Potassium Nitrate & Alchemy

[BeautifulEvil]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_nitrate

Historically, nitre-beds were prepared by mixing manure with either mortar or wood ashes, common earth and organic materials such as straw to give porosity to a compost pile typically 1.5 meters high by 2 meters wide by 5 metres long.[3] The heap was usually under a cover from the rain, kept moist with urine, turned often to accelerate the decomposition and leached with water after approximately one year. The liquid containing various nitrates was then converted with wood ashes to potassium nitrates, crystallized and refined for use in gunpowder.

Urine has also been used in the manufacture of saltpeter for gunpowder. In this process, stale urine placed in a container of straw hay is allowed to sour for many months, after which water is used to wash the resulting chemical salts from the straw. The process is completed by filtering the liquid through wood ashes and air-drying in the sun. Saltpeter crystals can then be collected and added to brimstone and charcoal to create black powder.[4][5][6][7][8]

Potassium nitrate could also be harvested from accumulations of bat guano in caves. This was the traditional method used in Laos for the manufacture of gunpowder for Bang Fai rockets.

The quote also mentions bat guano accumulations in caves. The evolution in mines? Seems that way.

Barbault in "Gold of a Thousand Mornings" uses common earth + organic materials to obtain a crystalline potassium nitrate which he called "Mercury."

What happens when we deliquesce potassium carbonate multiple times? I'd like to see some reports on this, but something tells me some of it changes to potassium nitrate.

[theFool]

The quote also mentions bat guano accumulations in caves. The evolution in mines? Seems that way.

No, bat guano is similar to manure. It's bat shit.

What happens when we deliquesce potassium carbonate multiple times? I'd like to see some reports on this, but something tells me some of it changes to potassium nitrate.

Do you have any reference on this? Is it worth undertaking the experiment?

[BeautifulEvil]

No, bat guano is similar to manure. It's bat shit.

I'm well aware of this fact. It accumulates on the ground/earth of cave floors. Bats = Caves/Mines

Do you have any reference on this? Is it worth undertaking the experiment?

No reference whatsoever, but it is worth undertaking the experiment - if only to confirm or deny my theory.

[kerkring]

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_nitrate

Historically, nitre-beds were prepared by mixing manure with either mortar or wood ashes, common earth and organic materials such as straw to give porosity to a compost pile typically 1.5 meters high by 2 meters wide by 5 metres long.[3] The heap was usually under a cover from the rain, kept moist with urine, turned often to accelerate the decomposition and leached with water after approximately one year. The liquid containing various nitrates was then converted with wood ashes to potassium nitrates, crystallized and refined for use in gunpowder.

Urine has also been used in the manufacture of saltpeter for gunpowder. In this process, stale urine placed in a container of straw hay is allowed to sour for many months, after which water is used to wash the resulting chemical salts from the straw. The process is completed by filtering the liquid through wood ashes and air-drying in the sun. Saltpeter crystals can then be collected and added to brimstone and charcoal to create black powder.[4][5][6][7][8]

Potassium nitrate could also be harvested from accumulations of bat guano in caves. This was the traditional method used in Laos for the manufacture of gunpowder for Bang Fai rockets.

The quote also mentions bat guano accumulations in caves. The evolution in mines? Seems that way.

Barbault in "Gold of a Thousand Mornings" uses common earth + organic materials to obtain a crystalline potassium nitrate which he called "Mercury."

What happens when we deliquesce potassium carbonate multiple times? I'd like to see some reports on this, but something tells me some of it changes to potassium nitrate.

From R.Bartlett's Real Alchemy:

"The Spirit of the World, the Embodied Alkali, is in the Ammonium (NH4) radical. This
is often called Sal Ammoniac and is deposited as rain, snow, dew and hail over the Earth. It is
carried in the water as the Salt of Dew or ammonium nitrate (NH4NO3) at about 0.5 to 4 grams
per ton of rain."

So we would have to have:

K2CO3 + 2NH4NO3 -> 2KNO3 + (NH4)2CO3

NO3 is an extremely weak base so it wont do much in the solution.
NH4 might release it's proton to CO3 depending on which one is strongest. As NH3 is more volatile it might be possible to drive it off thru evaporating slowly? So it could work.

Also from Real Alchemy:

"Another salt often worked with in the same way and mentioned earlier is called Dew
Salt, or The Heavenly Dew Salt. It can be derived from collected dew, or rainwater (especially
that collected during a thundershower) but this is long and tedious. The salt itself is
ammonium nitrate. The Dew Salt is highly deliquescent and said to be determined to the
Mineral realm especially, but it is of a Universal nature.
...
Distillation of this salt when it liquefies is stopped well before the dry point. Crystals
will form which can be reused. This distillate can be used in various operations in the Mineral
work in place of distilled water.
This distillate is loaded with the Mineral Fire, which can be transferred to our subject
in order to reanimate it. Copper salts also carry Mineral Fire as copper is part of the group 1B
elements in the Periodic Table, and thus related to the elements under Hydrogen, all of which
are carriers of the Fire.

Butter of Antimony

The last salt we'll mention in this category is antimony trichloride, also called Butter of
Antimony. Properly, this belongs to the Mineral works so we will only mention its use at this
point. The preparation and use of this salt is much more difficult and dangerous than any of
the salts previously discussed. When it is prepared, it has the color and texture of butter, hence
the name. However, it is toxic and very corrosive so it requires some skill and practice to
work with safely.
The Butter of Antimony has a ravenous appetite for the moisture in the air and will
deliquesce even on a hot sunny day. The water distilled from it is said to carry a truly
Universal Fire which can be set to operate in any of the three kingdoms."

Does anyone have experience with the butter of antimony?

[pierre]

Hi kerkring.

I have a very close friend of mine who worked with the butter of antimony.

¿What do you want to know about it?

Maybe even get in touch for a few questions.

[kerkring]

Hi kerkring.

I have a very close friend of mine who worked with the butter of antimony.

¿What do you want to know about it?

Maybe even get in touch for a few questions.

Thanks Pierre,

Do you know if your friend was able to make a stone by simply adding some gold to the butter and letting it evolve as Jean Dubuis prescribes in the Philosophers of Nature material. And as to the latter material, it focuses on obtaining initiation and a contact with your higher self by using alchemically made products from plants or metals and minerals? Do you know anyone who was able to obtain such contacts (e.g. in dreams or otherwise) after using alchemical products?

cheers,

[BeautifulEvil]

Do you know if your friend was able to make a stone by simply adding some gold to the butter and letting it evolve as Jean Dubuis prescribes in the Philosophers of Nature material.

I've heard of something like this before, but there were a few more ingredients involved. I'll send you a PM tomorrow about it.

If you were to add gold or a calx of gold to antimony butter (antimony trichloride) you'll end up with a reduction taking replace. The antimony butter will become metallic antimony, and your elemental gold will become gold chloride. It should be an interesting color. Also, digestion would probably be a good idea.

[pierre]

Hi kerkring,

I remember that dissolve the gold with the butter, you get the sulfur of gold, but not the stone, yet; The sulfur should be coupled with a philosophical Mercury to get the stone through a long coccion. Although it may be that the butter functions as mercury philosophical than the solvent.

You must know a little trick to make the butter did not adhere to the glass and filling.

As for the other, I have no knowledge.

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