A Series of Tubes

"Many of these terms were in common use into the 20th century."

I hear many of these terms in common usage today, like potash, tartar, spirits, soda/soda ash, lime, soda lime, slacked lime, quicklime, lye, alkali, caustic soda, caustic potash, caustic alkali, quicksilver, chalk, cinnabar, fools gold, fulminating silver, fulminating gold, gypsum, vitriol has taken on a less specific meaning, aqua regia, turpentines, lead sugar, sulfur.

I think the reason that so many of these terms are retained is that the substances they refer to have been known for thousands of years in some cases.

brimstone is a much cooler name for sulfur that should be brought back. aqua vitae is a nice name for ethanol. the names of metals haven't changed.