The Chemistry of Alchemy Page 30

  Was Böttger the last alchemist? No. There would be others after him. So when did the alchemists disappear?

  They didn't.

  Go into any chemistry lab, and they'll both be there: alchemist and artisan, forged into one.

  Bending over beakers, holding flasks to the sun.

  The chemist.

  Huzzah!

  Get you your stuff here against afternoon, Your brass, your pewter, and your andirons.

  Ben Jonson, The Alchemist, ca. 1610*

  Though there were, no doubt, many alchemists who shared work space with a cook (probably to the cook's consternation), alchemy is not kitchen chemistry. Therefore, for the sake of safety and consistency, we ask you to use bona fide chemical labware for many of these demonstrations and materials a bit more exotic than we used in our other books of demonstrations (see the bibliography). However, most materials and labware can be purchased at a school- or lab-supply outlet, or if you are up for it, you could find a friendly chemist and borrow it. It's not hard; we're all friendly.

  And, not surprisingly, we were able to find virtually everything on the Internet without too much trouble or expense. Below we've broken down the list according to brick-and-mortar outlets, but some things are much easier to obtain online. The Carolina Biological and Amazon websites were especially helpful, although there are many other fine websites from which to choose. The list seems extensive, but when you think about it, it's remarkable how much you don't need. The alchemists were able to do an impressive range of chemistry with relatively few materials—and a lot of patience and perseverance.

  Safety Equipment

  Safety glasses Indispensable and available from hardware stores or chemical-supply outlets, safety goggles should be flexible and have an adjustable band so they can be worn snugly against the face, and they should completely cover the eyes, including the sides.

  Surgical gloves, disposable These gloves are available in bulk at drugstores. If you are not certain whether you are allergic to latex or not, get the latex-free variety.

  Close-toed shoes Shoes, closed up, top and bottom, are essential because everything you drop goes toward your toes, and if you drop glassware, you may be walking in glass.

  Work gloves Or gardening gloves will do.

  Oven mitts If the work gloves or gardening gloves suggested above have enough padding to allow you to carry hot objects, then you don't need the oven mitts. But you still need the work gloves or gardening gloves.

  Cast-iron skillet This cast-iron skillet is the workhorse of the demonstrations and is listed under safety equipment because it provides a flat, uniform surface and sides for catching spills or boilovers. Perhaps designated a sauté pan or frying pan; the skillet you want is at least 8 to 10 inches (20 to 25 centimeters) in diameter and has about 2-inch-tall (5-centimeters) sides. We don't recommend a stainless-steel skillet because these skillets can warp with repeated dry heating. We also strongly caution against a skillet with a nonstick coating because this coating could decompose under the conditions we will use, and you don't want to breathe the bad stuff.

  In addition, this skillet, as with any equipment used in these demonstrations, must never be reused with food, so there is no need to season it. If the skillet is already seasoned, get rid of residual oil on the pan by scrubbing it with steel-wool scouring pads before use.

  Functioning fire extinguisher You're not going to need this because you are going to follow all the safety instructions, but you should have one anyway, for life's little wobbles in the road. And note the “functioning” in the specifications. If it has been used, you need a filled one.

  Lab coat or apron Aprons are not absolutely essential, but they protect your clothes and add an extra layer of protection for your skin.

  Handheld mirror A nice-sized mirror with a handle is handy for looking into a reaction vessel without having to put your face directly over the pot.

  Heat Source

  Cook stove As long as you follow all the safety precautions (put everything in a cast-iron skillet and have a good, working exhaust), your stovetop burner should work fine for most demonstrations. Please keep all chemicals away from food or food-preparation surfaces other than the skillet, which you are not going to reuse for food.

  Hibachi A few demonstrations have to be done outside, and electrical heat sources are not recommended for outdoor use (with good reason, having to do with electrical shock). The temperature adjustment for most grills requires covering the grill, which defeats the purpose of a visual demonstration. So the best solution for an outdoor heat source is a venerable one: a hibachi. The hibachi you need will come with an adjustable grill so you can set the demonstration closer or farther from the heat. And, well, it feels more like alchemy when you're brewing over glowing coals. Good news! This is not a sacrificial hibachi! After the grills are cleaned and the chemicals are put away, have a hamburger party and show off your alchemy souvenirs.

