Experiment XXXVIII
It would much contribute to the Hiſtory of Colours, if Chymiſts would in their Laboratories take a heedfull notice, and give us a faithfull account of the Colours obſerv’d in the Steams of Bodies either Sublim’d or Diſtill’d, and of the Colours of thoſe Productions of the Fire, that are made up by the Coalition of thoſe Steams. As (for Inſtance) we obſerve in the Diſtilling of pure Salt peter, that at a certain ſeaſon of the Operation, the Body, though it ſeem either Cryſtalline, or White, affords very Red Fumes: whereas though Vitriol be Green or Blew, the Spirit of it is obſerv’d to come over in Whitiſh Fumes. The like Colour I have taken notice of in the Fumes of ſeveral other Concretes of differing Colours, and Natures, eſpecially when Diſtill’d with ſtrong Fires. And we elſewhere note, that ev’n Soot, as Black as it is, has fill’d our Receivers with ſuch copious White Fumes, that they ſeem’d to have had their In-ſides waſh’d with Milk. And no leſs obſervable may be, the Diſtill’d Liqours, into which ſuch Fumes convene, (for though we will not deny, that by skill and care a Reddiſh Liqour may be obtain’d from Nitre) yet the common Spirit of it, in the making ev’n of which ſtore of theſe Red Fumes are wont to paſs over into the Receiver, appears not to be at all Red. And beſides, that neither the Spirit of Vitriol, nor that of Soot is any thing White; And, beſides alſo, that as far as I have obſerv’d, moſt (for I ſay not all) of the Empyreumatical Oyls of Woods, and other Concretes, are either of a deep Red, or of a Colour between Red and Black; beſides this, I ſay, ’tis very remarkable that notwithſtanding that great Variety of Colours to be met with in the Herbs, Flowers, and other Bodies wont to be Diſtill’d in Balneo: yet (as far at leaſt as our common Diſtillers Experience reacheth) all the Waters and Spirits that firſt come over by that way of Diſtillation, leave the Colours of their Concretes behind them, though indeed there be one or two Vegetables not commonly taken notice of, whoſe Diſtill’d Liqours I elſewhere obſerve to carry over the Tincture of the Concrete with them. And as in Diſtillations, ſo in Sublimations, it were worth while to take notice of what comes up, in reference to our preſent ſcope, by purpoſely performing them (as I have in ſome cafes done) in conveniently ſhap’d Glaſſes, that the Colour of the aſcending Fumes may be diſcern’d; For it may afford a Naturaliſt good Information to obſerve the Congruities or the Differences betwixt the Colours of the aſcending Fumes, and thoſe of the Flowers, they compoſe by their Convention. For it is evident, that theſe Flowers, do many of them in point of Colour, much differ, not only from one another, but oft times from the Concretes that afforded them. Thus, (not here to repeat what I formerly noted of the Black Soots of very differingly Colour’d Bodies) though Camphire and Brimſtone afford Flowers much of their own Colour, ſave that thoſe of Brimſtone are wont to be a little Paler, than the Lumps that yielded them; yet ev’n of Red Benzoin, that ſublim’d Subſtance, which Chymiſts call its Flowers, is wont to be White or Whitiſh. And to omit other Inſtances, ev’n one and the ſame Black Mineral, Antimony, may be made to afford Flowers, ſome of them Red, and ſome Grey, and, which is more ſtrange, ſome of them purely White. And ’tis the Preſcription of ſome Glaſs-men by exquiſitely mingling a convenient proportion of Brimſtone, Sal-Armoniack, and Quickſilver, and Subliming them, together, to make a Sublimate of an excellent Blew; and though having caus’d the Experiment to be made, we found the produc’d Sublimate to be far from being of a lovely Colour, (as was promis’d) that there and there, it ſeem’d Blewiſh, and at leaſt was of a Colour differing enough from either of the Ingredients, which is ſufficient for our preſent purpoſe. But a much finer Colour is promis’d by ſome of the Empiricks, that pretend to Secrets, who tell us, that Orpiment, being Sublim’d, will afford among the Parts of it that fly Upward, ſome little Maſſes, which, though the Mineral it ſelf be of a good Yellow, will be Red enough to emulate Rubies, both in Colour and Tranſlucency. And this Experiment may, for ought I know, ſometimes ſucceed; for I remember, that having in a ſmall Bolt-head purpoſely ſublim’d ſome powder’d Orpiment, we could in the Lower part of the Sublimate diſcern here and there ſome Reddiſh Lines, though much of the Upper part of the Sublimate conſiſted of a matter, which was not alone purely Yellow, but tranſparent almoſt like a Powder. And we have alſo this way obtain’d a Sublimate, the Lower part whereof though it conſiſted not of Rubies, yet the ſmall pieces of it, which were Numerous enough, were of a pleaſant Reddiſh Colour, and Glitter’d very prettily. But to inſiſt on ſuch kind of Trials and Obſervations (where the aſcending Fumes of Bodies differ in Colour from the Bodies themſelves) though it might indeed Inrich the Hiſtory of Colours, would Robb me of too much of the little time I have to diſpatch what I have further to tell you concerning them.