This is kind of a long post, but maybe something you might want to print for future reference. As you may know, I am always researching old books to learn the ways of our ancestors. One thing I have had a rough time with is the old chemical terms. The following is a list of older common names and the current chemical names I recently ran across. This list has been a big help to me.
Common Chemical Names
| Common Name | Chemical Name |
|---|---|
| acetone | dimethyl ketone; 2-propanone (usually known as acetone) |
| acid potassium sulfate | potassium bisulfate |
| acid of sugar | oxalic acid |
| ackey | nitric acid |
| alcali volatil | ammonium hydroxide |
| alcohol, grain | ethyl alcohol |
| alcohol sulfuris | carbon disulfide |
| alcohol, wood | methyl alcohol |
| alum | aluminum potassium sulfate |
| alumina | aluminum oxide |
| antichlor | sodium thiosulfate |
| antifreeze | ethylene glycol |
| antimony black | antimony trisulfide |
| antimony bloom | antimony trioxide |
| antimony glance | antimony trisulfide |
| antimony red (vermillion) | antimony oxysulfide |
| aqua ammonia | aqueous solution of ammonium hydroxide |
| aqua fortis | nitric acid |
| aqua regia | nitrohydrochloric acid |
| aromatic spirit of ammonia | ammonia in alcohol |
| arsenic glass | arsenic trioxide |
| azurite | mineral form of basic copper carbonate |
| asbestos | magnesium silicate |
| aspirin | acetylsalicylic acid |
| baking soda | sodium bicarbonate |
| banana oil (artificial) | isoamyl acetate |
| barium white | barium sulfate |
| benzol | benzene |
| bicarbonate of soda | sodium hydrogen carbonate or sodium bicarbonate |
| bichloride of mercury | mercuric chloride |
| bichrome | potassium dichromate |
| bitter salt | magnesium sulfate |
| black ash | crude form of sodium carbonate |
| black copper oxide | cupric oxide |
| black lead | graphite (carbon) |
| blanc-fixe | barium sulfate |
| bleaching powder | chlorinated lime; calcium hypochlorite |
| blue copperas | copper sulfate (crystals) |
| blue lead | lead sulfate |
| blue salts | nickel sulfate |
| blue stone | copper sulfate (crystals) |
| blue vitriol | copper sulfate |
| bluestone | copper sulfate |
| bone ash | crude calcium phosphate |
| bone black | crude animal charcoal |
| boracic acid | boric acid |
| borax | sodium borate; sodium tetraborate |
| bremen blue | basic copper carbonate |
| brimstone | sulfur |
| burnt alum | anhydrous potassium aluminum sulfate |
| burnt lime | calcium oxide |
| burnt ochre | ferric oxide |
| burnt ore | ferric oxide |
| brine | aqueous sodium chloride solution |
| butter of antimony | antimony trichloride |
| butter of tin | anhydrous stannic chloride |
| butter of zinc | zinc chloride |
| calomel | mercury chloride; mercurous chloride |
| carbolic acid | phenol |
| carbonic acid gas | carbon dioxide |
| caustic lime | calcium hydroxide |
| caustic potash | potassium hydroxide |
| caustic soda | sodium hydroxide |
| chalk | calcium carbonate |
| Chile saltpeter | sodium nitrate |
| Chile nitre | sodium nitrate |
| Chinese red | basic lead chromate |
| Chinese white | zinc oxide |
| chloride of soda | sodium hypochlorite |
| chloride of lime | calcium hypochlorite |
| chrome alum | chromic potassium sulfate |
| chrome green | chromium oxide |
| chrome yellow | lead (VI) chromate |
| chromic acid | chromium trioxide |
| copperas | ferrous sulfate |
| corrosive sublimate | mercury (II) chloride |
| corundum (ruby, sapphire) | chiefly aluminum oxide |
| cream of tartar | potassium bitartrate |
| crocus powder | ferric oxide |
| crystal carbonate | sodium carbonate |
| dechlor | sodium thiophosphate |
| diamond | carbon crystal |
| emery powder | impure aluminum oxide |
| epsom salts | magnesium sulfate |
| ethanol | ethyl alcohol |
| farina | starch |
| ferro prussiate | potassium ferricyanide |
| ferrum | iron |
| flores martis | anhydride iron (III) chloride |
| fluorspar | natural calcium fluoride |
| fixed white | barium sulfate |
| flowers of sulfur | sulfur |
| ‘flowers of’ any metal | oxide of the metal |
| formalin | aqueous formaldehyde solution |