  Portable burner If you are using a portable burner (in a location that has adequate ventilation as specified in “X-Rated Alchemy”), we found a 1,300-Watt burner with a cast-iron surface worked well, and one with settings marked on the heat control would be best. These are sometime sold as a “fifth burner.”

  Labware and Glassware

  Beakers Two each of 50-millilter beakers, one 100-millliliter beaker, one 250-milliliter, and one 500-milliliter beaker would be enough, but the more, the merrier. Breakage occurs. The sizes don't have to be exact, that is, 300 milliliter will do as well as 250 milliliter. These must be Pyrex heat-resistant glassware or equivalent.

  Crucible Once clay, now porcelain (thanks to an alchemist hero of ours), these vessels have a venerable history. According to Lawrence Principe in his book The Secrets of Alchemy (Synthesis), this labware, designed to withstand high heats and corrosive materials, derives the name crucible from the Latin crucibulum, or little place of torment. You will need only one of these, and it doesn't have to be the most expensive. A volume of 50–100 milliliters would be plenty, and you want one made of porcelain. Low and broad is preferable to tall and narrow, and if you can find one with a handle, that would be best.

  Erlenmeyer flasks These narrow-necked flasks are indispensable to the lab, chemical and alchemical alike (see the drawing that begins this section). The narrow necks catch and condense vapors from a heated liquid and keep the liquid from evaporating away as quickly as it might otherwise. These flasks must be Pyrex heat-resistant glassware or equivalent. You need at least three 125-milliliter, one 50-milliliter, and one 25-milliliter flasks. If all five flasks aren't in the budget, you can skip one of the 125-milliliter flasks, but don't get any glass that isn't certifiably heat resistant.

  Filter paper Filter paper is optional. Paper coffee filters can work as well. If you are using a paper coffee filter, cut away the fluted edges to leave a circle of filter paper, then fold it in half, and then in half again, and then in half again. Unfold the paper, and you have an excellent filter that should fit in your funnel. If it is too big, refold it and trim the top.

  Glass or plastic funnel The best would have about a 1.5-inch (3.75-centimeter) diameter and about a 4-inch (10-centimeter) stem.

  Medicine droppers or eyedroppers Either disposable or reusable, these have a bulb you squeeze and release to draw liquid up into the tube and squeeze again to dispense the liquid. If you need, you can use a straw for a dropper. Put one end of the straw in the liquid and then put your finger on the other end. Lift the straw and the liquid comes with it. When you are ready to dispense the liquid, lift your finger and the liquid flows out.

  Retort (optional) A retort is a gooseneck-shaped glass bulb, such as the one shown second shelf down, third from the right, on the image that accompanies the opener for part 4 (page 237). Only one of our demonstrations uses one, and you are told how to simulate one in the demonstration, so you do not have to make this purchase. However, if you happen to have one lying around…

  Test tubes, 10-milliliters These are about the si
ze of a pro basketball player's index finger or the thickness of the handle of a paring knife (but as long as the knife). You will need about a dozen.

  Tweezers or tongs, Teflon or plastic We'll be using these to fish pieces out of acid, so they have to be acid resistant, that is, plastic or Teflon. Chopsticks can work well, too, if they are plastic or wood. They are not to be reused with food, of course.

  Watch glasses, assortment These shallow Pyrex saucers (see the drawing that begins this section) are indispensable labware. They can cover a beaker or a flask to inhibit fumes without sealing it, which would create pressure buildup. Watch glasses are sold by diameter in metric measure, so several 70-millimeter watch glasses—or preferably an assortment—will do.

  Solid-glass stirring rod (optional) A glass stirring rod is multipurpose, but a screwdriver can be used to stir molten metals, and swirling can be used to stir solutions.

