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Sylvia Rose
Dec 15, 20245 min read
Sublimation & the Aludel: Medieval Alchemy
Sublimation is a process of refinement, purification or extraction of specific elements. The aludel, a unique alchemical apparatus, is...
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Sylvia Rose
Dec 7, 202410 min read
Alchemy & Religion
Alchemy through the ages is a science affected by personal spirituality and religion. Rooted in ancient practices, alchemy takes shape in...
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Sylvia Rose
Dec 5, 20246 min read
Andreas Libavius: Science & Controversy of Alchemy
Andreas Libavius (c. 1550-1616) is one of the most influential figures of Renaissance alchemy, active in the Elizabethan era. His book...
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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 25, 20245 min read
Ammonium Carbonate: Sal Volatile Smelling Salts
Ammonium carbonate [NH4]2CO3 is the main ingredient in Victorian smelling salts. Also called baker's ammonia, sal volatile , salt of...
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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 18, 20247 min read
Mercury II Oxide: Red & White of Alchemy
In practical alchemy, mercury II oxide (HgO) is often called the "Red Precipitate," with its compound Mercuric Amidochloride (Hg(NH2)Cl),...
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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
Oct 31, 20243 min read
Mosaic Gold: Alchemy of a Forgotten Art
Mosaic gold is also known to alchemists as aurum musivum or aurum mosaicum due to its mottled formation. Forgotten in the data fields...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 30, 20243 min read
Artisan Perfumery: Four Degrees of Fragrance
Perfumes are grouped according to their strengths. Every fragrance has a purpose, from a fresh splash of rose or mint to mysterious...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 30, 20243 min read
DIY Perfume Artisans: Top, Middle & Base Notes
DIY perfumes are all about crafting a unique signature scent or giving fragrance as a gift, the benefits of aromatherapy and expression...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 30, 20244 min read
Practical Alchemy of DIY Perfumes & Aromas
The alchemy of perfumes goes back thousands of years. Here are the practical aspects of perfumes in ancient and medieval times, how...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 30, 20246 min read
Science of Alchemy: Alchemical Innovations
Alchemy these days is often seen only as a mystical practice purveying the clic hé of turning base metals into gold. Alchemy is in fact...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 29, 20245 min read
Science of Alchemy: Hydrochloric Acid
Hydrochloric acid is a powerful chemical. Used from old alchemical practices to modern times, this colorless, pungent-smelling liquid is...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 28, 20247 min read
12 Steps to the Magnum Opus: Ripley Scroll
Alchemy seeks the magnum opus or great work. This twelve step program comes from the anonymous Ripley Scroll, so called as alchemist...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 26, 20245 min read
Jan Baptist van Helmont: Renaissance Medicine
Jan Baptist van Helmont (1580 - 1644) is a Flemish physician, alchemist / chemist and natural philosopher. A disciple of Paracelsus , he...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 25, 20245 min read
Sodium Carbonate: Natural Formation to Modern Application
Sodium carbonate, also known as soda ash or washing soda, is prominent across various industries for millennia. It's used in ancient and...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 25, 20244 min read
Reduction in Chemistry: Gaining Electrons
Reduction is a fundamental aspect of everyday life, from breathing oxygen to powering a phone. Reduction and its counterpart, oxidation ,...
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Sylvia Rose
Oct 21, 20243 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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