[MR] Quick Lime (Lye)

[thurman]

Thanks for the answer! I for one, would be happy to attend such a
course, say,
at Pennsic some year.  Aalchemy 101? BTW, since there is so much
concentrated
expertise online about calcium, can anyone say when calcium hydoxide
(calcium
carbide) first came into use?

thorfinn

"Towey, Brian" wrote:

> Thanks!  I hope that wasn't too pedantic.
>
> Soda ash is sodium carbonate (Na2CO3).  I'm not sure how it was made
in
> period, perhaps by burning salt with something.  In some cases, it was
mined
> from natural deposits such as those of the Wadi Natron in Egypt.  When

> hydrated, it is washing soda.
>
> Soda ash is also ancient, being an essential component of glass and
certain
> pottery glazes.
>
> It would be cool to have an SCA workshop on medieval industrial
chemistry,
> eh?  First we make charcoal and pitch in a fire pit.  Then, we use the

> charcoal to calcine some lime and burn some salt.  Then, we make
whitewash,
> cement, and lye.  Then, we add sand to soda and make glass, mix lye
with fat
> and make soap, mix sand and lime to make cement, etc....
>