Alchemy & Early Chemistry Islamic alembic (alambic) , 10th-12th century

Alchemy & Early Chemistry Islamic alembic (alambic) , 10th-12th century. This glass alembic is one of the oldest to survive from the West or Near East. The alembic is an essential piece of distillation apparatus used by early chemists. The liquid to be distilled is heated in a lower vessel and the resulting vapour condenses on the inside of the dome shape of an upper vessel, the alembic. The condensed vapour runs down into the internal gutter and out through the spout or delivery tube, into a collecting vessel. The traditional distillation skills were developed by the Alexandria chemists and elaborated in contemporary works of art in AD 100-900. Persian chemists also used distillation to make essential oils and perfumes. Distillation apparatus remains essentially the same today. ©SSPL/Science Museum