狐丘，亦称狐刚子，炼丹高手。其生平不详，但据陈国符先生考证，为晋代人，与葛洪同时期。狐刚子以《五金诀》著称，被誉为“最大之外丹黄白师”。赵匡华先生则认为，他名丘，又称胡罡子或狐罡子，是东汉末年的杰出炼丹家之一。他与魏伯阳有师徒关系，而葛玄似是他的弟子。
foxhill, also known as foxzhongzi, is a legendary alchemist. His life and death are shrouded in mystery, but according to Chen Guofu's research, he lived during the Jin dynasty around the same time as Ge Hong. Foxzhongzi was renowned for his work "Wujin jue" (Five Metal Secrets), which earned him the title of "the greatest external elixir yellow white master." According to Zhao Guanghua's research, Foxzhongzi was also known as Hu Gangzi or Foxgangzi.
Foxzhongzi's contributions to alchemy and chemistry were significant. He wrote several important texts that have been lost over time but were later referenced in other works such as "Huangdi juedi shendanjing jue" (The Secret of Yellow Emperor's Nine Cauldrons) and "Taoxu tudi Jing" (The Scripture of Ancient Earth). Some of his notable works include "Wujin fen tu jue" (Secrets of Five Metals Powder), "Chukexue lu" (Record of Outward Mining), "Heche Jing" (River Carriage Scripture), and "Xuanzhu Jing".
Foxzhongzi made groundbreaking discoveries in geology and metallurgy. For instance, he described an early method for extracting sulfuric acid from copper sulfate using a furnace called the blowpipe method or blowing pipe furnace method. This process predated similar methods developed by Arab alchemists by several centuries.
In addition to these achievements, Foxzhongzi also discovered new ways to purify metals like gold and silver. He invented a technique called making gold dust powder where he melted gold into liquid mercury mixed with salt powder until it dispersed on the surface before evaporating water vapor to obtain fine golden powder.
Foxzhongzi further improved upon existing methods for producing silver by introducing an enclosed distillation process instead of simple open-air heating used previously. He divided mercury into three types: masculine mercury, feminine mercury, and divine flying mercury each requiring different processes for production.
This article highlights some key points about fox zhong zi who is considered one among many influential figures throughout Chinese history particularly during Han Dynasty era when their understanding knowledge had advanced significantly concerning formation tendencies between five metals forming alloys together along with their properties which makes this information extremely valuable due its rarity found within ancient literature sources compared against “Nine Transmutations Of Lead Elixir” has higher academic value worth further study exploring more deeply related concepts surrounding chemical composition transformations involved at that time period while discussing both practical application aspects alongside theoretical implications tied directly impacting development future technological advancements overall field engineering industry today’s standards considering how much progress we've made since then so far ahead now than ever before!
