cupel
Americannoun
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a small, cuplike, porous container, usually made of bone ash, used in assaying, as for separating gold and silver from lead.
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a receptacle or furnace bottom in which silver is refined.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a refractory pot in which gold or silver is refined
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a small porous bowl made of bone ash in which gold and silver are recovered from a lead button during assaying
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of cupel
1595–1605; < Medieval Latin cūpella, equivalent to Latin cūp ( a ) tub + -ella diminutive suffix
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
After the button has been purged of slag, it is put into the cupel, and the gold and silver are separated from the lead; the gold is parted from the silver with aqua valens.
From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Georgius Agricola
Then take the crucible out of the hoop, shake off the button when it has cooled, and when it has been cleansed, melt first in the scorifier and afterward in the cupel.
From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Georgius Agricola
When the lead has absorbed the silver which was in the tin, then, and not till then, it is heated in the cupel.
From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Georgius Agricola
The essential property of a cupel is, that it is sufficiently porous to allow the fused oxide to drain into it as fast as it is formed.
From A Text-book of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines. by Cornelius Beringer
The cupel, when the lead and copper are wanting, attracts the particles of gold and silver, and absorbs them.
From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Georgius Agricola
The resulting button of lead is cupelled for fine metal.
From A Text-book of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines. by Cornelius Beringer
It would be cupelled, parted, &c., as nearly as possible under the same conditions as the actual assays.
From A Text-book of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines. by Cornelius Beringer
The dish with the dried residue is then scorified and the resulting button of lead is cupelled.
From A Text-book of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines. by Cornelius Beringer
Effect of Copper and Antimony.—0.1 gram of silver was cupelled with 20 grams of lead, and to one batch 0.5 gram of antimony, and to another 0.5 gram of copper was added.
From A Text-book of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines. by Cornelius Beringer
In the second, the lead button containing the gold or silver is cupelled and the resulting gold or silver button is weighed.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 7 "Arundel, Thomas" to "Athens" by Various
The determination may also be made by cupelling the button of lead got in the dry lead assay.
From A Text-book of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines. by Cornelius Beringer
Karsten got by actual experiment on cupelling copper and lead in equal proportions, a loss of 21.25 per cent.
From A Text-book of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines. by Cornelius Beringer
Similarly, cupelling 0.1 gram, the resulting button may be 0.098; the absolute loss is only 0.002 gram, but this equals 2 per cent. of the silver present.
From A Text-book of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines. by Cornelius Beringer
Gold parted from copper by cupelling with lead Prior to 1200 A.D.
From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Georgius Agricola
The cupelling temperature in Dr. Rose's experiment was as much above the melting-point of gold as this is above that of the silver-gold alloy.
From A Text-book of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines. by Cornelius Beringer
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