Laboratory Notes

The Alkahest by Dr. Fabrizio

Tonna
Preparation of the Components and Obtainment of
the Sal Tartaricum Paracelsii (the Tartar of
Paracelsus).

First Phase of the Work on the Wine

Procedure of igneous feeding - Putrefaction

1. The procedure consists of the progressive enrichment of the subject made by the
double interaction of photon and field that come from what the Ancient ones defined as
superior Waters and inferior Waters. Apparently useless, the operation determines
some real transformations inside the igneous structure of the subject. Therefore, this
has to be made in a skilful way in order to avoid subsequently problems.
2. 2000 cc of non-treated wine are placed in large porcelain or glass PYREX plates. In
ancient times, they used square or round basins made of enamelled earth of a diameter
of 500 mm, or more, and 40 mm tall. Today, PYREX glass or DURAN-SCHOTT plates
of the same dimensions can be used. They have to be filled to about 1/3 of total
volume, which corresponds to 15 mm of thickness of the mass in wine.

3. The plates are set outside on a levelled plane, in order to guarantee the horizontality of
the liquid and an uniform thickness. The solution adopted in Jacob Sulat, Mutus Liber,
Rupellae 1666 is not advisable, although it helps with a simultaneous surplus of
magneto-tellurism, because it doesn't guarantee an uniform thickness of the mass.

4. The exposure needs a cycle of 40 lunar days considering alternate phases of raising
moon and decreasing moon, as well as the absence of exposure to the light of the sun
(at least in this initial phase).

a) Expose the wine during the whole night in increasing moon phase, retiring it 15 minutes
before the dawn. Duration of the operation: 40 nights in increasing moon.

b)
In the phase of retirement, the mass is decanted in 500 cc polished balloons and
surmounted by a connection with capillary pipe with 0.5 mm internal diameter .
underground place or a cellar where a suitable
During day the matter has to be retreated into an
temperature is insured.

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 c) During the decreasing moon phases, it is necessary to maintain the wine in the
balloons and to preserve it in the cellar. In this case, the capillary pipe is
replaced with a polished cap.

5. When the exposure is finished, the wine is decanted in a circulatory and placed into an
incubator to the temperature of 30°C for 20 days. Anciently, this operation was conducted using the
heat of equine dung, or by a brick construction
capable of holding the container up to its neck and subsequently filling it with
fresh
dung and closing it, leaving the capital outside however. Today , it is possible to avoid all this by using a steel cylinder inside
of which has been fixed some refractory ceramic wool (insulating). Once the circulatory has been set on the inside,
we close the

system leaving the capillary one on the outside. The heating can be insured
by a tide of warm air or by an electric resistance. Also the use of
a light bulb can guarantee a constant heat to this temperature, but it will be necessary to isolate it from the container to avoid
too much
preventive interaction with the light.

Circulation-Stabilization of the Tria Prima

1. The circulation is required to stabilize the Essentials or Simple in their reactive

structure, in order to be able to subsequently separate them through the process of
distillation. The operation is both simple and complex; it needs practice and knowledge
of the regimes of fire. The whole glassworks will have to be dried on a stove.

2. 1500 cc of Wine (treated as described in the previous phases) is carefully filtered using
a porous filter n°5 and they’re set in a capillary circulatory of 2000 cc.

3. We close everything, taking care to grease the joints as already described and we put it
on a sand bath. The bath will be provided with a thermometer for the control of the
temperature.

4. Being a real process of digestion, we will have to consider these parameters:

a) the heat - the temperature we will submit the mass to, is 40° C.

b) the times - The total period of duration of the operation will be 40 days.

c) the interactions - The interactions will include the simultaneous action of

magneto-tellurism with the lunar and solar irradiation. For this purpose, the
circulatory will be maintained to the outside of the laboratory, in order to receive
the whole irradiation.

5. At the end of the procedure we will have a ready mass to be submitted to following
distillation for the separation of the Tria Prima. We will preserve this mass in a dark
place, tightly dam in an un-actinic glass bottle.

