August 2002
Alchemystica
Tincture of Antimony with Manfred Junius (Academia Hermetica Seminar in Germany) By
Steve Kalec
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It is said that with the exception of the Stone of the Wise, no better blood cleansing remedy exists than the extracted sulfur or soul of antimony. The sulfur of antimony is also a base ingredient for many other highly effective alchemistical medications and remedies. In ancient Egypt, papyrus records mention a preparation of an antimony ointment for leprosy. The principle source of information and study was taken from Basil Valentinus and his “Triumphant Chariot of Antimony”. Other sources used were “ Practical Alchemy of the Twentieth Century” by Frater Albertus, and “ Basil Valentinus and his Tinctures of Antimony” by David Schein. Joseph Weber who visited us at this seminar also wrote a very interesting article entitled, “The Sulfur of Antimony and the Art of its Preparation”. This article is presented for you at the end of this report presentation. Joseph Weber is a very knowledgeable and experienced alchemist and a good friend of Professor Junius, and he has shown us samples of his antimony tinctures of various colors. He is the person that you can see in the middle in the photograph of the first page of this presentation. Like the tartar of wine stones, antimony is also a very important substance in alchemy. They are both borderline substances. While the wine stone is a substance between a vegetable and a mineral, antimony is a substance between a mineral and a metal. This in-between state allows for some very highly sophisticated organic chemistry. The antimony tincture becomes a metal organic compound as the alchemical art renders our substance into an organic state. This allows for our metabolism to properly digest and assimilate the tincture of antimony. In Indian alchemy, this rendering from an inorganic to an organic state is referred to as giving senses to the mineral or the metal so that it can feel and interact with our body and organism. 2
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In our preparation of this tincture of antimony we went via the glass of antimony, which is said by Professor Junius to be the safest method. The first part of the work therefore is in the preparation of the glass of antimony.
To prepare the glass of antimony, we used two different methods for the sake of experimentation. In the first method we used 4 parts in weight of 99% pure commercial antimony trisulfide with one part borax. This gave us approximately one cup in volume which was placed in a none glazed crucible. Borax is used as a fluxing agent which helps the melting of our substance at a lower temperature, however it will need to be removed and washed out from our glass of antimony. Basil Valentinus says that the best glass is obtained without the use of borax, so an other crucible was prepared with 3 parts of 98% pure commercial antimony trioxide and one part of a very high quality natural stibnite almost as natural Sb2S3. This stibnite is the one seen in the photo on page 2 of this report. The two
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crucibles were placed into a potter’s oven and the temperature was set at 1150 degrees Celsius. The heating lasted four hours, and upon opening the furnace we found that one of the crucibles broke in two halves. The melted
contents were rapidly poured on a copper sheet. The mix without the borax did not succeed in becoming glass. Perhaps our temperature did not reach high enough. The mix with the borax did manage to become a glass. We should note here that there is glass of antimony, and then there is glass of antimony, meaning that there can be different and finer grades of glass. A perfect glass should be transparent. In our case it was not, meaning that the fusion was not perfectly complete. Some antimony stayed in the metallic state. Perhaps we were too much in a hurry, as is usually the case with seminars of such nature. We really do not have the time allot to us as would require such experiments. We did, however, receive a grey colored glass. Antimony glass can take on different colors such as grey, yellow, green, red depending on the quantity of sulfur present. Some say that the green glass is the best. Having acquired our glass, we now had to remove the borax from it. We had to grind our glass in a mortar to a fine powder and mix it with boiling distilled water. The water dissolved all the borax and the glass powder was recovered through filtration. This was repeated till our PH reading verified that the borax was completely eliminated.
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We next proceeded to the extraction of our tincture with acetic acid. Our cleaned powdered glass was placed into a soxhlett extractor. Acetic acid of 60◦ to 80◦ can be used according to Frater Albertus. The heating of our acid was done through an oil bath at a temperature of 155◦ Celsius. We should note here that it is also through the acetic acid that our antimony receives its first contact with organic matter to begin the marriage and it’s rendering into a metal organic compound.
