History of Chemistry in Ancient and Medieval India, Incorporating the History of Hindu Chemistry by Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray c30.s3: Lead
History of Chemistry in Ancient and Medieval India, Incorporating the History of Hindu Chemistry by Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray c30.s3
- Language
- English
Lead
c30.s3.1
*Sîsakam* is readily fusible, very heavy, presents a black and bright appearance on fracture, is of foetid odour and black exterior. 171
c30.s3.2
Take twenty palas of lead and apply strong heat to it, and drop into the molten metal one *karsha* of mercury and throw into it one after another the ashes of *Terminalia arjuna*, *Terminalia belerica*, pomegranate and *Achyranthes aspera*, weighing one pala each. The mass being vigorously stirred with an iron spoon for twenty nights in succession, the metal is calcined yielding a bright red ash. 176-179
c30.s3.3
Leaves of lead are to be smeared with a paste of orpiment and the milky juice of *Calotropis gigantea* and roasted in a covered crucible till the metal is entirely killed. 184
c30.s3.4
BRASS, BELL-METAL, ETC.
c30.s3.5
*Pittala* (brass) is of two kinds—*ritika* and *kakatundi*; the former on being heated and plunged into sour gruel turns copper-coloured. 192-193
c30.s3.6
Brass, which is heavy, soft, of yellow colour, capable of resisting strokes, is to be recommended. 195
c30.s3.7
Brass, which is light and of offensive odour, is not good for medicinal purposes.
c30.s3.8
Brass, smeared with a paste of lemon-juice, orpiment and sulphur and roasted eight times, is reduced to ashes. The process of killing brass is the same as that of copper. 201-202
c30.s3.9
*Kamsya* (bell-metal) is made by melting together eight parts of copper and two parts of tin. 205
c30.s3.10
It is completly killed by being roasted five times with sulphur and orpiment. 210
c30.s3.11
*Vartaloham* is produced from *kamsya*, copper, *pittala*, iron and lead; hence it is regarded by metallurgists as an alloy of five metals... It is killed with the aid of sulphur and orpiment. 212-216
c30.s3.12
BOOK VI