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:
The button is taken out, purged of slag, and placed in a cupel, where the gold is separated from the lead.
From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Georgius Agricola
If you wish to know what proportion of silver is in this copper button, melt it in a cupel after adding lead.
From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Georgius Agricola
Then the cupel is put into a very hot furnace so arranged that a current of air passes over it.
From Harper's Round Table, September 3, 1895 by Various
The resulting alloy, which is called the lead button, is then submitted to fusion on a very porous support, made of bone-ash, and called a cupel.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Slice 7 "Arundel, Thomas" to "Athens" by Various
When the button has been taken out of the crucible and cooled, it is melted in a cupel, first until the antimony is exhaled, and thereafter until the lead is separated from it.
From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Georgius Agricola
In his directions the silver-lead alloy was cupelled and the copper ultimately refined, obviously by oxidation and poling, although he omits the pole.
From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Georgius Agricola
The lead is then folded over, with the help of two pins; and cupelled.
From A Text-book of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines. by Cornelius Beringer
Enough, however, remains to demonstrate that the galena was smelted in small furnaces at low heat, with forced draught, and that it was subsequently cupelled.
From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Georgius Agricola
Effect of Varying Temperature.—0.4 gram of silver was cupelled with 20 grams of lead.
From A Text-book of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines. by Cornelius Beringer
These concentrates—mostly galena—were smelted in low furnaces and the lead was subsequently cupelled.
From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Georgius Agricola
Silver, &c., in gold bullion.—The base metals are generally determined by cupelling .5 gram of the alloy with 5 grams of lead.
From A Text-book of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines. by Cornelius Beringer
This is one of the cases in which it is desirable to add a small portion of silver before cupelling.
From A Text-book of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines. by Cornelius Beringer
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
The assay depends on first heating the gold ore or alloy with lead in a porous crucible, that is, cupelling it.
From The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 2 Amiel to Atrauli by Various
The silver is incorporated with the gold, and at the same time the copper is eliminated, by cupelling with sheet lead.
From A Text-book of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines. by Cornelius Beringer
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