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Glass and Alchemy in Early Modern Europe: An Analytical Study of Glassware from the Oberstockstall Laboratory in Austria

Veronesi, U; Martinón-Torres, M; (2018) Glass and Alchemy in Early Modern Europe: An Analytical Study of Glassware from the Oberstockstall Laboratory in Austria. Angewandte Chemie International Edition , 57 (25) pp. 7346-7350. 10.1002/anie.201712523. Green open access

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Abstract

Glass distillation equipment from an early modern alchemical laboratory was analyzed for its technology of manufacture and potential origin. Chemical data show that the assemblage can be divided into sodium-rich, clear distillation vessels made with glass from Venice or its European imitation, and potassium-rich dark brown non-specialized forms produced within the technological tradition of forest glass typical for central and north-western Europe. These results complete our understanding of the supply of technical apparatus at one of the most well-preserved alchemical laboratories and highlight an early awareness of the need of high quality instruments to guarantee the successful outcome of specialized chemical operations. This study demonstrates the potential of scientific archaeology to inform the historical research around the practice of early chemistry and the potential of such an approach to inform our understanding of the development of modern science.

Type: Article
Title: Glass and Alchemy in Early Modern Europe: An Analytical Study of Glassware from the Oberstockstall Laboratory in Austria
Location: Germany
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1002/anie.201712523
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/anie.201712523
Language: English
Additional information: This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions.
Keywords: Alchemy, distillation, glass, laboratory, SEM-EDS
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Institute of Archaeology
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10044325
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