Ci2 Chemical "Erperimenls on MerCiiHj. 



ceding ; but its quantity was too small to be subjected io 

 any experiment. 



ITie violet powder, which has hitherto been considered 

 as an oxide of mercury, more or less oxygenated, being 

 subjected to different experiments, gave the following re- 

 sults ; 



1. Boiled in \Vater, it was found insoluble in it, and did 

 not in the least change iis colour. 



2. Treated with caustic potash, it was converted into red 

 oxide, and the liquor contained muriatic acid. There ex- 

 isted therefore in this powder a muriate of mercury, 



3. In order to determine the nature of the latter, and to 

 ascertain the proportion in which it was contained in it, we 

 sublimed 10 grammes of this powder, and obtained 'i 

 grammes of sublimed muriate, aiid 8 of red oxide not 

 sublimed. The sublimed muriate dissolved almost entirely 

 in the muriatic acid, and the extreiiiely sitinll portion which 

 did not dissolve was mild iiuiriate. 



Hence it follows, that the violet-coloured powder which 

 is ibrmed by the action of the oxi-muriatic acid upon the 

 red oxide of mercury, is not a simple oxide of mercury, 

 but an oxi-muriate of mercury, with a great excess of red 

 oxide of mercury, in the proportion of 2 to 8 ; that this 

 great excess of oxide is coulbined with the salt; at least 

 this seems to be proved by the first experiment, since boil- 

 ing water was not able to separate the mtiriate of mercury 

 from the red oxide. 



Ex'pcnment II. 



FriMn all the cilxumstances of which we have just giveii 

 an account, we concluded the possibility of forming a hy- 

 peroxvgenated tnuri.lte of mercury, of a degree superior toi 

 that of corrosive sublimate. As the action of the oxygen- 

 ated muriatic acid had riot given in the cold so satisfactory 

 a result as we wished, we boiled 30 grammes of red oxide 

 of mercury with oxygeivated muriatic acid, taking care to 

 add fresh quantities m projiortioii as it was absorbed by the 

 Substance. When this refused to absorb any more, the 

 liquor was decanted, and the powder washed and dried ; the 

 quantity of the latter was nearly the same as in the former 

 experiment; treated by the same re-agents it gave us simi-' 

 lar results, and by sublimation it yielded the same propor- 

 tions. 



'I'hc liqu!>r being properly evapor:ited, it yielded oxy- 

 CeTuited muriate of uicrcury peri'ectlv crystallized. 'i1)e 

 last portions of th*:: liruor not presenting any appearance 



of 



