Sylvia Rose
Rotten Egg Sulfur Smell: Microbial Processes
The rotten egg sulfur smell is associated with hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), a colorless gas. The unpleasant odor can arise in water supplies,...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 225 min read
Methanogens: Microbes of Methane Production
Methane (CH4) is a familiar gas emanating from cow dung. Methane's creators are invisible creatures known today as methanaogens,...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 226 min read
White Lead Toxic Beauty, Art, Ancient Production
White lead, lead(II) carbonate or PbCO₃, has a long history in art, paint and industry. It's a primary source of white for artists and in...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 213 min read
Alchemy: Circulation & the Pelican Phantasy
Circulation is one of many processes of alchemy. The purification of a substance is achieved through circular distillation in a pelican...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 214 min read
Arsenic Trioxide: Paris Green Paint Pigment & Pesticide
Arsenic trioxide is a toxic compound with a a long and complex history, known at least by the time of the ancient Romans. Here's a look...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 204 min read
Microbial Alchemy: Fermentation, Digestion, Putrefaction
Alchemy uses natural processes, often driven by microbial forces. Unseen biological entities include bacteria, amoeba and flagellates....
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 205 min read
The Unseen World: Protozoans in Nature
Protozoa are single-celled organisms integral to ecosystems worldwide. As microbes they're microscopic and invisible to the human eye....
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 204 min read
Separatory Funnel: Alchemy Lab Equipment
A separatory funnel is an essential piece of laboratory equipment used in liquid-liquid extractions, allowing alchemists to separate...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 194 min read
Microbes: Bacteria, Actinomycetes, Protozoa, Fungi & Viruses
Microbes are invisible and exist everywhere, in air, water and soil. Scientists find microbes living in the charred soil wildfires leave...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 195 min read
Alchemy & Heat: Decomposition of Horse Manure
Decomposing horse manure is essential in the alchemical process of digestion. A flask of substances is buried in dung. As if by magic the...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 194 min read
Digestion & Horse Manure: Alchemy Process
Digestion is the alchemical process of applying steady heat to a substance in a flask or container. Digestion can last hours or days. The...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 184 min read
Acetic Acid Bacteria for Vinegar Artisans: Acetobacter
Acetobacter bacteria are a group of acetic acid bacteria species integral to natural processes such as turning wine to vinegar. Their...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 174 min read
Gouache Painting: Artist Essentials & Art Tips
Gouache painting has a unique charm and offers versatility for artists and art appreciators. This unctuous type of paint delivers vibrant...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 173 min read
Bright Common Nails: Composition to Corrosion
Bright common nails in hardware are used in construction, woodworking, and various DIY projects from building to pigment making. Bright...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 175 min read
Bacteria: Unseen Driving Force Behind All Life
Bacteria are responsible for millions of vital processes hidden from our everyday perception. These single-celled organisms are essential...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 164 min read
Secret Life of Rust: Power of Bacteria
Rust hides within itself a secret life, orchestrated by industrious communities of microscopic bacteria with immense power in the process...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 164 min read
Xanthan Gum & Plant Blight: Xanthomonas Campestris
In microbiology the bacterium Xanthomonas campestris can be a gift from nature or a scourge of plants. Tiny but mighty, these...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 154 min read
Gum Arabic (Acacia Gum) Art, Food & Medicine
Gum arabic, also known as acacia gum, is a natural substance derived from sap of Acacia trees, especially Acacia senegal . This sticky,...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 154 min read
Secrets of Xanthan Gum for Artists & Chefs
Xanthan Gum, a versatile ingredient with various applications, is a growing trend in multiple industries. In art and food it's valued as...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 143 min read
Make Black Ink or Paint Pigment with Soot
Soot, also loosely called lampblack or carbon black, is traditionally used to make ink, painters' pigment, medicines and makeup. A...
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