  Metals and Alloys

  Pewter (optional) We found coin-sized pewter tokens online, but these might also be available in hobby stores. Pewter contained lead at one time, so antique pewter is not a good idea (especially because you will be destroying it, too). If the pieces were manufactured in a country with tight environmental controls, they should be fine, but as you will see from the demonstration that uses it, pewter is optional.

  Gold You will need 14-karat gold for one demonstration—but you don't need much. As long as it is solid (not gold plate), 5 inches of gold wire, about 22 gauge, should do. We strongly recommend you get your gold from a jewelry supplier who is able to tell you the composition of the alloy. Random jewelry, especially older pieces, can have lead or nickel as alloying agents and you do not want to dissolve this type of gold. We found the suppliers at Jewelrysupply.com to be very responsive to our inquiries about the composition of their alloys, and they had lead- and nickel-free gold, although we are certain there are other jewelry suppliers who would provide these samples as well. In addition, jewelry wire is less expensive than gold already fashioned into jewelry.

  Copper You will need both solid- and fine-stranded wire. When you strip off the insulation from copper wire, you find it composed of fine strands or a solid piece of wire, so it is probably best to buy bare wire (uninsulated) so you know what you are getting. However, stranded wire should say “stranded” in the product description, so if you don't mind stripping off the insulation, you could get insulated (stranded or non-stranded) wire, too.

  Tin For the demonstrations in this book, you will need tin shot. This is tin in small, roundish pieces, usually in a bottle. We will do several demonstrations involving tin, so 25 grams would not be too much. Besides, we're convinced you will want to repeat some of these colorful demonstrations.

  Zinc Pure zinc is available as mossy zinc pieces, irregular small pieces of zinc formed by dripping molten zinc into water. They have a grayish oxide coating because the molten zinc reacts immediately with oxygen in the air. You won't need much of this, so get the smallest quantity possible.

  Hobby Shop

  Candles You need both long tapers and short, flat floaters (the type used in floating-candle displays).

  Magnifying glass Any toy, plastic magnifying glass will do.

  Modeling clay This clay will be used for sealing, so color doesn't matter.

  Sample bottles You want small, about 1-ounce (30-milliliter), clear, glass bottles with screw-on lids. Six or seven should be enough.

  Seashells You will need a handful of white, decorative seashells, and they have to be the genuine article, no plastic or ceramic.

  Sodium silicate solution This item is very specific. It needs to be “water glass,” otherwise known as saturated sodium silicate solution. To avoid a thousand hits on drinking glasses, search for “sodium silicate solution.”

  Wooden splints Multipurpose hobby sticks will do, or clean popsicle sticks, cut or broken into thin strips.

  Lawn and Garden

  Ammonium chloride Ammonium chloride is used as a fertilizer.

  Marble chips You need small marble chips, each about the size of a pinto bean, so these might be easier to find in a hobby shop instead.

  Pool-chloride test kit Sold in a package that says just what it is, these should be test strips.

  Grocery

  Adhesive tape

  Aluminum foil

  Bendable drinking straws

  Disposable tableware Paper plates, plastic see-through cups, and plastic spoons will do the job.

  Distilled water An item usually available in jugs in the water isle.

  Eggs

  Glass measuring cup This measuring cup should be able to measure 2 cups (about 500 milliliters) of liquid.

  Household ammonia This needs to be clear and contain only ammonia, no other ingredients. Well, maybe water, because household ammonia is really a solution of ammonia gas in water.

  Isopropyl alcohol This is rubbing alcohol, but make certain the label says “isopropyl alcohol.” Seventy percent isopropyl alcohol would be best.

  Pickling lime

  Plastic sandwich bags

  Safety matches Otherwise known as kitchen matches, these matches are wooden and about 2 inches (5 centimeters) long and have a red tip that strikes on the box.

  Set of plastic measuring spoons and measuring cups More sacrificial kitchenware. They cannot be used for handling food after being used in a demonstration. They need to be plastic, but either English or metric measurement will do.