The extraction was carried out through the whole night. We did not receive a yellow colored tincture as we hoped for, because our initial glass was not perfect. Our tincture was a light grey and we continued on with the process. The acetic acid solution was next filtered.
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Our acid solution was heated to evaporate off the acetic acid. Care must be taken at this stage because the acid vapors are strong and very invading. Our residue was then washed with distilled water and dried. This is called the sweetening.
This powder residue was next placed in a smaller soxhlett extractor with 500 ml of Kerckring’s menstrum. This menstrum is a more efficient menstrum for mineral work, because through its preparation, the vibrations of the alcohol have been harmonized with the mineral kingdom’s influences. See Joseph Weber’s text at the end of this presentation for the preparation of this menstrum.
Our menstrum received a slightly golden color; however it should have been red. Perhaps this was because, as we have said before, the quality of our glass was not initially perfect. But such is alchemy; we cannot expect to always succeed perfectly. Never the less we succeeded in carrying through with the process for the sake of learning and experience. Our menstrum was once again filtered and distilled to remove the Kerckring’s menstrum and to obtain our oil or the sulfur of antimony.
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The menstrum was carefully distilled off to receive the oil as the sulfur or soul of antimony. In this picture we can see the small spot of greenish oil at the bottom of the flask. This is our sulfur that we were after. It is said that this oil is one of the elements of the “ Fire Stone”.
From this dark oil we then proceed to make a dilution with absolute alcohol. The proper dilution is had when our tincture is a light yellow in color. For the therapeutic use as a blood purifier, the dosage of this tincture should be no more than one drop per day in a glass of wine or some other liquid. Please go to the following pages for the article “The Sulfur of Antimony and the Art of its Preparation” by Joseph Weber. Steve Kalec
[email protected]
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Joseph Weber THE SULPHUR OF ANTIMONY AND THE ART OF ITS PREPARATION Introduction Joseph Weber was a student of Frater Albertus and the former PRS (Paracelsus Research Society). This article struck a familiar chord with me and I think this type of practical writing may help to understand more about Albertus and his work with antimony in alchemy, and perhaps some methods that will lead to more than issaid in this article regarding the methods used. Glass of antimony, fascinating in itself as a work has many approaches and this article identifies ways to experiment with the subject. The KerkringMenstrum is a subject that came up a lot at the PRS and it has a history that should be explored more fully. Regarding the tincture or sulphur of antimony purifying the blood, I have no stories of anecdotal repute to offer. If others do have some tale to tell or case studies with samples of purifying the blood I'd like to hear from you!
THEORIES OF PRODUCTION METHODS In outlining my experiences in extracting the sulphur from antimony preference has been given to the fact that with the exception of the Stone of the Wise no better blood cleansing remedy exists than the extracted sulphur or soul of antimony. Since blood represents the carrier of life in any warm blooded individual, no emphasis is needed to point out that it should be kept clean in accordance with the alchemistic precept: clean body, pure soul, and pure, spirit. The essential factor contained in antimony and pertaining to its healing potential is its sulphur content or soul. Besides its excellent action as a blood cleanser the sulphur is also a base ingredient for various additional highly effective alchemistical medications and remedies. First I wish to draw attention to the fact that there exists a dualism in antimony as in all other manifestations. There is an unfixed and a fixed sulphur of antimony, and both types are applicable remedies for diseases where the blood is either too thick or too thin. The principle is: for thick blood - unfixed, for thin blood –fixed sulphur of antimony respectively. Both types are often used in the form of antimony tinctures. To separate or extract the sulphur out of antimony we require a menstrum analogous to that used in the herbal kingdom. Before we deal with the various methods of extracting the sulphur of antimony, we will proceed with the preparation of this menstrum.
