I z6 On a new fulminating jSIevcury, 



\n favour of its quantity, is evidently not formed fail enough 

 to retain all the mercury ; otherwife, no white fumes, during 

 a confiderable period of the operation, but fulminating mer- 

 cury' alone, would be produced. 



Should any doubt ftill be entertained of the exiftence of 

 the affinities which have been called predifpofing or con- 

 fpiring, a proof that fuch affinities really exift, will, I think, 

 be afforded, by conij>aring the quantity of oxalic acid, which 

 can be generated from given meafures of nitrous acid and 

 alcohol, with the intervention of mercury, and the interven- 

 tion of other metals. For inftance, when two meafured 

 ounces of alcohol are treated with a folution of loo grains 

 of nickel in a meafured ounce and a half of nitrous acid, little 

 or no precipitate is produced; yet, by the addition of oxalic 

 acid to the refiduarv liquor, a quantity of oxalat of nickel, 

 after fome repofe, is depofited. Copper aflords another illuf- 

 tration : ico grains of copper, diiTolved in a meafured ounce 

 and a half of nitrous acid, and treated with alcohol, yielded 

 me about 18 grains onlv of oxalat; although cupreous oxalat 

 was plentifully generated, by dropping oxalic acid into the 

 refiduary liquor. About 2[ grains of pure oxalic acid fecm 

 to be produced, from the fame materials, when 100 grains of 

 mercury are interpofed. (See Setlion XIV\) Bcfides, ac- 

 cording to the Dutch paper, more than once referred to, 

 acetous acid is the principal refidae after the preparation of 

 nitrons ether. How ca4 we explain the formation of a greater 

 quantity of oxalic acid, from the fame materials, with the 

 intervention of 100 grains of mercurv, than with the inter- 

 vention of 100 grains of copper, otherwife than by the no- 

 tion of confpiring affinities, fo analogous to what we fee iii. 

 other phgenomena of nature ? 



I have attempted, without fuccefs, to communicate ful- 

 minating properties, by means of alcohol, to gold, platina, 

 antimony, tin, copper, iron, lead, zinc, nickel, bifmuth, co- 

 balt, arfenic, and manganefe ; but IJiave not yet fufficiently 

 varied my-cxperiments, to enable me fpeaTc with abfolute cer- 

 tainty. Silver, when 20 grains of it were treated with nearly 

 the fame proportions of nitrous acid and alcohol as 100 grains. 

 ' of 



