Mercury and Bismuth Hypophosphites, 



by 



Seihachi Hada, Rigakushi. 



College of Science, Imperial university. 



Probably because of H. Rose's welJ-knowii observation in 182J7 

 of the reduction of mercuric chloride to mercurous chloride and of 

 rhi.s to metallic mercury by a solution of hypophosphorous acid, no 

 expectation of success has led to any attempts to prepare a mercury 

 hypophosphite. At the suggestion of Dr. Divers, F.R.8., to whom T 

 am much indebted for advice, f have tried the use of the nitrates ol 

 mercurv, and have therebv obtained the salt which I shall now 

 describe. 



Mercurons nitrate ht^pophosphite. 



This double salt is the only mercury derivative of hypophosphor- 

 ous acid I have been able to produce. It is pi-t^cipitated from a 

 solution not too dilute, and almost as free from acid as possible, ot 

 either mercuric or mercurous nitrate by a solution ot potassium or 

 barium hypO|)hosphite used in quantity small enough to leave some of 

 the mercury nitrate in solution. It can not be got by adding the 

 mercurv nitrale to the hypophosphite, or when .too much of the latter 

 salt is added to the mercury nitrate, because, in either case, it is at 

 once decomposed. 



Since the formation of the salt from mercuric nitrate necessarily 

 involves the oxidation and waste of much of the hypophosphite 

 added, and also yields a mother-hquor very active on the precipitate, 

 mercurous nitrate is the proper substance to select in preparing it. 



