A History of Hindu Chemistry from the Earliest Times to the Middle of the Sixteenth Century A.D. v2.c32.s16.35
A History of Hindu Chemistry from the Earliest Times to the Middle of the Sixteenth Century A.D. v2.c32.s16.35
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v2.c32.s16.35
4. FUSIBILITY (LIQUEFACTION). It was well-known that all the gems with the exception of diamond would undergo liquefaction when strongly heated with a mixture of the two alkaline carbonates [now familiar in the Laboratory as the "fusion mixture"]. The liquid principle of gems रत्नजा द्रुति was a favourite remedy with the Hindu Iatro-Chemists (Cf. Vol. i, p 103). As most of the precious stones belong to the corundum and the spinel group, they easily yield to treatment with sodium and potassium carbonates. In the case of the pearls it is recommended that they should be enclosed inside lemons and placed in a mass of paddy grains {for the sake of the warmth}.