Yellow Flower of Lead

Take ten pounds of Yellow Flower of Lead (qian huanghua), put it in a vessel, and heat it over a fire of charcoal. Pour seven pounds of quicksilver onto the lead, make an intense fire, and in one instant their Essence and Flower will arise together. 

Except for the amounts of the ingredients, the method described here is the same as the one given above for making the Mysterious and Yellow. Yellow Flower of Lead usually denotes massicot or minium, but also refers to refined lead (see Shiyao erya, i.ia). 

N. A. E. Millon found that a soln. of alkali chlorite gives a yellow precipitate of lead chlorite, Pb(C102)2, or of silver chlorite, AgC102, when treated respectively with lead or silver nitrate. On recrystallization from hot water, lead and silver chlorites are obtained in yellow plates. J. Schiel also made lead chlorite by treating a soln. of barium or calcium chlorite with lead nitrate an excess of the lead nitrate is to be avoided because of its solvent action. Fine sulphur yellow crystals can be obtained from a warm soln.—50°-60°—of the salt in calcium chlorite. The dry salt explodes at 126° according to N. A. E. Millon, at 100° according to J. Schiel. It explodes when triturated with flowers of sulphur or antimony sulphide. It behaves like silver chlorite with hydrogen sulphide and with sulphuric acid. 

The First Elixir is called Flower of Cinnabar. First ma e the Mysterious and Yellow. With an aqueous solution of realgar, an aqueous solution of alum, Tur estan salt, la e salt, arsenolite, oyster shells, red clay, talc, and white lead—several dozen ounces of each—ma e the Mud of the Six-and-One. (Baopu zi, 4.74)... 

Canola or rapeseed (Brassica napus or B. campestris) is a bright yellow-flowering member of the Brassicaceae (also known as the mustard) family. It is cultivated for the production of animal feed, vegetable oil for human consumption, and biodiesel. Worldwide, canola was the third leading source of vegetable oil in 2000, after soy and palm oils. Canola is also the world s second leading source of protein meal. ... 

Most of the pigments of flowers arise from a single polyketide precursor. Phenylalanine is converted to trans-cinnamic acid (Eq. 14-45) and then to cinnamoyl-CoA. The latter acts as the starter piece for chain elongation via malonyl-CoA (step a in the accompanying scheme). The resulting (3-polyketone derivative can cyclize in two ways. The aldol condensation (step b) leads to stilbenecar-boxylic acid and to such compounds as pinosylvin of pine trees. The Claisen condensation (step c) produces chalcones, flavonones, and flavones. These, in turn, can be converted to the yellow fla-vonol pigments and to the red, purple, and blue anthocyanidins.3 c... 

Aromatization of the central oxygen heterocycle by oxidation leads to the flavones, which are yellow or orange depending on their substituents. Dehydration leads to the red or blue anthocyanidins, pigments of flowers and fruit. This important group of molecules also includes plant growth hormones and defence compounds. 

Hops (Humulus lupulus L.) belong to the mulberry family (Moraceae). The leaf and flower cone with luplin (yellow secreted particles) are used to flavor beer, and to alleviate thirst as a nutraceutical. Air-dried hops contain a-acids in 2-12% yields [102]. The a-acids are found in a lead-acetate-precipitate derived from the methanol extract of hop. The chemical structures are shown in Fig. 14a [103,104]. Humulone is the most easily obtainable a-acid by repeated crystallization. Isomerization of the a-acids is the most important reaction in beer brewing, and is easily induced by boiling. Beer contains 20-25 mg/L of iso-a-acids, which mainly contribute to its bitterness. 

Bees have a great sense of smell but their vision extends into the nltraviolet range. Flowers meant to attract bees are sweetly scented and soft in color. They are attractive nnder nltraviolet light, and have guides leading to their nectar sources. The yellow stripe (beard) on an iris s throat is an example of this (Figure 6.16.1). 

From the very beginning of Yin and Yang, lead ore encloses the yellow sprout. . .. The flowing pearls [mercury]... has a tendency to escape... Eventually when [they] get the golden flower ... 

Glucoaide of herbacetiu. Pigment of the cotton flowers, Gossypium herbaceum and Q. indicum. Yellow needles from Py.Aq. M.p. 247-9°. Red ppt. witli lead tetra-acetate. 

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