  Spray bottle You will use this for misting and rinsing small particles out of glass, but only reuse a squirt bottle from the recycle bin after you have washed and rinsed it well and have run a significant amount of water through the uptake tube by squirting. Or buy a new one.

  Steel wool

  Table salt

  Vinegar

  Water-soluble colored marker These are usually sold as “washable” markers. If they are not washable, they will not work in the demonstration.

  Waxed paper

  Office Supply

  Lab notebook You need a notebook with solid binding (not spiral bound) and fairly durable covers. If the pages are not numbered, number them and leave space for a table of contents in the beginning. A souvenir!

  Rubber bands An assortment.

  Pet Store

  Aquarium-pH-lowering solution This has to be aquarium-pH-lowering solution, not swimming pool or other purpose pH adjusters. You may also see it called “pH Down.” You will go through three to four 4-oz (118-milliliters) bottles of pH-lowering solution.

  Pool Supply

  Silver solution Small quantities of silver nitrate solution are sold as testing solutions, and a test solution of an ounce or less (about 40 milliliters) would work well.

  Hardware Store

  Copper tubing You will need about a 5-foot (1.5-meter) length of a quarter inch (0.8 centimeter) thin-walled copper tubing.

  Flowerpot A clay flowerpot that is small enough that the end of the copper tubing (see above) will just fit into the drainage hole on the bottom. People might look at you oddly when you test the fit of the pipe in the pot, but tell them it's for alchemy and they'll leave you alone.

  Root killer This will be our source of copper sulfate, so if it doesn't say “copper sulfate” or “copper(II) sulfate” or “cupric sulfate” on the container, ask a sales person. You will find beautiful deep-blue crystals if you have the right stuff.

  Screwdriver A flathead screwdriver that will not be any good for driving screws after we are done with it.

  Drugstore

  Sulfur Pure powdered sulfur is sold in drugstores. It may say “sublimed sulfur” on the label.

  Probably Online Only

  Lignum nephriticum Known nowadays as Pterocarpus indicus but is more commonly known as narra, angsana, Malay padauk, and Amboyna burl, and it may be found under one of these names online at the following locations (as of fall 2013): eBay (www.ebay.com)

  Bell Forest Products (http://www.bellforestproducts.com/curly-narra/ and http://www.bellforestproducts.com/am
boyna-burl/?gclid=COrjmo_P77oCFa5r7Aod8nwAOg)

  WOODCRAFT (http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2004112/8992/Amboyna-Burl-Pen-Blank.aspx)

  Exotic Wood Group (check the links to vendors) (http://www.exoticwoodgroup.com)

  Blankity-Blanks (a division of Bronwyn, Inc.) (http://www.blankity-blanks.com/).

  Silver 1946–1964 US dime or other silver coin that is at least 90 percent silver You will need at least two real silver dimes. We admit they may cost seven times their face value, but that's still only 70 cents each. And well worth it.

  Stovetop percolator (optional) Built like an old-fashioned coffee percolator with an inner elevated basket to hold coffee grounds, this percolator is designed to be placed on a burner. Please read the instructions. Glass is nice because you can see what is happening inside the percolator, but a less expensive model is fine.

  Educational Outlet or Online

  Red and blue litmus paper These are used to test the acid/base properties of solutions.

  Specialty-Food Supply

  Alum Also called aluminum sulfate, you need only the smallest amount they sell.

  Saltpeter or sodium nitrate This is sold as a preservative and ingredient in some recipes.

  Sodium hydroxide (NaOH), solid, food grade This product might also be sold as “lye,” but read the label to make certain you are getting sodium hydroxide or a mixture of sodium and potassium hydroxide. You will need only a small amount (a half cup, 125 milliliters), so try to buy the smallest amount available. Or find other alchemists who want to share.

  SOLUTION AND COMPOUNDS

  There are a couple of solutions you may want to prepare ahead of time so you can do the demonstrations as they appear in the book.

  LYE

  The first solution is lye made from good, old-fashioned wood ash (also called potash) and distilled water.

  For disposal, it's down the sink with a cool rinse of water for the solution and in the trash with the ash.