Liver of sulphur, according to Thorpe, is an alchemistic term coming down to us from a time when there was no clear distinction between the alkalies, potash and soda. As a rule, the preparation was made from crude carbonate of potash, mainly for the reason that this substance was more easily procurable than soda. It was obtained “ by fusing in a Hessian crucible a quantity of potassium carbonate with half its weight of flowers of sulphur, and the fused mass poured out on a greased flagstone and allowed to solidify.” From the peculiar liver-brown colour the product derived its name.