Tincture of Gold and the Sun

Dissolve, in a small graduate Pyrex glass (Beaker), in 25 ml of royal water prepared with 3 parts of spirit of salt and 1 part of spirit of nitre, 3 g of pure gold in fine sheets or of its canonical calx. To speed up the dissolution, use a small electric oven and heat the royal water to 40 degrees Celsius.

After having done the dissolution, pour in a 50-ml graduate glass test tube.

Pour in very slowly over this water that contains the gold in dissolution, 25 ml of ether. If you don't pour the ether very slowly, it will react with the water provoking effervescence and it will overflow outside of the test tube loosing the precious content. The ether, due to the density difference, will be superposed to the royal water.

In a short time, you will see the ether turn in to a beautiful yellow colour. But if that doesn't happen, introduced a glass rod to the bottom of the test tube, and stir circularly one time and remove it.

The gold in dissolution in the royal water will pass to the ether. When you see that the ether begins to react with the royal water, it is time that you remove all the coloured ether with a glass syringe. Remove it and pour in a 250-ml Pyrex glass retort with tubulure and recipient with air hole.

Place the retort on a small electric oven with controlled temperature and in a sand bath.

Distil with moderate heat all of the ether, until it is reduced to thick oil. At this time, remove the retort of the oven and place it on an appropriate support to prevent from breaking it due to the temperature difference.

When cooled, pour in the retort and over the oil, 50 ml of spirit of wine well rectified near 100% (98), which will dissolve the oil quickly and will be dyed of a beautiful yellow saffron colour.

Finally, filter it if it has faeces.

Keep the tincture in a closed dark glass flask to the shelter of the light.

This gold or Sun tincture will be very useful in all the cases where the gold is suitable.

Rubellus Petrinus