Alchemical studies produced a number of substances, which were later classified as particular chemical compounds or mixtures of compounds.
Many of these terms were in common use into the 20th century.
Aqua Fortis – nitric acid, can be formed by 2 parts saltpetre in 1 part (pure) oil of vitriol (sulfuric acid). (Historically, this process could not have been used, as 98% oil of vitriol was not available)
Aqua Ragia/Spirit of turpentine/Oil of turpentine/Gum turpentine – turpentine, formed by the distillation of pine tree resin.
Aqua Regia (Latin: "royal water") – a mixture of aqua fortis and spirit of salt.
Aqua Tofani – arsenic trioxide. Extremely poisonous. AsO3
Aqua vitae/Spirit of Wine – ethanol, formed by distilling wine
fulminating gold – unstable gold carbonate formed by precipitation by potash from gold dissolved in aqua regia.
Bismuth (German: Wismuth)
Blende
Blue Vitriol/Bluestone – A mineral; copper(II) sulfate pentahydrate.
Brimstone – sulfur.
Flowers of sulfur – formed by distilling sulfur.
Butter (or oil) of antimony – antimony trichloride. Formed by distilling roasted stibnite with corrosive sublimate, or dissolving stibnite in hot concentrated hydrochloric acid and distilling. SbCl3
Cadmia/Tuttia/Tutty – probably zinc carbonate.
Calamine – zinc carbonate.
Calomel/Horn Quicksilver/horn mercury – mercury(I) chloride, a very poisonous purgative formed by subliming a mixture of mercuric chloride and metallic mercury, triturated in a mortar and heated in an iron pot. The crust formed on the lid was ground to powder and boiled with water to remove the calomel.
Caustic potash/Caustic Wood Alkali – potassium hydroxide, formed by adding lime to potash.
Caustic Soda/Caustic Marine Alkali – sodium hydroxide, formed by adding lime to natron. NaHCO3
Caustic Volatile Alkali – ammonium hydroxide.
Chalk – a rock composed of porous biogenic calcium carbonate. CaCO3
Chrome green – chromic oxide and cobalt oxide.
Chrome orange – chrome yellow and chrome red.
Chrome red – basic lead chromate – PbCrO4+PbO.
Chrome yellow/Paris Yellow/Leipzig Yellow – lead chromate – PbCrO4.
Cinnabar/Vermilion – refers to several substances, among them: mercury(II) sulfide (HgS), or native vermilion (the common ore of mercury).
Copper Glance – copper(I) sulfide ore.
Corrosive sublimate – mercuric chloride, formed by subliming mercury, calcined green vitriol, common salt and nitre.
Cuprite – copper(I) oxide ore.
Dutch White – a pigment, formed from one part of white lead to three of barium sulfate. BaSO4
Flowers of antimony – antimony trioxide, formed by roasting stibnite at high temperature and condensing the white fumes that form. SbO3
Fool's gold – a mineral; iron disulfide or pyrite, can form oil of vitriol on contact with water and air.
Fulminating silver – silver nitride, formed by dissolving silver(I) oxide in ammonia. Very explosive when dry.
Fulminating gold – gold hydrazide, formed by adding ammonia to the auric hydroxide. When dry, can explode on concussion.
Galena – lead(II) sulfide. Lead ore.
Glass of antimony – impure antimony tetroxide, formed by roasting stibnite. A yellow pigment for glass and porcelain. SbO4
Glauber's Salt – sodium sulfate. Na2SO4
Green Vitriol – a mineral; iron(II) sulfate heptahydrate. (or ferrous sulfate)
Marcasite – a mineral; iron disulfide. In moist air it turns into green vitriol, FeSO4
Rouge/Crocus/Colcothar – ferric oxide, formed by burning green vitriol in air.
Gum Arabic – gum from the Acacia tree.
Gypsum – a mineral; calcium sulfate. CaSO4
Horn Silver/Argentum Cornu – a weathered form of chlorargyrite, an ore of silver chloride.
Luna cornea – silver chloride, formed by heating horn silver till it liquifies and then cooling.
King's yellow – formed by mixing orpiment with white arsenic.
Lapis solaris (Bologna stone) – barium sulfide – 1603, Vincenzo Cascariolo
Lead fume – lead oxide, found in flues at lead smelters.
Lime/Quicklime (Burnt Lime)/Calx Viva/Unslaked Lime – calcium oxide, formed by calcining limestone.
