Essais chimiques d’eckartshausen

Main remarks on the dissolution of Gold

Gold consists of three things, two of which are superficial, but one essential.

The superficial are the binding parts of the metal; they are metallic earth and the liquid of phosphorus.

The "bound" is sulfur-phosphorus (Phosphor-Schwefel) and that is why all metals dissolve radically, as soon as they are mixed with sulfur-phosphorus: the sulfur found in the metal unites with the parts of the mixture and meets the binding parts, or the metal base, the virgin earth.

Thus the sulfur of the metal unites, as the soul of gold, with the phosphorus, abandoning the body-gold or the earth-gold. - The spirit follows the soul. -

Then the body turns white as snow; this white body or pure earth must receive its soul again, for the spirit and the body receive after their reunion a new form.³

Where we can separate this white earth, is precisely found the Stone or base of metals. It remains to revive this pure body by means of its soul, which takes place by giving it its animator or phosphorus.

This phosphorus is at the same time the fire of corruption and that of generation. He corrupts the impure bodies and regenerates the pure bodies, bringing them to a higher perfection.

Therefore, phosphorus is most closely related to metallic earth. Consequently, when this earth is brought into contact with a metal, 'the igneous potential force (force of phosphorus) contained in this metal immediately unites with the metallic earth, rejects the impure and ennobles it with the igneous force which is proportional to it and which is allied with the metallic earth.

If we take pure metals, melt them, and add to them at the same time phosphorus or bodies containing phosphorus, they multiply in weight.

The silver turns to gold as the phosphorus penetrates it, through a certain portion of compacting earth.

The whole transmutation of the Ancients consists in the fact that the earth adorns the soul, the internal attracts the phosphorus, bathes in this same pure metal, uniting with the pure and rejecting the impure.