S6 AMALGAM PRODUCED FROM AMMONIA. 



peared, emitting arumoniacal fumes, and reproducing quick- 

 silver. 

 Carbonate of When a piece of moistened carbonate of ammonia was 



ammonia pro- use( j tne appearances were the same, and the amalgam was 

 duced a similar . rr B . 



amalgam, formed with equal rapidity. In this process of deoxidation, 



when the battery was in powerful action, a black matter 

 •and some car- formed in the cavity, which there is every reason to believe 

 was carbonaceous matter from the decomposition of the 

 carbonic acid of the carbonate*. 

 Potassium so- The strong attraction of potassium, sodium, and the me- 

 dium, &c. em- tals of the alkaline earths for oxigen, induced me to exa- 

 oxWateammo- mme wnetn er their deoxidating powers could not be made 

 nia without to produce the effect of the amalgamation of ammonia, in- 

 00 ICI y * dependently of the agency of electricity; and the result 

 Was very satisfactory. 



When mercury, united to a small quantity of potassium, 

 sodium, barium, or calcium, was made to act upon moist- 

 ened muriate of ammonia, the amalgam rapidly increased 

 to six or seven times its volume, and the compound seemed 

 to contain much more ammoniacal basis than that procured 

 by electrical powers. 

 The amalgam As in these cases, however, a portion of metal used for 

 oo pure. ^ e deoxidation always remained in union in the compound ; 



in describing the properties of the amalgam from ammonia, 

 I shall speak only of that procured by electrical means. 

 Its properties. The amalgam from ammonia, when formed at the tem- 

 perature of 70° or 80, is a soft solid, of the consistence of 

 butter: at the freezing temperature it becomes firmer, and 

 a crystallized mass, in which small facets appear, but having 

 no perfectly defined formf. Its specific gravity is below 3, 

 water being one. 



When thrown into water it produces a quantity of hi- 



♦ The black matter which separates at the negative surface in the elec- 

 trical experiments on the decomposition of potash or soda, and which 

 some experimenters have found it difficult to account for, is I find car- 

 bonaceous, and dependent upon the presence of carbonic acid in the al- 

 kali. [See our Journal, vol. XIX, p. 156, and 307 ] 



•f- From the facet I suspect the form to be cubical. The amalgam of 

 potassium crystallizes in cubes as beautiful, and in some cases as large, as 

 those of bismuth. 



drogen, 



