Pharmacopoeia officinalis et extemporanea: or, a compleat English dispensatory. In two parts. Theoretic and practical. Part I in two books ... Part II in five books ... / by John Quincy.

  • Quincy, John, -1722.
Date:
1782
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Pharmacopoeia officinalis et extemporanea: or, a compleat English dispensatory. In two parts. Theoretic and practical. Part I in two books ... Part II in five books ... / by John Quincy. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    26/742 (page 8)
    power of attracting alkalies, furnilh the means of making feveral pre- cipitations, and pure reparations of various Jubilances, which could not be other wife accomplillied. There are four kinds of acid fpirits ; commonly, though im- properly, diftinguilhed by thele names, oil or l'pirit of vitriol,— fpirit of nitre—fpirit of fait,— and vinegar. The firft and third are mineral productions; the le- cond, formed from the air, or fomething therein contained, which is collected by alkaline falts or earths ; and the lad, produced from the faccharine juices of ve- getables. The three firft have in moll: initances common powers, but with a gradual fubordination to each other : for if fpirit of fait be combined with any alkaline body, with which likewife the fpirit of nitre will commenllruate, and the fame'be added, the lad will expel the fir(t, and feizing the alkali, form the fame fpecies of compound as if the fpirit of fait had been ab- sent: It to this new body oil of vitriol be added, the fpirit of nitre will be thereby dilpofieded, in the fame manner as the fpirit of fait was before by that ; and the fpirit ot vitriol will combine with the alcali, as if they had been mixed limply. This power in acid fpi- rits ot luperfeding each other in their aCtion on alkalies, conllitutes the principle on which aqua forth, Glauber’s ipirit of fait, mercury fublimate when prepared by the common methods, and many other preparations, are made, and may probably hereafter furnifli the means of improving the methods of pre- paration now in ufe, or of form- ing new ones not lefs valuable. T hei e are neverthelefs particular inda-nces in which acid fpirits vary tfc from each other in their diifolving power : as all are incapable of dil- folving gold, befide a mixture of fpirit ot nitre, and fpirit of fea- falt fpirit of nitre only can dif- folvc filver; - mercury, which is foluble in fpirit of nitre and fpirit is only corroded by fpirit of vitriol ; which is alfo entirely redded by lead in its metalline date ; though that metal is foluble in both the other acids. But even this deleft of power has been made tileful in Pharmacy ; for the pro- cefs for making what is properly called White Precipitate, is formed on this principle; for though fpi- rit of nitre and fpirit of fait both dilfolve mercury when Angle, yet when mixed they only corrode it ; in this procels therefore, the mer- cury being difiolvcd in fpirit of nitre, and fea-falt being added, a part of the acid thereof is let loole from the alkaline balls, by the fu- perior power of the fpirit of nitre? and the mendruum confequently changed from a diffolvent to a cor- rofive, whence the mercury being converted from a fluid to a folid form, is neceflarily precipitated. The vegetable acids didblve a con- iiderable quantity of zinc, iron, copper, lead, and tin ; and extract fo much from the metallic part of antimony as to become powerfully emetic ; they didblve lead more readily, if the metal is previoufly calcined by fire, than in its metallic date. Spirit of Wine is the third kind of mendruum ; it didblves (excepting the gums an!mi and copal, and fome few others) all the concreted juices of vegetables, whether balfams, gums, refins, or gum-refins camphor,—fal diu- rericus,—and fulphur previoudy combined with fixed alkaline fait. It