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MAKING THE MENSTRUM Separation of the three essentials - body, soul, and spirit - from minerals present more difficulties than in the herbal kingdom. Since the three essentials are more accessible in the herbal kingdom, the production of this menstrum should be based on the spirit from the herbal kingdom, i.e., alcohol. In order to work with this herbal spirit in the mineral kingdom, the two kingdoms must be bridged, i.e., the alcohol has to be magnetized with vibrations from the mineral kingdom. For this reason we use four parts thrice sublimated ammonium chloride grinding to a fine powder between sublimations, adding ten parts of absolute alcohol then macerating the same. After the alcohol has been distilled from the extract its vibrations are no longer the same. It has become saturated with mineral influences and can, therefore, be used as a menstrum in the mineral kingdom. This procedure was described by Basilius Valentinus in his book "The Triumphal Chariot of Antimony," and 250 years later Dr. Kirkring, a Dutchman annotated a reprint of the book. It is for this reason that our honorable teacher Frater Albertus, named this menstruum: Kerkring-Menstruum, abbreviated KM. Now after we have become familiar with a menstrum with which we can work in the mineral kingdom, we would like to point out some of the possible methods whereby the sulphur of antimony may be separated. One of the best known methods is that utilizing the glass of antimony. Here too several variations are possible, one of which we shall describe:
THE GLASS OF ANTIMONY Take one part ground antimony ore (Sb2S3) and mix in a mortar with eight parts of antimony trioxide (Sb2O3). The very finely ground mixture should be heated to about 1000 - 1050 degrees C. in an unglazed crucible. If after about half an hour this mixture is poured out on a copper plate, it turns into a red glass. A longer heating period will change the glass first into yellow and finally into white. In order to obtain glasses of other shades, the mixtures of Sb2S3 and three parts Sb2O3, which results in a green glass. After cooling the glass must be ground in a mortar or ball mill to a fine flour-like powder which is then placed in an extractor (soxhlet) with six normal acetic acid for the extraction of a golden-yellow tincture. After pouring off this extract, additional six normal acetic acid should be used and the glass again extracted. This procedure should be repeated until the vinegar (acetic acid) no longer becomes tincted (colored). All the extractions are then combined, filtered and distilled in a water bath. A red powder will remain behind over which pour thrice distilled rainwater and distill again. Pour absolute alcohol over the remaining powder and allow to digest for a time. Thereby we obtain a deep red tincture of antimony.
ANOTHER METHOD A second, more rational possibility of separation can be carried out by chemical means. For this purpose a saturate solution of sodium-hydroxide (Na OH) and water (rain water) should be prepared. At normal room temperature you can dissolve 1/3 Na OH in 2/3 water resulting in a 33% solution. We can utilize the interior warmth that develops to more quickly dissolve the antimony and so immediately add ground antimony ore (Sb2S3) as much as will dissolve. (About 1/7 part by weight of the solution). Then a 60% acetic acid solution is added to the sodium-antimony mixture, approximately 9/10.
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This forms a mildly acid reacting solution which should be left for some time. Thereafter this is washed with water and filtered until litmus paper no longer shows a reaction. After filtering and drying a red-brown powder remains which can immediately be extracted with KM, or first with six normal acetic acid, thus securing either an unfixed or fixed antimonial tincture. This tincture still contains sulphur of the sulphur. If, however, a pure antimony tincture is desired, the red powder should be calcined to a white before extraction; thus burning off the common sulphur.
THIRD METHOD Another technique of chemical separation is the antimony chloride method. In this procedure one part Sb2S3 is poured into five parts hydrochloric acid, and boiled for thirty minutes, during which time it has o be stirred continuously until no more sulphureous fumes escape. The remaining greyish-black fluid is a antimony chloride, which if filtered twice through glass wool, results in an amber-colored fluid from the hydrochloric acid has to be distilled. Should a yellowish mass develop on the sides of the flask, change receivers and raise the temperature: a reddish, butter-like mass will come over. The distillation has to be continued until the remainder forms a crust in the flask. The distilled antimony chloride is then dissolved in water, neutralized, and dried under heat. Thereafter grind in a mortar and extract the sulphur of antimony with KM.
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