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PHYSICAL anp LITERARY. 297 
commotion, heat, and thick red {moke: 
{trong oil of vitriol diffolves fcarce a third part 
of its weight of quick-filver, and the folution 
is made in a flow and imperceptible manner, 
and requires the affiftance of a great exter- 
nal heat. 
THe manner in which the acid of fea falt 
is applied to quick-filver, in order to diflolve 
and be united to it, is ftill more extraordi- 
nary: there are two methods practifed, but 
both depend on the fame principle, and pro- 
duce the fame effet. For either the quick- 
filyer is rubbed in a marble mortar with green 
vitriol calcined to whitenefs, decrepitate fea 
fa\t, and a fmall proportion of dry falt-petre, 
till the quick-filver is extingnithed and difap- 
pears, this mafs is put into a fubliming glafs, 
a gentle heat is made at firft, and gradually 
increafed; in the beginning arife white fteams, 
if thefe are collected, they condenfe into a li- 
quor, which proves a weak aqua regia ; then 
there will foblime a white fhining chryftal- 
line body, which is a vitriol of quick-filver, 
. and goes under the name of mercurius fublima- 
tus corrofivus: that the quick-filver is here 
_ diffolyed by, and united to the acid of fea 
tat, with a. fmall quantity of the nitrous a- 
| Pp cid, 