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Phase 2 of the Work on the Wine

Distillation-Separation of the Tria Prima

1. The operation is very delicate and complex and perhaps one of the most important of the
Art. The purpose is the division of the Tria Prima constituent the vegetable support. The
obtainment of the Sal Tartaricum Paracelsii objectively departs from here, even if its
concentration, or better, its awakening into the mass of the Wine has been made before. We
have to consider that three are the physical components of the wine and in all of them it is
contained an important fraction, constituent the Sal Tartaricum Paracelsii. The anatomy of the
Sal Tartaricum Paracelsii includes three bases: a volatile tartar, a mercural tartar, and a sulphur
tartar. All of these substances are related to a precise procedure of obtainment, beginning from
the same base subject that we will describe after we have treated the Distillation with more
detail. This (the Distillation n.d.t.), will be conducted till dryness according to the rules proposed
by R. Lullo. The whole glassworks will have to be dried on a stove.

2. 1500 cc of wine circulated in the previous experience are set in cucurbita, provided of
capital, side pipe with mercury thermometer (0° ÷ 150° Cs), collector balloon put into water and
ice, ending with Dimroth refrigerant cooled with icy water and provided of capillary pipe. As
always, all the polished joints and the flanges must be siliconed.

3. The instrument needs to be heated with bath of sand; the second is advisable because it
contains few silica, for reasons of transmission of the heat. What I said with respect to the
management of the temperature has to be more respected still in the present case.

4. Once mounted, the instrument begins the dryness distillation that consists of three precise
moments:

a. Distillation up to 90 °C for the separation of the alcoolica fraction (350-400 cc in total),

after which it will be necessary to remove the ball to extract the alcohol and to put it apart
marking him as “Fraction I”. Pay attention to cool the capital with wet rags with icy water
during the whole operation.

b. Distillation up to 100 °C for the separation of the watery fraction (200 cc in total). It can
still contain organic fractions with a p.e. next to the 97°-98 °C. It will be necessary to remove
the ball when you will start to see a light cloudiness of the mass and immediately replace it
with another, with the purpose of continuing the distillation. Label as Fraction II.

c. Distillation still to 100 °C for the remaining acid phlegmatic fraction (total 900 cc) that
represents the most interesting part from the Alchemic point of view. It will be suspended
when no more matter will pass. From this we will get two important components: I. The

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 Acid Phlegm, as 800 cc resultant (Fraction IIIa) and II. A rubbery caput as 100 cc resultant
(Fraction IIIb).

Isolation of the Volatile Tartar

1. All the gotten fractions, excluding the Fraction III b, will be submitted to vacuum filtering on
porous filter n° 4.

2. Subsequently, 400 cc of Fraction 1 are united (by cold) with 200 cc of Fraction II, in a capillary
circulatory and submitted to cohobation for 48 hours, in raising lunar phase, next to the full one
(it means that we have to predispose the operation beginning from the preceding day to the full
phase).

3. Then, we proceed with the rectification of the whole alcoholic fraction through fractioned
distillation in column (°T = 80 °C). The Ancients used multiple tubular aludels or essences
distillers with very long neck (technique for ascensum). In this case, the distillation is suspended
when, to the 2/3 inferior of the neck of the distiller, a turbid substance starts to climb. Corrected
alcohol is labelled as Fraction SYN I, the amount is of 300 real cc.

4. Into a cucurbita, we obtain a turbid mass that is lately re-distilled to 100 °C in a middle
traditional distiller to extract all the water from it.

5. The fixed residue is subsequently evaporated till dryness, leached with water (distilled for
three times) and from the evaporation of this last the Tartar Volatile will be gotten. Store the salt
in closed vials to the flame, preventively dried on a stove.

Preparation of the Fixed Mass

1. The fixed mass is constituted by the binomial acid Phlegm (Fraction III a) and rubbery
Caput (Fraction III b). In order to rejoin them, it is necessary to do a preliminary acid
fermentation, opportunely made in the mass behaviour in the cellar, under the influence of the
increasing moon phases.

