Chemical analyses discover hidden parts from renaissance astronomer Tycho Brahe’s alchemy laboratory

Within the Center Ages, alchemists had been notoriously secretive and did not share their information with others. Danish Tycho Brahe was no exception. Consequently, we do not know exactly what he did within the alchemical laboratory positioned beneath his mixed residence and observatory, Uraniborg, on the now Swedish island of Ven.

Just a few of his alchemical recipes have survived, and as we speak, there are only a few remnants of his laboratory. Uraniborg was demolished after his loss of life in 1601, and the constructing supplies had been scattered for reuse.

Nonetheless, throughout an excavation in 1988–1990, some pottery and glass shards had been present in Uraniborg’s previous backyard. These shards had been believed to originate from the basement’s alchemical laboratory. 5 of those shards—4 glass and one ceramic—have now undergone chemical analyses to find out which parts the unique glass and ceramic containers got here into contact with.

The chemical analyses had been carried out by Professor Emeritus and professional in archaeometry, Kaare Lund Rasmussen from the Division of Physics, Chemistry, and Pharmacy, College of Southern Denmark. Senior researcher and museum curator Poul Grinder-Hansen from the Nationwide Museum of Denmark oversaw the insertion of the analyses into historic context.

Enriched ranges of hint parts had been discovered on 4 of them, whereas one glass shard confirmed no particular enrichments. The examine has been revealed within the journal Heritage Science.

“Most intriguing are the weather present in greater concentrations than anticipated—indicating enrichment and offering perception into the substances utilized in Tycho Brahe’s alchemical laboratory,” mentioned Lund Rasmussen.

The enriched parts are nickel, copper, zinc, tin, antimony, tungsten, gold, mercury, and lead, they usually have been discovered on both the within or outdoors of the shards.

Most of them aren’t shocking for an alchemist’s laboratory. Gold and mercury had been—a minimum of among the many higher echelons of society—generally recognized and used in opposition to a variety of illnesses.

“However tungsten may be very mysterious. Tungsten had not even been described at the moment, so what ought to we infer from its presence on a shard from Tycho Brahe’s alchemy workshop?” mentioned Lund Rasmussen.

Tungsten was first described and produced in pure type greater than 180 years later by the Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele. Tungsten happens naturally in sure minerals, and maybe the ingredient discovered its technique to Tycho Brahe’s laboratory by means of one among these minerals. Within the laboratory, the mineral might need undergone some processing that separated the tungsten, with out Tycho Brahe ever realizing it.

Nonetheless, there may be additionally one other chance that Professor Lund Rasmussen emphasizes has no proof in any respect—however which may very well be believable.

Already within the first half of the 1500s, the German mineralogist Georgius Agricola described one thing unusual in tin ore from Saxony, which precipitated issues when he tried to smelt tin. Agricola referred to as this unusual substance within the tin ore “Wolfram” (German for Wolf’s froth, later renamed to tungsten in English).

“Possibly Tycho Brahe had heard about this and thus knew of tungsten’s existence. However this isn’t one thing we all know or can say primarily based on the analyses I’ve carried out. It’s merely a doable theoretical rationalization for why we discover tungsten within the samples,” mentioned Lund Rasmussen.

Tycho Brahe belonged to the department of alchemists who, impressed by the German doctor Paracelsus, tried to develop drugs for numerous illnesses of the time: plague, syphilis, leprosy, fever, abdomen aches, and so on. However he distanced himself from the department that attempted to create gold from much less worthwhile minerals and metals.

In keeping with the opposite medical alchemists of the time, he saved his recipes near his chest and shared them solely with a couple of chosen people, similar to his patron, Emperor Rudolph II, who allegedly acquired Tycho Brahe’s prescriptions for plague drugs.

We all know that Tycho Brahe’s plague drugs was difficult to supply. It contained theriac, which was one of many normal cures for nearly every part on the time and will have as much as 60 components, together with snake flesh and opium. It additionally contained copper or iron vitriol (sulfates), numerous oils, and herbs.

After numerous filtrations and distillations, the primary of Brahe’s three recipes in opposition to plague was obtained. This may very well be made much more potent by including tinctures of, for instance, coral, sapphires, hyacinths, or potable gold.

“It might appear unusual that Tycho Brahe was concerned in each astronomy and alchemy, however when one understands his worldview, it is sensible. He believed that there have been apparent connections between the heavenly our bodies, earthly substances, and the physique’s organs,” defined Grinder-Hansen.

“Thus, the solar, gold, and the guts had been linked, and the identical utilized to the moon, silver, and the mind; Jupiter, tin, and the liver; Venus, copper, and the kidneys; Saturn, lead, and the spleen; Mars, iron, and the gallbladder; and Mercury, mercury, and the lungs. Minerals and gem stones is also linked to this method, so emeralds, for instance, belonged to Mercury.”

Lund Rasmussen has beforehand analyzed hair and bones from Tycho Brahe and located, amongst different parts, gold. This might point out that Tycho Brahe himself had taken drugs that contained potable gold.