ALE 



every apparatus for this puiiiofe that it /hould confift of 

 at k-aft two parts ; the one tor the reception and ht-ttting 

 of tlif matter to be dillilled, and the other for the colkc- 

 tiou and condenfation of the more volatile part when in 

 a ftate of vapour. Of all the vt-ifels delliued to this ufe 

 the alembic is the fimpkft and the mod ancient. 



Both Diofcorides and Pliny mention the au,5i| (ambix) 

 which is defcribed by the latter of thefe writers, as a he- 

 miljiherical iron cover, luted upon the earthen pots in 

 which mercury was procured by the diftillation of cinnabar: 

 it is probable, however, that the ainbix was in the time 

 ot I'liny a mere plain Hill, without any beak or gutter, 

 fmcc he mentions the mercuiy being wiped off in fmall 

 drops from the infide of the vcffel, the neceffity of which 

 manipulation would be fuperfeded by the invention of a 

 beak. The alchemills iiaving adopted this inftrument, 

 prclixed the Arabian article «/ to its name, awd made con- 

 fiderable alterations in its form. Their objcft in all dif- 

 tillations and digetlions being to fcparate, as much as pof- 

 fiblcj the moil volatile products from thofe that are lefs 

 fo, they imagined that the greater dillance which the va- 

 pour had to pafs through, in its patTage from the boiler 

 to the condenfer, the more pcrfeftly would the fpirit or 

 quinteffence be dephlegmated ; for this purpofe the body 

 ot the alembic was made of a globular form, terminating 

 above in a long narrow neck, to the end of which was 

 luted the capital; (Chemillry, plate iii. fig. lo. A. the 

 Lody, B the neck, C the capital) fometimes for the purpofe 

 of more effeftually keeping down the impure jiai ticles, the 

 neck was bent in a zig zag or fpiral direftiou. The cha- 

 raftcriftic difference between an alembic and a ilill feems to 

 be in tlie conftruClion of the head or capital, which in the 

 alembic is contrived not merely to colleci, but to condenfe 

 the vapour ; whereas, the correfponding part of a ftill 

 ferves merely to colleft the vapour, which is tranfmitted 

 in an elaftic ftate through the beak, and condenfed in the 

 wonn. In the figure already referred to, the diilance 

 between the body and the capital is fo great, that much 

 of the heat mult be given off from the vapour before it 

 arrives in this part ; the mere refrigerating power, there- 

 fore, of the atmofphere is amply fufficient to condenfe the 

 vapour into drops on the inner furfaee of the capital, 

 which, trickling down into the channel or gutter at the 

 bottom, are dehvercd by the beak into any vefiTel placed 

 to receive them. The length and narrownefs, and convo- 

 lution of the neck were, however, foimd to condenfe fo 

 much of the vapour before it reached the capital, as to 

 render all procefl'es, in which it was employed, unfufTerably 

 tedious ; belides requirnig fo high a heat as to alter and 

 injure the products very confidcrably; the neck was there- 

 fore {hortened and made wider, and as in confequence 

 of this the vapour came into the capital more heated than 

 before, it was necefTary to fubftitute a more powerful re- 

 frigerating caufe to the cafual and varj'hig action of the 

 external a;r ; with this intention, the capital of the me- 

 tallic alembics was iiifcrted into a vcflil of water, (fig. ii.) 

 called a refrigeratory, and thus the alembic, as far as con- 

 cerned the number and general difpofition of its parts, was 

 completed. 



The glafs and earthen-ware alembics foon received all 

 the perfeftion of form which their materials would allow : 

 the body, inftead of being a globe with a long neck, was 

 iiitered into a cucurbit ; and the capital adiimed a more 

 conical lliape ; the two parts of the apparatus were alfo 

 fitted clofely into each other, by grinding with emery. 

