State detail about aqua fortis.

Aqua fortis is nitric acid (HNO3).It is highly corrosive in nature so the solution was used in for dissolving silver and most other metals with the notable exception of gold, which can be dissolved using aqua regia.It was prepared by mixing either sand, alum, or vitriol, or the last two together, with saltpeter, then distilling it by a hot fire. The gas collected from this condenses into aqua fortis. It was first described by alchemist Pseudo-Geber.
It was useful to refiners for separating silver from gold and copper;workers used for staining and coloring their woods,other artists used it for coloring of bone and ivory, which is done by tinging the items with copper or verdigris, then soaking in aqua fortis.Book binders also put it on leather, making fine marble covers for books. Diamond cutters used it to separate diamonds from metalline powders. It was also used in etching copper or brass plates. It was mixed with oil of vitriol and used to stain canes.