2. 800 cc of Fraction IIIa are united to the temperature of 50 °C to the 100 cc of Fraction IIIb,
under constant agitation.

3. Once the whole components are amalgamated, we proceed to lower the temperature up to
35°C and we maintain it for all of the fermentation. Such phenomenon baits with the raising of
the temperature of 5 °C for exothermic fermentation and it diminish toward the end of the
operation.

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4. The duration is varying and it depends upon the external conditions and upon the period of
the year. In every case, it remains at the most inside 15-20 days.

5. It can happen that, during the fermentation, a yellowish and transparent oil is released with
an epireumatic smell. In such case, it will be necessary to increase by 2 °C the temperature to
allow its re-absorption in the mass.

6. The prepared, fixed mass will subsequently be filtered on porous filter n° 2 and preserved
from the light in closed vial to the flame.

Evaporation of the Fixed Mass - Igneous Accumulation

1. The evaporation requires, in order to package the particles of igneous subject, that in
the phase of previous enrichment they become denser. It deals with a capital operation,
without which it would result impossible to extract the necessary Fixed Salt.

2. The residual mass is evaporated by setting it in a wide container and submitting it to the
heating of 70°C, constantly shaking it, until it acquires a syrupy consistence (D = ±
1.20). This was the ancient technique. Currently it is possible to use many other
methods:

a) Evaporation to the ROTAVAPOR, with use of a vacuum to a temperature of 60

°C. It is the best method, because the constant rotation of the evaporation
balloon increases the surface of evaporation and for adabasi of interface we
have a wider volatilization of the sub-volatile components still tied to the mass
and of little interest for our search. You get a pure and reliable product (D =
1.40).

b) Evaporation in a vacuum drier to a temperature of 70°C. Good method, but

limited to only the watery components. Part of the volatile components is still
held in the mass and they could return in the following phases (D = 1.15).

c) Evaporation into a dry-stove, with or without use of the vacuum. The second
system (vacuum) is always best because it avoids an excessive oxidation of the
mass.

3. When the operation is finished and we’ve verified the density (D = 1.40 optimal) we
finally have the Honey so dear to the Philosophers, containing the Fixed Salt. The
return is about 150-200 cc.

Isolation of the Mercurial Tartar and Sulphurous Tartar

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1) We prepare the Bolus of Armenia, according to as the Ancient ones symbolically defined in
their writings and well revealed in clear letters from Balduinus Clodius. The Honey is mixed with
fresh grey Clay previously pulverized and calcined. We make some doughy little balls of a
diameter of about 30 mm.

2) The prepared Honey is submitted to distillation for ascensum in tall cucurbita provided of
connected capital to collector equipped with a refrigerant Dimroth from 500 mm of mantle. The
water for cooling is ideal if it is at 4 °C. In every case, the balloon collector must be cooled by
placing it into icy water.

3) The distillation is conducted on a sand bath to a temperature of 130 °C.

4) They separate: a. an acid Phlegm (Fraction SYN II); it separates itself to 100 °C a complex
of Etherised Oils (Fraction SYN III); it separates itself to 120 °C and b. a caput.

5) The Fraction SYN II is joined with a mixture of equal parts of white clay and coal, to form
other little balls of the diameter of 30 mm.6. The little balls are calcined to 1000 °C to the
obtainment of ashes.

6) Leach the ashes with tri-distilled water and settle down. After filtering: a. evaporate the water
up to crystallization of the Mercurial Tartar; b. the ashes are still desiccated, calcined and
leached. The Waters are evaporated to get the Sulphurous Tartar, which can be extracted with
Fraction SYN I.

This article is an English translation of a paper by Dr. Fabrizio Tonna, an Italian alchemist
working with the Ars Regia Society and the International Institute for Scientific Research in
Alchemy & Spagyria. It was submitted by Dr. Frank Burton, a member of the Society. He can be
contacted by email at: [email protected]