A History of Hindu Chemistry from the Earliest Times to the Middle of the Sixteenth Century A.D. v2.c33.s2.1

v2.c33.s2.1

Very vague ideas prevailed among the Hindu philosophers on the constitutions of a metal and its fate after calcination. We are reminded of the diversity of opinion in Europe before the time of Lavoisier. A metal like every material substance was supposed to be formed of one or more of the five bhūtas; in fact the earthy or saline element was taken to be predominant in it,[*] and hence it felt itself so readily to calcination.[†] It should be noted here that by "bhūta" was understood not so much an *element* in the modern connotation of the term as certain qualities of individual substances. Even mercury was regarded as composed of the five bhūtas.[‡] When a metal was submitted to calcination some of its component bhūtas escaped, leaving the earthy or saline portion behind; hence the ash (calx) must weigh less than the original metal itself.