4to6 On a n&ui fulminating Mercury, 



I will not venture to ftate with accuracy, in what proportions its conftituent principle* 

 are combined. The affinities I have brought into play are complicated, and the conftitu- 

 fcion of the fubftances I have to deal with not fully known. But, to make round numbers, 

 I will refume the ftatement, that loo grains of the mercurial powder loft i6 grains of its 

 original weight, by treatment with dilute fulphuric acid : 84 grains of mercurial oxalate, 

 mixed with a few minute globules of quickfilver, remained undiflblved in the acid. The 

 fulphuric liquor was faturated with carbonate of pot»afh, and yielded 3,4 grains of carbo- 

 nate of mercury. If 1,4 grain fhould be thought a proper allowance for the weight of car- 

 bonic acid in the 3rtJ- grains, I will make that deduQion, and add the remaining 2 grains to 

 the 84 grains of mercurial oxalate and quickfilver ; I fhall then have. 



Of oxalate and mercury _ - - _ 8d grains 



and a deficit, to be afcribed to the nitrous etherized gas and 

 excefs of oxygen - - « -, « 14 



100 



It may perhaps be proper to proceed ftill further, and recur to the 48,5 grains, fepa- 

 rated by nitrate of lime from the 84 grains of mercurial oxalate and globules of quickfilver, 

 in the i ith fedion. Thefe 48,5 grains were proved to be chiefly oxalate of lime ; but 

 they likewife contained a minute infeparablc quantity of mercury,' almoft in the ftate of 

 quickfilver, formerly part of the 84 grains from which they were feparated. Had the 48,5 

 grains been pure calcareous oxolate, the quantity of pure oxalic acid in them would, ac> 

 cording to Bergmann*, be 23,28 grains. Hence, by omitting the 2 grains of mercury in 

 the 3,4 grains of carbonate, loO grains of the mercurial powder might have been faid to 

 contain, of pure oxalic acid 23,28 grains ; of mercury 62,72 grains; and of n:trous ethe- 

 rized gas and excefs of oxygen 14 grains. But, as the 48,5 grains were not pure oxalate, 

 inafmuch as they contained the mercury they received from the 84 grains, from which 

 they were generated by the nitrate of lime feme allowance muft be made for the mercury 

 fucceffively intermixed with the 84 grains and the 48,5 grains. 



In order to make correfponding numbers, and allow for unavoidable errors, I fliall 

 eftimate the quantity of that mercury to have amounted to 2 grains, which I muft of 

 cou^e dedufl from the 23,28 grains of oxalic acid. 1 ihall then have the following 

 ftatement : 



That 100 grains of the fulminating mercury ought to contain, 

 of pure oxalic acid .-.--. ai,28 grains, 



of mercury formerly united to the oxalic acid "" » - 60,72 



of mercury diflblved in the fulphuric liquor - - a 



and of mercury left in the fulphuric liquor after the feparation of 



the gafes - - - . - a 



Total of mercury - - 64,'jl 



Of nitrous etherized gas and excefs of oxygen - - - 14, 



1 00- 



* Bergmann, dt Adah Saccbari, Opufculii. torn, i, S ^> p< Z4X« leipzig, ^^i^. 



Since 



