Essay name: Alchemy in India and China
Author:
Vijaya Jayant Deshpande
Affiliation: Panjab University / Department of Chemistry
The thesis "Alchemy in India and China" explores the comparative aspects of alchemy in these two countries, focusing on chemical and protochemical formulations while addressing why modern science developed in the West rather than in India or China. It briefly touches upon internal alchemy in China and the ritualistic tantra in India.
Chapter 4 - Transmutation of Base Metals into Gold
14 (of 22)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
83
III.
Surface-layer Enrichment by Withdrawal
A little different kind of gilding is carried out
in Slokas 602-603. (See Footnote 23.)
Expressed juice of the leaves of Rudanti
(Cresa Cretica) embedded in liquid gold and
admixed with copper, is to be smeared on copper-
leaves which are to be then roasted in P奴ta by
one who is endowed with good fortune. Thus
smeared and roasted three times, copper can be
turned into gold. (602, line 2, and 603)
24 This is the process Needham' names as "Surface-
layer enrichment by withdrawal" of the base metal. Either
an alloy of the noble metal or that of other metals with a
layer of nobel-metal alloy on the surface is used in this
method. When heated, the base-metal from the surface layer
is oxidised and removed usually with the help of an acid.
The noble-metal remains unchanged and this leaves its
layer on the surface of the alloy. In the above-mentioned
'
Sloka, copper is first coated with copper-gold alloy and
subsequent heating causes copper to form copper oxides which
are dissolved in organic acids, whereas gold remains
FN. 23 continued
24,
啷�
啶ぐ啷嵿う啶啶む 啶椸啶侧啶掂啷� 啶多啶班啶ぞ啶ㄠ 啶椸啶侧啶掂お啶む啶班ぞ啶｀た 啶侧啶く啷囙い啷� 啷�
啶侧啶啷嵿 啶啶熰お啶距啶炧啶� 啶む啶班た啶た啶膏啶むい啷嵿啶� 啶曕 啶さ啷囙い啷� 啷� [|
mardayet gulvake 艣r墨m膩n gulvapatr膩峁噄 lepayet |
lepa帽ca pu峁璦p膩ka帽ca tribhistatkana ke bhavet || ] 603 啷�
[||
] Needham, Joseph (1), Vol. 5, Pt. II, p. 250.
