A History of Hindu Chemistry from the Earliest Times to the Middle of the Sixteenth Century A.D. v1.c18.s8.12

v1.c18.s8.12

The microscopic appearance of *jamak* may be interesting as showing the exact state in which gold exists in the solution. With this view we examined under a miscroscope (magnfying 375 times) a drop of a clear solution of *jamak* as well as an amount of the solid saline matter lying at the bottom. The appearance, in both cases was the the same, only in the latter the crystals were more numerous and closer together. The octahedra of alum with occasional facets of cubes, the long furrowed and rhombic prisms of nitre and the cubes of common salt were very prominent. Between these, in numbers far less, could be discovered long, transparent needles. These were most probably crystals of double chloride of gold and sodium which is invariably formed when a solution of auric chloride is mixed with chloride of sodium. The constitution of this substance is AuCl₃. NaCl + 2H₂O, and it is the commercial "non-deliquescent chloride of gold" which is ordinarily sold in one gramme tubes.