434 Professor Kane on the Action of Ammonia 
and there are two formule which give results approaching closely to those, viz.— 
1 a 
(2Ch + Hg) + (2NH’ + Hg) (2Ch + Hg) + (2NH* + Hg) 
which gives which gives 
Hg 79,73 Hg 77,00 
Ch_ 13,93 Ch , 13,45 
NH? 6,34 NH?. 6,51 
Ox 3,04 
100,00 
It is evident, that although neither is so far removed as to be beyond admissibility, 
the balance of probability is inclined much to the side of the former. 
$2.—Of the Powder formed by the Action of Water on HFhite Precipitate. 
It is generally stated by chemical writers, that by the action of much boiling water, 
white precipitate is decomposed completely, red oxide of mercury being left behind. 
I never could succeed in effecting this ; but the reaction that did take place appear- 
ing to me perfectly definite, and identical in its results at different times, I was in- 
duced to examine it in detail. 
When white precipitate is boiled in water, it is changed into a heavy canary-yellow 
powder, subsiding rapidly, and very easily dried, when it appears granular. This 
powder is not quite insoluble in water ; when heated, it gives out ammonia, azote, 
water, and there sublimes a mixture of calomel and metallic mercury : it dissolves 
readily in muriatic or nitric acids. Alcalies appear to have scarcely any action upon 
it, except slightly altering its colour; when digested with iodide of potassium, there 
is ammonia disengaged, and a brown powder formed. To this reaction I shall hereafter 
recur. In order to determine the composition of this yellow powder, the following 
experiments were made :— 
A.—100 parts of corrosive sublimate were dissolved in water, and ammonia added 
in excess. The mass, in place of being filtered cold, was boiled until the light-white 
precipitate was changed into the clear yellow heavy powder ; it was then filtered, and 
the quantity of product determined. ‘The liquor and washings were acidulated by 
nitric acid, and precipitated by nitrate of silver, and the chloride abstracted from the 
sublimate thus determined; the liquor contained a very small trace of mercury. 
Several experiments were made on this plan, the result of which are exhibited in 
the following table : 
100 parts of sublimate gaye— 
