Earthy Principles

Apart from occasional ad hoc mechanical explanations, Lemery s theoretical comments are chiefly concerned with the traditional principles. The presence of one of the principles in a mixt body can be inferred from the correspondence between the properties of the mixt and those of the principle. Thus a body which is hard and stable to heat is presumed to owe those properties to the presence of the earthy principle in its composition with little or no oyl or sulphur. The combustibility of a body clearly indicated the presence of the sulphur or oyly principle in its make up. In spite of the compositional language, the function of these principles was rather to rationalize the properties observed than to define the material composition of the various mixts with which the chymist dealt in the laboratory. 

Reaction (13.4) is exothermic and reversible, and begins at about 700 K by Le Chatelier s Principle, more iron is produced higher up the furnace (cooler) than below (hotter). In the hotter region (around 900 K), reaction (13.5) occurs irreversibly, and the iron(II) oxide formed is reduced by the coke [reaction (13.6)] further down. The limestone forms calcium oxide which fuses with earthy material in the ore to give a slag of calcium silicate this floats on the molten iron (which falls to the bottom of the furnace) and can bo run off at intervals. The iron is run off and solidified as pigs —boat-shaped pieces about 40 cm long. 

In a somewhat more materialistic mood in 1710, Homberg published Observations sur les matieres sulphureuses sur la facilite de les changes d une espece de soufre en une autre.He divides sulphureous matters into three classes (i) when the sulphur principle is held in an earthy matter, e.g, common sulfur, charbon de terre, jet, asphalt, yellow amber, etc. (2) When it is held in an aqueous matter, e.g. animal vegetable oils or bituminous matter. (3) When it is held in a mercurial matter, it produces metallic sulphur. 

But as the art was continually improving in its progress, succeeding chemists perceived that the substances which they had been taught to consider as principles, were still capable of decomposition and they soon discovered that all the neutral salts, for example, were formed by the union of two substances, viz., of some acid, and a saline basis of either an earthy or metallic nature. 

Furthermore Sh-A-L = FIRE-SPIRIT-LIBRA, the airy house of Venus, as APIRM is the earthy house of the same planet. Again Sh-A-L = Tooth-Ox-Oxgoad, which suggests disintegration-vital principle-means for inciting the vital principle to activity.)... 

Salt Principle Dry contained in Fire and Earthy engenders a principle of dry, cohesive, coagulating nature, called Salt. Tt is the principle of the unification o Male and Female as well as the result of their union. From it are born/o and weighty and the fundamental color yellow. Tn Man, it corresponds to Body,... 

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