To heat a substance to a high temperature until it is converted to ash, calcium oxide, or a powdery residue; to calcine.
From Latin 'calcinare,' from 'calcis' (lime/chalk). An older or more technical variant of the verb 'calcine,' used in historical and specialized chemistry texts.
When alchemists calcinated minerals, they were unknowingly discovering oxidation reactions and learning that heating could transform matter completely—a process central to understanding chemistry itself.
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