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Sylvia Rose
Dec 2, 20247 min read
Silica (SiO2): Nature of Glass & Gems
Silica, or silicon dioxide (SiO2), occurs in the Earth’s crust, the microcosm and daily life. Silica makes ancient glass such as...
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Sylvia Rose
Dec 1, 20246 min read
Silicon (Si) Metalloid: Prehistory into the Future
Silicon (Si) is the second most abundant element in the Earth's crust, next to oxygen. A ductile metalloid, it's integral to industry and...
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Sylvia Rose
Dec 1, 20245 min read
Silicon (Si): Fueling the Robot Apocalypse
Silicon (Si) is one of the most abundant elements on Earth, a ductile metal important to industry and natural processes. Silicon is used...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 29, 20246 min read
Nickel (Ni): Metallurgy Facts & Folklore
Nickel (Ni), a silvery-white metal with a lustrous sheen, is a transition element essential to industry and commerce, and known in...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 28, 20246 min read
Cobalt (Co): The Little Goblin Who Could
Cobalt is a silvery grey metal used across various fields, including science, medicine, and industry. It receives its name from the...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 27, 20246 min read
Zaffre: Vintage Cobalt Blue Glass & Artists' Pigment
Zaffre (zaffer) is a vibrant deep blue pigment developed by alchemists, major pigment creators, by c. 1550 AD. Characterized by brilliant...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 25, 20244 min read
Flowers of Antimony: Pure Medieval Purgative
Flowers of antimony are a purified form of antimony trioxide (Sb2O3). Created through sublimation, they have chemical and medical...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 24, 20244 min read
Glass of Antimony: Renaissance Purgatives
Glass of antimony , or vitrum antimonii , gives warm yellow or red hues. As Sb2O3, its use in alchemy is largely medicinal, one of many...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 20, 20246 min read
Calcite: Metal-Eating Bacteria to Coral Reefs
Calcite is made up of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). With stunning crystal formations and a range of beautiful colors, calcite also has...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 20, 20245 min read
S. pasteurii: Calcium Eating Limestone-Making Bacteria
Sporosarcina pasteurii is a gram-positive bacterium with the extraordinary ability to precipitate calcite and solidify sand when exposed...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 20, 20245 min read
Calcium (Ca): Earth Metal of Structure & Strength
Calcium (Ca) is a vital element in life and health on Earth. A silvery white metal, calcium is a strong builder, from bone structure to...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 15, 20245 min read
Liver of Sulfur: Alchemy, Metal & Medicine
Liver of Sulfur is a unique compound of alchemy, metallurgy and medicine. Also known as hepar sulfuris or sulfurated potash, Liver of...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 13, 20246 min read
Pyrometallurgy: Ancient Processes of Modern Alchemy
Pyrometallurgy is the high-temperature processing of ores to extract and refine metals. It uses alchemical processes in a modern...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 12, 20245 min read
Biometallurgy: Microbes Mining Metals
Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans is only one of the amazing bacteria used in biometallurgy. In an age of environmental concerns,...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 12, 20244 min read
Diana's Tree: Silver Crystals of Lunar Caustic
Diana's Tree ( Arbor Diana or Dianae ) is one of the most intriguing creations of alchemy. Its delicate branches of crystallized silver...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 11, 20245 min read
Chalcopyrite (CuFeSâ‚‚): Shining Copper Ore
Chalcopyrite (CuFeSâ‚‚) is vital to the earth's geology. A primary ore of copper, this scintillating mineral is influential to health,...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 11, 20246 min read
Copper (Cu) Effects on Human & Plant Health
Copper (Cu) and its warm golden red hue is part of humanity. It's one of the most important metals of alchemy , aids plant health and is...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 8, 20245 min read
Carl Wilhelm Scheele: Poisonous Chemistry
Carl Wilhelm Scheele (1742 - 1786) is a self-taught German-Swedish chemist whose work has strong impact on chemical sciences of the day....
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 7, 20245 min read
Copper(II) Sulfate: Blue Vitriol, Chalcanthite
Copper (II) sulfate CuSO4 yields a vivid color and widespread applications. Also known as blue vitriol in alchemy and chalcanthite in...
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Sylvia Rose
Nov 2, 20246 min read
Metal Salts: Ancient History to Modern DIY
Metal salts are compounds created from metals and acids. In history and today they enjoy uses in beauty, natural health, chemical...
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