Rasaratna Samuccaya ( Devanagari: रसरत्न समुच्चय) is an Indian Sanskrit treatise on alchemy. The text is dated between 13th[1] to 16th century CE.[2]
The text contains detailed descriptions of various complex metallurgical processes,[3][4] as well as descriptions of how to set up and equip a laboratory and other topics concerning Indian alchemy. It is a work that synthesises the writings and opinions of several earlier authors and presents a coherent account of medieval Indian alchemy.
Contents
Among the diverse scientific content of this text is:[5]
- Systematic approach to the Science. (Rasaratna Samuccaya 6/2)
- Philosophy of scientific explanation.
- Two kinds of mineral with zinc: calamine and Smithsonite. (Rasaratna Samuccaya 2-149)
- Color and nature of the mineral. ('Artha-sastra' '2 -30)
- Color of minerals with copper.
- Properties of some chemicals, such as calcium carbonate. (Rasaratna Samuccaya 3 / 130-131)
- Distillation of mercury. (Rasaratna Samucchaya 3/144)
- Explanation of the corrosion (Rasārṇava 7/97)
- The color of the flame (Rasārṇava 4/51)
- Three types of iron (Rasaratna Samuccaya 5/69)
- Two kinds of tin (Rasaratna Samuccaya 5 / 153-154)
- The lead (Rasaratna Samuccaya 5/170)
- The zinc metal (Rasataraṅgiṇi 19/95)
- The brass (Rasendra Cūḍāmaṇi14 / 154)
- The bronze (Rasaratna Samuccaya 5/205)
- Conditions of a laboratory and the people who work within it.
References
External links
- Indian Institute of Science and Heritage
- Introduction
- Printed edition in Sanskrit
- Electronic text based on the 1927 Calcutta printed edition, with extracts from the Bodhinī commentary, in the SARIT library.