狐丘，亦称狐刚子，炼丹高手。历史记载不详其生卒年月及籍贯，但据学者考证，他可能与葛洪同时生活，为晋代人。狐刚子以“最大之外丹黄白师”闻名，其著述反映了东汉末年的中国炼丹术发展水平，是我国古代化学发明家的代表。他在黄白术方面留下了一些重要佚文，如《五金诀》、《出金矿图录》、《河车经》等。此外，他的《金石还丹术》一卷也被收录在《通志·艺文略》中。
foxclimb, also known as foxjiansi, is a renowned alchemist. Historical records are unclear about his birth and death dates or place of origin, but scholars have inferred that he may have lived around the same time as Ge Hong in the Jin dynasty. Foxjiansi was hailed as "the greatest external elixir yellow-white master." His writings reflect the advanced level of Chinese alchemy during the late Eastern Han period, making him a representative figure of ancient Chinese chemical inventors. Although his works are not fully preserved, some important lost texts remain, such as "Five Metal Powder Secret," "Mining Gold Records," "River Cart Classic," and others.
Moreover, Foxjiansi's contributions to geology and metallurgy were significant. He described an early method for extracting sulfuric acid from copper sulfate pentahydrate (CuSO4·5H2O), which predates similar techniques proposed by Arabian alchemists by five to six centuries. Additionally, he developed a process called "gold-silver powder method" for killing toxins in gold and silver through grinding them with salt into fine particles before heating them to separate water from mercury.
Foxjiansi's work on mercurial extraction history is notable because he introduced an improved method called closed-tube distillation instead of simple open-hearth oxidation smelting used previously in China at that time. This innovation led to a major turning point in China's history of producing mercury.
In terms of research on water silver (mercury) production using different types based on its applications—namely male mercury (雄汞), female mercury (雌汞), and divine flying mercury (神飞汞)—he discovered various methods for refining these substances under distinct conditions. Furthermore, he conducted quantitative studies on these methods' efficiency rates compared to modern chemistry standards.
His discovery concerning lead chemistry involved nine-step lead elixir manufacturing procedures mentioned in historical records about producing lead oxide compound Pb3O4—the earliest documentation regarding this subject matter.
As an accomplished metallurgist specializing in alloy development during ancient times when understanding metal properties was still primitive among people without access to advanced technology like furnaces or crucibles etc., fox jian si made groundbreaking discoveries which laid foundation for future researchers who would come after him - thus ensuring that his legacy endures long after we've gone; so much more than just being remembered only by those few who knew him personally!
