, aod obtainiog the regulioe pan of antimooy by
itfelr: They coolifi either in deltroyiog the fulphureous
par! of the aotimony by combulfioo, or in rlteltiog the
aotimoo)' \Vith fome lubllaoce whicb has a gremr a!lini·
ty thao its regulioe part wilh fulphur. Mor! metals are
very fi t ror this latter purpofe: For though the regulus
has acoofiderable affioity \Vith fulphur, yet aJl the me·
tals. except gold aod mcremy, have a greater.
Ir therefore iroo. copper, lead, fih'er, or tio, be
melted with aotimony, the met.1 employed \ViII Imite
\Viti, tI'e ful phur, aod feparate it from the regulus.
lt mur! be obferved, that, as thefe metals have fome
aAioity with the regnlus or antimooy, the regnlus wiJl
be jOloed io the operatioo by fome or the metal employ.
ed as a precipitaot, (fo thofe fubltanees are called which
ferve as the meaos of feparatiog twO bodies rrom each
other; ) and therefore the regulus proeured io tlíis mao·
oer will OOt be abfolute\y pure : On this account care is
taken to dillioguifh ea,h by addiog the oame of the me·
tal <mployed io its I'rccipitatioo j aod theoce come thefe
tides, ",ar/;a/ "g"/¡1/ ofant;m.n)', or ooly lIIartia/ r('
gu/u/, '(g,d"J vcnuil; aod fo or the rell.
Aotimooy is employed with advanta¡:r to [eparate
gold rrom ,JI other metals with whid, it llIay be a1loyed.
1t has becoO,ewo, th.t aJl the metals have a greater aRio
nity, thall the reguline pan of antiOlooy, wlth fulphur,
gnld ooly excepted; which is 'iocapable of eootraéliog
aoy unino thcrewith: And therdore, ir a mafs como
pououed of Guld alld fevml other metnls bemclted IVíth
amí·