butter of antimony

The soft colorless solid with a pungent odor was known to the alchemists as butter of antimony.

"Butter of antimony, Jim.

Bezoardicum lunale, or bezoar of the Moon, is made by mixing eight ounces of rectified butter of antimony with one of fine silver.

Bezoardicum martiale is a dissolution of Crocus Martis by reverberation in butter of antimony, with spirit of nitre poured on it.

In his Currus Triumphalis Antimonii (The triumphal chariot of antimony) Basil Valentine describes the reaction of butter of antimony (antimony trichloride) with water.

Dr. Principe followed Boyle's directions for making menstruum peracutum, using "butter of antimony" (antimony trichloride) and "aqua fortis" (nitric acid), but only after experimenting with proportions and procedures could he achieve Boyle's result.

Historically, algarot was prepared of butter of antimony (antimony trichloride), which was no more than the regulus (purified metal) of that mineral, dissolved in acids, and separated again by means of several lotions with lukewarm water, which absorbed those acids.