reduced. 



Sf^ ON SILVER. 



who would enjoy without so much trouble' one of th« 

 most beautiful results of exj^rimental chemistry. 



Acetat of Silver. 

 Acctat of silver Distilled vinegar very readily dissolves oxide of silver, 

 and affords long white needles, easily crystallized. Heated 

 fn a retort it gives out radical vinegar, some gasscs, char* 

 coal, and pure silver. I have not examined it further. 



On the Surcharge which the Muriat of Silver is capable of 

 giving to cornets for parting^ by Don Domingo Fer- 

 nandez, 



Assays vitiated In the month of December 1794, having occasion to 

 by employing . . /.,, .t.^ 



muriat of silver ^ssay twelve pieces of gold com, 1 was surprised to see 



imperfectly the twenty -four cornets come out with a surcharge ot 

 half a grain above the fineness they ought to have haai 

 I repeated the assays, with all possible care, and the re- 

 sult was still the same. To satisfy my doubts, I examined 

 particularly the lead and the acids I had employed ; but 

 I found nothing in them that could account for a sur- 

 charge so extraordinary. 



I had no other step to take, therefore, but to return 

 to the silver; but as this metal came from a muriat re- 

 duced by means of potash and charcoal, I was far from 

 suspecting that it could have any influence on the results ; 

 particularly as it admitted of being drawn out by the 

 flatting mill into very thin leaves without any apparent 

 defects. Unwilling however to announce, that these 

 coins were half a grain above their standard, without a 

 fresh examination, it occurred to me, to dissolve the 

 twenty-four cornets separately in aqua regia. The solu-' 

 tion was scarcely finished, when at length I discovered the 

 cause Of the phenomenon. Each of them let fall a whtt^^ 

 powder, which I collected for examination ; and I had no 

 difficulty in recognizing it to be muriat of silver. That of 

 each of the cornets was precisely the same weight. 



After this discovery I immediately examined the qua- 

 lity of my silver. I dissolved some in nitric acid, and thief 

 riijuriat separated from it instantly. Thus it is certain, 

 that this salt fs not alzcai/s completely decomposed in re- 

 chicitig it with potash; and tliat it may incorporate with 



the 



