Page:A History of Hindu Chemistry Vol 1.djvu/218

resembles the nipple of a cow and is fitted with a lid, which has a raised head.

"For the purification of silver, the crucible is best made of two parts of the ashes of schrebera swietenoides, and one part each of brick dust and earth."^[1]

Colour of Flames

"Copper yields a blue flame.........that of the tin is pigeon-coloured; that of the lead is pale-tinted^[2]......that of the iron is tawny; ...that of the "peacock" ore (sasyaka) is red."^[3]

Test of a pure Metal

"A pure metal is that which, when melted in a crucible, does not give off sparks nor bubbles, nor spurts, nor emits any sound, nor shows any lines on the surface, but is tranquil like a gem.^[4]

1. The porous crucible is of the nature of a "cupel".
2. Cf. "Lead compounds impart a pale tint to the non-luminous gas flame." (Roscoe and Schorlemmer.)
3. The reading in the Mss. seems to be defective.
4. Or in modern phraseology shows "signs of tranquil fusion."