A History of Hindu Chemistry from the Earliest Times to the Middle of the Sixteenth Century A.D. v1.c18.s5.12

v1.c18.s5.12

The third process in the course of colouring is by far the most important source of loss of gold in the whole series of manipulations that the metal has to undergo. We have seen that the losses at all other stages are due to causes of a mere mechanical nature and are necessarily small. In all these cases, the gold escapes the vigilant eye of the worker and hence the extent to which it is lost sight of is minute indeed. Here for the first time the gold undergoes a chemical change—it ceases to exist as gold altogether—and is consequently lost for ever to the illiterate goldsmith.