At the turn of the 19th century, Minas Gerais Botanist Friar Veloso worked intensely on the publication of books to promote among settlers from the Portuguese empire techniques for improving agricultural production and from the incipient chemistry industry. This article analyzes the first volume of the "Alographia dos alkalis fixos...", a work that includes articles, book chapters, letters and patents from ten authors, particularly French and English, about the scientific and technical knowledge needed for the production of potassium carbonate from the ash of native plants. Some concepts and definitions used at the time of the Chemical Revolution are discussed, considering that Veloso translated them to Portuguese and introduced them to Brazil through his work.
history of technology; colonial Brazil; enlightenment; potassa
