A History of Hindu Chemistry from the Earliest Times to the Middle of the Sixteenth Century A.D. v1.c14.s1.2

v1.c14.s1.2

"Rasaka" is mentioned in Rasārnava as the mineral which turns copper into gold (p. 71). We have also in the succeeding couplets a process described for the reduction of the ore. This process is so elaborately given in R. R. S. that it may be quoted almost *verbatim* in any treatise on modern chemistry; it is practically the same as distillation *per descensum*—the flame of bluish tint issuing from the mouth of the crucible indicates the combustion of carbon monoxide, so often observed in metallurgical operations.¹ (See p. 88).