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Alchemical Distillation Apparatus (Retort)
A retort (alembic) distillation apparatus used in 1540s European alchemy and early chemical medicine, typically made of copper or glass, consisting o…
Timeline
- c. 1543–1546Basel · SwitzerlandIatrochemistry literature and workshop practice standardized the alembic as a three-part apparatus of heating vessel—swan-neck tube—cooling receiver, using both copper and glass, for extracting essential oils, alcohol, and mineral acid fractions.
- c. 1547–1550German lands · German landsGerman city apothecaries and university medical faculties introduced distillation for preparing tinctures and mineral spring extracts; the retort moved from the alchemical laboratory into institutionalized pharmaceutical production, promoting the commercialization of experimental chemical apparatus.
Sources
- The Chemical Philosophy: Paracelsian Science and Medicine in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries — Allen G. Debus (1977)