Page:A History of Hindu Chemistry Vol 1.djvu/198

Use of Mercury

The only references to mercury, which are however very vague, are तारः सुतारः ससुरेन्द्रगापः सर्ब्बैश्च तुल्यः कुरुविन्द गागः; and: रक्तं श्वेतं चन्दनं पारदञ्च काकोल्यादिः क्षीरपिष्टश्च वर्गः।

Note on the Metals and their Salts (अयःष्कृति)^[1]

Six metals are recognised, namely: tin, iron, lead, copper, silver and gold.^[2] The thin leaves of the metals by being plastered over with a paste of "the salts" (see p. 46) including common salt, salt-petre and sulphate of magnesia and afterwards subjected to roasting were no doubt converted into their respective oxides, chlorides or oxychlorides as the case may be. We have thus in

1. अत ऊर्द्धमयस्कृतीर्वक्ष्यामः। तीक्ष्यलोहपत्राणि तनूनि लवनवर्गप्रदिप्तानि गोमयाग्निप्रतप्तानि *** सूक्ष्मचूर्णानि कारयेत्। Chikit., Ch. X, 9.
2. त्रप्वादिनान्तु लोहानां षण्णाम्। Chikit., Ch. XIII, 3.
   त्रपुसीसताम्ररजतकृष्णलोहसुवर्णानि। Sütra., Ch., XXXVIII, 56.