Alembic
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An alembic (from Template:Langx, originating from Template:Langx, 'cup, beaker')[1][2][3] is an alchemical still consisting of two vessels connected by a tube, used for distillation of liquids.
Description
The complete distilling apparatus consists of three parts:
- the "Template:Linktext" (Arabic: Script error: No such module "Lang".; Greek: Script error: No such module "Lang"., Script error: No such module "Lang".), the still pot containing the liquid to be distilled, which is heated by a flame
- the "head" or "cap" (Script error: No such module "Lang"., Script error: No such module "Lang".; Greek Script error: No such module "Lang"., Script error: No such module "Lang".) which fits over the mouth of the cucurbit to receive the vapors, with an attached downward-sloping "tube" (Script error: No such module "Lang"., Script error: No such module "Lang".)
- the "receiver" (Script error: No such module "Lang"., Script error: No such module "Lang".; Script error: No such module "Lang"., Script error: No such module "Lang". or Script error: No such module "Lang"., Script error: No such module "Lang".) container
In the case of another distilling vessel, the retort, the "cap" and the "cucurbit" have been combined to form a single vessel. The anbik[4] is also called the raʾs (the Arabic word raʾs means "head") of the cucurbit. The liquid in the cucurbit is heated or boiled; the vapour rises into the anbik, where it cools by contact with the walls and condenses, running down the spout into the receiver. A modern descendant of the alembic is the pot still, used to produce distilled beverages.
History
Dioscorides's ambix, described in his Script error: No such module "Lang". (c. 50 C.E.), is a helmet-shaped lid for gathering condensed mercury. For Athenaeus (c. 225 C.E.) it is a bottle or flask. For later chemists it denoted various parts of crude distillation devices.
Alembic drawings appear in works of Cleopatra the Alchemist (3rd century C.E.), Zosimos of Panopolis (c. 300 C.E.), and Synesius (c. 373 – c. 414 C.E.). There were alembics with two (dibikos) and three (tribikos) receivers.[5] According to Zosimos of Panopolis, the alembic was invented by Mary the Jewess.[6]
The anbik is described by Ibn al-Awwam in his Script error: No such module "Lang". (Book of Agriculture), where he explains how rose-water is distilled. Amongst others, it is mentioned in the Script error: No such module "Lang". (Key of Sciences) of Khwarizmi and the Script error: No such module "Lang". (Book of Secrets) of al-Razi. Some illustrations occur in the Latin translations of works which are attributed to Geber.[2]
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Alembic of Zosimos of Panopolis
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Modern alembic
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Large "charentais" type alembic for distilling spirits
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Copper retort
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Glass alembic
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Alembic metalwork in the staircase at the Chemical Faculty of Gdańsk University of Technology, 1904
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Unicode
The Unicode character set specifies three symbols for alembics: the pictogram ⚗ (Template:Tt), its emoji variation ⚗️ (Template:Tt), and the ancient alchemical symbol 🝪 (Template:Tt).
See also
References
External links
Template:Distillation Template:Alchemy Template:Authority control
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ The complete distilling apparatus consists of three parts: the "cucurbit" (ḳarʿa), the "head" or "cap" (anbīḳ) and the "receiver" (ḳābila).
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".