Slaked Lime – calcium hydroxide. Ca(OH)2
Liver of sulfur – formed by fusing potash and sulfur.
Lunar caustic/lapis infernalis – silver nitrate, formed by dissolving silver in aqua fortis and evaporating.
Lye – potash in a water solution, formed by leaching wood ashes.
Potash/Salt of tartar – potassium carbonate, formed by evaporating lye. K2CO3
Pearlash – formed by baking potash in a kiln.
Massicot – lead monoxide. PbO
Litharge – lead monoxide, formed by fusing and powdering massicot.
Minium/Red Lead – trilead tetroxide, formed by roasting litharge in air. Pb3O4
Naples yellow/Cassel yellow – oxychloride of lead, formed by heating litharge with sal ammoniac.
Mercurius praecipitatus – red mercuric oxide.
Milk of Sulfur (lac sulphuris) – formed by adding an acid to thion hudor (lime sulfur).
Mosaic Gold – stannic sulfide, formed by heating a mixture of tin filings, sulfur and sal-ammoniac.
Natron/Soda Ash/Soda – sodium carbonate. Na2CO3
Nitrum Flammans – ammonium nitrate.
Oil of Vitriol/Spirit of Vitriol – sulfuric acid, a weak version can be formed by heating green vitriol and blue vitriol. H2SO4
Orpiment – arsenic trisulfide, an ore of arsenic.
Pearl white – bismuth nitrate. BiNO3
Philosophers' Wool/nix alba (white snow)/Zinc White – zinc oxide, formed by burning zinc in air, used as a pigment.
Plumbago – a mineral; graphite, not discovered in pure form until 1564.
Powder of Algaroth – antimonious oxychloride, formed by precipitation when a solution of butter of antimony and spirit of salt is poured into water.
Purple of Cassius – formed by precipitating a mixture of gold, stannous and stannic chlorides, with alkali. Used for glass coloring.
Realgar – arsenic disulfide, an ore of arsenic.
Regulus of antimony
Resin of copper – copper(I) chloride (cuprous chloride), formed by heating copper with corrosive sublimate.
Sal Ammoniac – ammonium chloride.
Sal Petrae (Med. Latin: "stone salt")/Salt of Petra/Saltpetre/Nitrate of potash – potassium nitrate, typically mined from covered dungheaps. KNO3
Salt/Common salt – A mineral; sodium chloride, formed by evaporating seawater (impure form). NaCl
Spirit of box/Pyroxylic spirit – methanol, distillation of wood alcohol. CH3OH
Spirit of Hartshorn – ammonia, formed by the decomposition of sal-ammoniac by unslaked lime.
Salt of Hartshorn/Sal Volatile – ammonium carbonate formed by distilling bones and horns.
Spirit of Salt/Acidum Salis – the liquid form of hydrochloric acid (also called muriatic acid), formed by mixing common salt with oil of vitriol.
Marine Acid Air – gaseous form of hydrochloric acid.
Spiritus fumans – stannic chloride, formed by distilling tin with corrosive sublimate.
Tin salt – hydrated stannous chloride.
Butter of tin – hydrated tin(IV) chloride.
Stibnite – antimony or antimony trisulfide, ore of antimony.
Sugar of Lead – lead acetate, formed by dissolving lead oxide in vinegar.
Sweet Vitriol – diethyl ether. It could be made by mixing oil of vitriol with spirit of wine and heating it.
Thion Hudor – lime sulfur, formed by boiling flowers of sulfur with slaked lime.
Turpeth mineral – hydrolysed form of mercury(II) sulfate.
Verdigris – Carbonate of Copper or (more recently) copper(II) acetate. The carbonate is formed by weathering copper. The acetate is formed by vinegar acting on copper. One version was used as a green pigment.
White arsenic – arsenious oxide, formed by subliminating arsenical soot from the roasting ovens.
White lead – carbonate of lead, a toxic pigment, produced by corroding stacks of lead plates with dilute vinegar beneath a heap of moistened wood shavings. (replaced by blanc fixe & lithopone)
White vitriol – zinc sulfate, formed by lixiviating roasted zinc blende.
Venetian White – formed from equal parts of white lead and barium sulfate.
Zaffre – impure cobalt arsenate, formed after roasting cobalt ore.
Zinc Blende – zinc sulfide.
