Limit search to available items
Book Cover
E-book
Author Rasmussen, Seth C., author.

Title The quest for aqua vitae : the history and chemistry of alcohol from antiquity to the Middle Ages / Seth C. Rasmussen
Published Cham : Springer, 2014

Copies

Description 1 online resource (viii, 111 pages) : illustrations (some color)
Series SpringerBriefs in molecular science, History of chemistry
SpringerBriefs in molecular science. History of chemistry, 2191-5407
Contents Origin of the term Alcohol -- Origin of Ethanol Production via Fermentation -- Scope of Current Volume -- Earliest Fermented Beverages -- Fermentation -- Mead -- Date Wine -- Palm Wine -- Beer -- Beer vs. Bread.-Barley Beer -- Beer vs. Wine -- Beer in Mesopotamia -- Beer in Egypt -- Grape Wine -- Chemical Archaeological Studies -- Viniculture -- Wine Production -- Fermented Milk -- Kefir -- Kumis -- Distillation and the Isolation of Alcohol -- A Brief History of Distillation Methods -- Distillation of Wine -- Early Chemical and Medical Applications of Alcohol -- Chemical and Medical Uses of Fermented Beverages -- Early Chemical Applications of Alcohol -- Early Medical Applications of Alcohol -- About the Author -- Index
Summary Ethyl alcohol, or ethanol, is one of the most ubiquitous chemical compounds in the history of the chemical sciences. The generation of alcohol via fermentation is also one of the oldest forms of chemical technology, with the production of fermented beverages such as mead, beer, and wine predating the smelting of metals. By the 12th century, the ability to isolate alcohol from wine had moved this chemical species from a simple component of alcoholic beverages to both a new medicine and a powerful new solvent. Of course, this also began the long tradition of production of liqueurs and strong spirits for consumption. The use of alcohol as a fuel, however, did not occur until significantly later periods. This volume presents a general overview of the early history and chemistry of alcohol production and isolation, as well as a discussion of its early uses in both the chemical arts and medicine
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes Online resource; title from PDF title page (SpringerLink, viewed May 2, 2014)
Subject Alcohol -- History
COOKING -- General.
Chimie.
Science des matériaux.
Alcohol
Genre/Form History
Form Electronic book
ISBN 9783319063027
3319063022
3319063014
9783319063010