t)n a new fuhninatlng Mercury. 1 7 



the greateft heat, will be the nioft folid, and the leafl: liable 

 to be changed by the air. An account of the method of 

 employing and baking enamel may be found in various 

 works, and may be learned alfo by feeing the operation* 

 of enamellers. 



II. On a new fulminating Mercury, By ElXWARD 

 Howard, Efq. F.R.S* 



Section I. 



1 HE mercurial preparations which fulminate, when 



mixed with fulphur, and gradually expofed to a gentle heat, 



are well known to chemifts : they were difcovered, and have 



been fully defcribed, by Mr. Bayenf. 



MM. Brugnatelli and Van Mons have likewife produced 

 fulminations by concuffion, as well with nitrat of mercury 

 and phofphorus, as with phofphorus and moft other ni- 

 trats |. Cinnabar, likewife, is amongft the fubftances which, 

 according to MM. Fourcroy and Vauquelin, detonate by con- 

 cuffion with oxymuriat of potafh §. 



Mr. Ameilon had, according to Mr. Berthollet, obferved, 



that the precipitate obtained from nitrat of mercury by oxalic 



acid fufes with a hiffing noife (j. 



Section 



* From I'rmifaSliritis of the Royal Society efLondon for 1800. 



t Opufcules Chimiques de Bayen, Tom. I. p. 346, and note in p. 344^ 



\ Annales de Cbimie, Tom. XXVll. p. 74 and 79. 



§ Ibid. Tom. XXr. p. 238. 



II This fa£t has been mifreprefented in the introduftionlo a work en- 

 titled The Chemical Principles of the Metallic Arts, by VV. Richardfon, 

 Surgeon, F. A. S. Sc. (page Ivii.) The author, fpeaking of the arid of 

 forrel, fays, " Klaproth of Berlin precipitated a nitrous foiution of mer- 

 cury with acid of woud-forrel neutralifed with vegetable alkali. The 

 white precipitate, well waihed and dried, produced a fulminating noife 

 not inferior to that of fulminating gold. Acid of fiigar, perfectly neu- 

 tralifed by vegetable alka.li, produced the fame precipitate, which, on ex- 

 pofure to heat, exiiibited the fame fulminating power." I muft confefs, 

 I have not been able to produce any fuch fulmination. Mr. Richardfon 

 has moreover given this fuppofcd difcovery to Mr. Klaproth; whereaj 

 Mr. Berthollet, when quoting the faft to which I fuppofe Mr. Richardfija 

 intended to allude, obferves, *• Qa'on avoii diiji doim^ k nom d'aigent 



Voi. Vli. D fulminant 