| French chalk | natural magnesium silicate |
| French vergidris | basic copper acetate |
| galena | natural lead sulfide |
| Glauber’s salt | sodium sulfate |
| green verditer | basic copper carbonate |
| green vitriol | ferrous sulfate crystals |
| gypsum | natural calcium sulfate |
| hard oil | boiled linseed oil |
| heavy spar | barium sulfate |
| hydrocyanic acid | hydrogen cynanide |
| hypo (photography) | sodium thiosulfate solution |
| Indian red | ferric oxide |
| Isinglass | agar-agar gelatin |
| jeweler’s rouge | ferric oxide |
| killed spirits | zinc chloride |
| lampblack | crude form of carbon; charcoal |
| laughing gas | nitrous oxide |
| lead peroxide | lead dioxide |
| lead protoxide | lead oxide |
| lime | calcium oxide |
| lime, slaked | calcium hydroxide |
| limewater | aqueous solution of calcium hydroxide |
| liquor ammonia | ammonium hydroxide solution |
| litharge | lead monoxide |
| lunar caustic | silver nitrate |
| liver of sulfur | sufurated potash |
| lye or soda lye | sodium hydroxide |
| magnesia | magnesium oxide |
| manganese black | manganese dioxide |
| marble | mainly calcium carbonate |
| mercury oxide, black | mercurous oxide |
| methanol | methyl alcohol |
| methylated spirits | methyl alcohol |
| milk of lime | calcium hydroxide |
| milk of magnesium | magnesium hydroxide |
| milk of sulfur | precipitated sulfur |
| “muriate” of a metal | chloride of the metal |
| muriatic acid | hydrochloric acid |
| natron | sodium carbonate |
| nitre | potassium nitrate |
| nordhausen acid | fuming sulfuric acid |
| oil of mars | deliquescent anhydrous iron (III) chloride |
| oil of vitriol | sulfuric acid |
| oil of wintergreen (artificial) | methyl salicylate |
| orthophosphoric acid | phosphoric acid |
| Paris blue | ferric ferrocyanide |
| Paris green | copper acetoarsenite |
| Paris white | powdered calcium carbonate |
| pear oil (artificial) | isoamyl acetate |
| pearl ash | potassium carbonate |
| permanent white | barium sulfate |
| plaster of Paris | calcium sulfate |
| plumbago | graphite |
| potash | potassium carbonate |
| potassa | potassium hydroxide |
| precipitated chalk | calcium carbonate |
| Prussic acid | hydrogen cyanide |
| pyro | tetrasodium pyrophosphate |
| quicklime | calcium oxide |
| quicksilver | mercury |
| red lead | lead tetraoxide |
| red liquor | aluminum acetate solution |
| red prussiate of potash | potassium ferrocyanide |
| red prussiate of soda | sodium ferrocyanide |
| Rochelle salt | potassium sodium tartrate |
| rock salt | sodium chloride |
| rouge, jeweler’s | ferric oxide |
| rubbing alcohol | isopropyl alcohol |
| sal ammoniac | ammonium chloride |
| sal soda | sodium carbonate |
| salt, table | sodium chloride |
| salt of lemon | potassium binoxalate |
| salt of tartar | potassium carbonate |
| saltpeter | potassium nitrate |
| silica | silicon dioxide |
| slaked lime | calcium hydroxide |
| soda ash | sodium carbonate |
| soda nitre | sodium nitrate |
| soda lye | sodium hydroxide |
| soluble glass | sodium silicate |
| sour water | dilute sulfuric acid |
| spirit of hartshorn | ammonium hydroxide solution |
| spirit of salt | hydrochloric acid |
| spirit of wine | ethyl alcohol |
| spirits of nitrous ether | ethyl nitrate |
| sugar, table | sucrose |
| sugar of lead | lead acetate |
| sulfuric ether | ethyl ether |
| talc or talcum | magnesium silicate |
| tin crystals | stannous chloride |
| trona | natural sodium carbonate |
| unslaked lime | calcium oxide |
| Venetian red | ferric oxide |
| verdigris | basic copper acetate |
| Vienna lime | calcium carbonate |
| vinegar | impure dilute acetic acid |
| vitamin C | ascorbic acid |
| vitriol | sulfuric acid |
| washing soda | sodium carbonate |
| water glass | sodium silicate |
| white caustic | sodium hydroxide |
| white lead | basic lead carbonate |
| white vitriol | zinc sulfate crystals |
| yellow prussiate of potash | potassium ferrocyanide |
| yellow prussiate of soda | sodium ferrocyanide |
| zinc vitriol | zinc sulfate |
| zinc white | zinc oxide |
Very nice list. Thank you for compiling and sharing.