A History of Hindu Chemistry from the Earliest Times to the Middle of the Sixteenth Century A.D. v2.c33.s4.4

v2.c33.s4.4

weight of sulphur it cures consumption; and when it is killed with six times its weight of sulphur it is a panacea for all the ills that flesh is heir to. * Now 25 parts by weight of mercury can only take up (i. e. combine with) 4 parts by weight of sulphur; the excess of sulphur simply sublimes off unchanged. In the actual preparation of svarṇa-sindūra (Lit. vermilion with gold) the mercury is first made into an amalgam with thin gold leaves and then repeatedly rubbed in a mortar with sulphur. During the process of sublimation (ऊर्ध्वपातन) the excess of sulphur volatilises off as we have already explained and the gold in fine particles remains behind as a residue. The lustrous, crystalline, reddish brown sublimate, which collects nearest the source of heat, † has the formula HgS. As there is an erroneous impression about the composition of this drug even among educated people in this country we give below the results of analysis of a sample of "mercury killed with six times its weight of sulphur along with gold."*