446 Professor KANE on the Action of Ammonia 
metallic mercury. The ammoniuret, like many other mercurial compounds, is dark- 
red when hot, but of a whitish colour when cold. When a quantity of the ammo- 
nuret is suddenly thrown on ignited coals it explodes very feebly, and far inferiorly to 
fulminating gold with which its discoverers have compared it : it dissolves readily in 
nitric or muriatic acid. 
To analyse this compound, processes of a simple nature were sufficient. 
A.—72,07 grains of ammoniuret were dissolved in muriatic acid, and the liquor 
having been diluted was decomposed by sulphuretted hydrogen. The resulting sul- 
phuret dried and weighed, amounted to '70,08 grains, consisting of 
Sulphur 9,61 
Mercury 60,47 
The liquor and washings evaporated to dryness, gave sal-ammoniac, 9,21 grains, 
consisting of 
Muriatic acid 6,28 
Ammonia 2,93 
Hence, supposing the mercury to exist as peroxide, we have as the result of the 
analysis : 
Mercury 60,47) 
Oxygen 4,78 
Ammonia 2,93 12,07 
Water and loss 3,89 
or in one hundred parts— 
Mercury 83,90 
Oxygen 6,63 
Ammonia 4,07 
Water and loss 5,40 
2.—The following analysis was made on a portion of ammoniuret prepared at a 
different time and in another manner than that used in the former experiment. 
67,57 grains were dissolved in muriatic acid and decomposed by a stream of sul- 
phuretted hydrogen. The precipitated sulphuret weighed 65,37 grains, consisting of 
Sulphur 8,96 : 
Mercury 56,41 t 65,37 
The liquor evaporated to dryness gave 8,15 grains of sal-ammoniac, consisting of 
Muriatic acid 5,54 
Ammonia 2,61 
we have therefore the result— 
Mercury 56,41 
Oxygen 4,46 
Ammonia 2.61 67,57 
Water and loss 4,09 
