A History of Hindu Chemistry from the Earliest Times to the Middle of the Sixteenth Century A.D. v1.c15.s3.5

v1.c15.s3.5

That an essence in the shape of copper is yielded by blue vitriol is worthy of note from a historical point of view. Rasārnava very often hits upon it but is not so explicit as R. R. S., as it modestly contents itself with the mere assertion that the essence is of the colour of *Coccinella* insect *i.e.* red (see p. 86). In the Bhāvaprakāsa (ca. 1550 A.D.) occurs this remarkable passage: "तुल्यं तु ताम्रोपधातुहि किञ्चित्मासेन तद्भवति" blue vitriol is indeed a semimetal of copper as it is derived from copper. The nomenclature itself is in wonderful agreement with that adopted nearly two centuries later by Boerhave¹ (1732 A.D.).