Copper in Ancient India c11.s1.2

c11.s1.2

Of these the sulphide appears to have been first prepared artificially by Vrinda (circa 900 A.D.) under the name of *parpati-tāmram* in the following manner—“sulphur, copper and the pyrites are to be pounded together with mercury and subjected to roasting in a closed crucible.”[¹] The formula for this preparation, however, says Dr. Ray, does not occur in the Poona edition of Vrinda’s work but it is to be found in the Kashmir manuscripts under *Rasāyanādhicār*, so that the passage might be an interpollation. It is, however, certain that Chakrapāni (circa 1060 A.D.) prepared the compound in a pure state under the name of *tāmarajoga*. Chakrapāni writes “take a thin leaf of Nepalese copper and embed it in powdered sulphur. The substances are to be placed inside a saucer-shaped earthenware vesel and covered with another. The rims are luted with sugar or powdered rice-paste. The apparatus is heated in a sand-bath for three hours. The copper thus prepared is grounded and admixtured with other drugs.”[²] “Killed copper” mentioned in later alchemical works was prepared by first making copper amalgam by mixing copper with mercury and then heating the amalgam with excess of sulphur in a crucible when the mercuric sulphide sublimes off and the sulphide of copper is left behind. The roasting is repeated several times with sulphur in order to complete the conversion of copper into the sulphide.