On a Tieiv fuhnlnah/ig Mercury. oo 



grains of mercurial oxakt and globules of qulckfilveT, in the 

 iith feftion. 7'hefe 48,5 grains were proved to be chiefly 

 oxalat of lime; but they likewife contained a minute infe- 

 .parable quantity of mercury, almoft in the ftate of quick- 

 filver, formerly part of the 84 grains from which they were 

 feparated. Had the 48,5 grains been pure calcareous oxalat, 

 the quantity of pure oxalic acid in them wouldj according to 

 Eergmann *, be 23,28 grains. Hence, by omitting the two 

 grains of mercury in the 3,4 grains of carbonat, 100 grains 

 of the mercurial powder might have been faid to contain, of 

 pure oxalic acid 23,28 grains; of mercury 62,73 grains; and 

 of nitrous etherifcd gas aiul excefs of oxygen 14 grains. But, 

 as the 48,5 grains were not pure oxaiat, inafmuch as they 

 contained the mercury they received from the 84 grains, 

 from which they were generated by the nitrat of lime, fome 

 allowance mutt be made for the mercury fucceffively inter- 

 mixed with the 84 grains and the 48,5 grains. 



In order to make correfponding numbers, and allow for 

 unavoidable errors, I fliall edimate the quantity of that mer- 

 cury to have amounted to two grains, which T muft of courfe 

 dcdu6l from the 23,38 grains of oxalic acid. I fliall then 

 have the ftllowing ttatenient : 



That 100 grains of the fulminating mercury ouo-ht to 

 contain, 



of pure oxalic acid .... 31,28 grains^ 



ofmercuryformerlyunllcd to the oxalic acid 60,72 

 taf mercury difToIved in the fulphuric liquor 3 

 and of mercury left in the fulphuric liquor 



after the fcparation of the gafes - 2 



total of mercury - 64,73 

 of nitrous ctherlfod gas and excefs of oxj'gen 14, 



Since 100 grain«; of the powder fi-em to contain 64,72 

 grains of mercury, it will be innvcdiatelv inquired, what be- 

 comes of rco grains of quickfilvcr, when treated as directed, 



• I'crgmunn, ck AciJo Saiff-ari. Opnfcu'.a. Tom. !• § 6. p. 243. 



Vor. \'1I. F m 



