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cupellation

British  
/ ˌkjuːpɪˈleɪʃən /

noun

  1. the process of recovering precious metals from lead by melting the alloy in a cupel and oxidizing the lead by means of an air blast

  2. the manufacture of lead oxide by melting and oxidizing lead

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

This silver-lead is carried to the cupellation furnace, in which lead is separated from silver; of these methods I will mention only one, because in the previous book I have explained them in detail.

From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Agricola, Georgius

The cupellation process is of great antiquity, and the separation of silver from lead in this manner very probably antedates the separation of gold and silver.

From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Agricola, Georgius

They both recommend preserving this precipitate and its cupellation after melting with lead—which Agricola apparently overlooked.

From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Agricola, Georgius

The second wall is carried further when the rooms for the cupellation furnaces, or any other building, adjoin the rooms for the blast furnaces, these buildings being only divided by a partition.

From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Agricola, Georgius

The "first" is usually the blast furnace, the "second" furnace is the cupellation furnace, and the "third" the liquation furnace.

From De Re Metallica, Translated from the First Latin Edition of 1556 by Agricola, Georgius