MERCURY AND BISMUTH HTPOPHOSPHITES. 247 



The mercury and phosphorus in the .sait were determined by 

 dissolving it in nitric acid, evaporating- to drvnes.s. dissolving in 

 hydrochloric Mcid. precipitating mercury by hydrogen sulphide, and 

 phosphoric acid by magnesia mixture. The mercuric sulphide was 

 freed from any co-precipitated sulphur, and dried at 105-110°. The 

 nitric acid was estimated by treating the salt with strong sulphuric 

 acid in Lunge's nitrometer. Loss of weight in the desiccator served 

 for the water determination. The analytical results which follow 

 refer to three separate preparations of the salt. 



Calc. 



I. 

 Mercury 78-39 78-35 



Nitrogen ::^-57 :?'78 



Phosphorus 5*^8 5*56 



Water 3-30 3-01 



This salt is of interest ;is a doulile salt of univalent or quasi- 

 univalent mercury, since it pcjints to mercurous salts being salts ol the 

 radical (HgJ' rather than of (Hg)'. 



A salt has been descriloed by H. Rose (Poyy. Ann., 40, 76.), as 

 produced by reaction between mercuric nitrate and phosphine and to 

 which he has oriven the formula — - 



o 



l^Hg;,3[Hg"(N03)„Hg"0] 

 I'his explosive body* would seem to be related to the salt 1 have 

 described, for it is not remote in composition from 3Hg'NUs,Hg'H.jP0j, 

 and is more probably a mercurous than a mercuric salt. 



Bismuth Hypophosphite. 

 How it comes thai this salt has hitherto escaped notice it is not 



* It was açfain examined by Aschau in 1885 (Chem. Zeit.) but not quantitatively. 



