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:
This is evaporated in a clay cupel called a ghariya by which the mercury is got rid of and the gold left behind.
From The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India - Volume IV of IV Kumhar-Yemkala by R. V. (Robert Vane) Russell
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
Lastly, place it in the cupel, which assay can be carried out in the space of half an hour.
From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Georgius Agricola
Then as soon as possible remove the cupel out of the furnace, and take the button out of it while it is still warm, in order that it does not adhere to the ashes.
From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Georgius Agricola
Finally, in the same way that gold and silver are separated from lead in a cupel, so also are they separated in the cupellation furnace.
From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Georgius Agricola
Effect of Varying Lead.—In each experiment 0.4 gram of silver was taken and cupelled with the lead.
From A Text-book of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines. by Cornelius Beringer
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
Three lots of 1 gram of gold cupelled each with 20 grams of lead repeatedly, so as to make 13 cupellations in all, lost in actual weight 35.72 milligrams.
From A Text-book of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines. by Cornelius Beringer
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
The lead button is then cupelled on a very fine cupel, as already described.
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
Suppose we have an alloy of silver and lead in unknown proportions and that by cupelling two lots of 10 grams each there is got from I. 0.1226 gram of silver, and from II.
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
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
If these larger cupels are not at hand the larger buttons will have to be reduced in size by a scorification before cupelling.
From A Text-book of Assaying: For the Use of Those Connected with Mines. by Cornelius Beringer
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