If you were given a sample of an unknown material, how would you find out what it is?

Modern-day chemists can use awide variety of tools and tests to determine what a substance is made of. Properties of substances​

However, before the equipment and chemistry, alchemists needed to resort to other means. For metals, burning is one such means.

Burning is a shorthand for reacting with oxygen. A metal can burn slowly like Fe, iron (rauta)​ rusts or quickly like the ones below do.