 The irregular expanfion and contraftion of glafs by heat, 

 rendered the ufe of a refrigeratory impoCble, lb that 



ALE 



when diflillinp brilkly, it is ncceffar)- to cover the cspital 

 with cloth foaked in cold water and frequently renewed ; 

 thus requiring a conilant attention, belidvs running the 

 rilk of cracking the cucurbit, by a diop of cold water tailing 

 upon it from the head. On this account, the glafs alembic 

 is but little employed, although capable, vlien fldlfnlly 

 managed, of diililling a much larger quantity in a given 

 lime, than a retort of equal capacity. (I'ig. 12. A the 

 bodv of the cucurbit, 13 the capital, C the clianntl, D the 

 beak.) 



Tile metallic alembics being formed of more manageable 

 fubllances, and being approi)riated to large procefl'es, in 

 which economy of time and uiel was of great importance, 

 invited and obtained a number of valuable improvements. 

 The molt confiderable of thcfe are due to Beaume, a re- 

 prcfentation of whofe alembic, as furtiier improved by 

 Chaptal, is given in fig. 13. This velTel is compofed of 

 three parts ; the one marked A is the boiler, being a 

 hollow cylinder of tinned copper, of equal diameter at top 

 and bottom, but bulging out into a ftioulder at g, by 

 which it is fufpended over the furnace ; in this part are 

 fixed two handles a a, and a (hort pipe /, fitted with a 

 cork, for the purpofe of fupplying water or any other 

 fluid, without the necellity of taking the apparatus to 

 pieces. B is a cucurbit or balneum maria made of tin, 

 of a cylindrical figure, with two handles, and a collar on 

 the outfide, whicli fitting into the inner groove i, of the 

 boiler, fupports it when fufpended within this lafl. The 

 third part of the apparatus is the capital, a feAion of 

 which is reprL^cnted at C : j is the collar, by which it is 

 fixed on the inner groove /•, of the cucurbit B ; jj- is the 

 proper capital, in ikape a fliort cone, made of tin, termi- 

 nating at its bafe in a circular channel /, flightly inclined 

 towards the beak m. iSurrounding the capital, and clofely 

 foldered to it is the refrigeratory e, made of copper, and 

 accommodated in fhape to the capital ; at the bottom is a 

 large flop-cock p. For the diftillation of water, or of 

 fpirits from the wadi, where a brifli boihng heat is required, 

 the liquor is put into the boiler, and the cucurbit is 

 omitted ; but for the redlification of alcohol and other 

 fimilar proceftes, the fubftance to be diftilled is to be put 

 into the cucurbit, and the boiler being filled with water, 

 the heat is conveyed through the medium of this fluid, 

 and of com-fe is more moderate and equal. 



Moll of the French brandies are prepared in al<:mbics, 

 whereas all Britifli fpirits are manufaftured in flills ; the 

 advantage of the alembic is that lefs fuel is required, and 

 the fpirit is but little expofed to the rifk of becoming em- 

 pyreumatic. Its difadvantage confifts in being lefs ex- 

 peditious, and in rcquirhig greater accuracy in the tempera- 

 ture of the refrigeratory ; if too cold, the vapour is in 

 part condenfed before it touches the infide of the capital, 

 and falls back into the boiler ; if loo hot, a portion of va- 

 pour efeapes into tl>e air ; a greater proportion alfo of 

 water is required for the condenfation of a given quantity 

 of vapour, than where a worm and ftill is made ufe of. 



Encycloped. Method. Art. Alambic Beaume Elemens 



de Pharmacie Macquer's Didl. — Boerhaave's Chcraiflr)-. 



ALEMBROTH, Salt of. This term, the ufe of ' 

 which is derived from the alchemills, has been fucceflively 

 applied to a variety of preparations and native falls. The 

 general idea whicli the word feems to convey, is that of 

 a flux or folvent, either to aflift in the fufioM of metallic 

 ores and earths, or to dilfolve obltruclions, and attenuate 

 vifcid humours in the human body, when employed medi- 

 cinally. A peculiar earth, found at mount Olympus in 

 the iiland of Cvpius, was called jJembrolh, which was 



faid 



