Chemicals... ashore and afloat.

[Nascent Engineer]

Because of the demands of college and my tutoring job, I've only just started reading HMS Belvidera. As a chemical engineering major I was curious when Mark had Granger send for some hydrochloric acid for cleaning purposes. I don't mean to sound pedantic but I think during the time this story is set we were still using the old alchemic names for chemicals. What we use today are know as systemic names. Back then hydrochloric acid would probably have been called "Spirits of Salt" or "Acidum Salis." It might also have been called Muriatic Acid, but my professor thinks Spirits of Salt would have been more common, especially to someone like Granger who was not a chemist. From what I've been able to read, the British retained the alchemic names of chemicals and medicinal compounds up until at least World War One.

Edited April 15, 2011 by Nascent Engineer

[Mark Arbour]

Because of the demands of college and my tutoring job, I've only just started reading HMS Belvidera. As a chemical engineering major I was curious when Mark had Granger send for some hydrochloric acid for cleaning purposes. I don't mean to sound pedantic but I think during the time this story is set we were still using the old alchemic names for chemicals. What we use today are know as systemic names. Back then hydrochloric acid would probably have been called "Spirits of Salt" or "Acidum Salis." It might also have been called Muriatic Acid, but my professor thinks Spirits of Salt would have been more common, especially to someone like Granger who was not a chemist. From what I've been able to read, the British retained the alchemic names of chemicals and medicinal compounds up until at least World War One.

 

Thanks for the info! I didn't even think about that, that the word for acid would change, although now that you mention it, 'hydrochloric' does seem a bit anachronistic.