14 Pearl White. [Book VI. 



into a greenifh glafs without fublimihg. Geoffroy the 

 younger obferved, that the flowers of bifmu.th, which rife 

 the laft, are of a beautiful yellow, refembling orpiment. 



The grey or brown calx, the yellow flowers, and 

 the glafs, are nothing more than combinations of this 

 metal with the bafis of vital air, which are not redu- 

 cible without the addition of fome fubftance that 

 attracts the oxygen. 



Calx of bifmuth is one of the moft powerful dif- 

 folvers or liquefiers of earthy bodies, or of the calces 

 of other metals, and gives a yellowifh tinge to glafles, 

 into the compofition' of which it enters. Bifmuth is 

 alfo readily calcined by nitre, but without detonation. 

 The alkalies have little effect on bifmuth ; when ap- 

 plied, however, in a cauflic ftate, they diflblve part of 

 the metal. 



The vitriolic and muriatic acids do not act on bif- 

 muth, unlefs affifted by heat. The nitrous acid, how- 

 ever, diflblves it with great rapidity, and during the 

 folution copioufly emits denfe red vapours. This is 

 one of thole folutions from which the calx is moft 

 eafily feparated by water. On being dropped into 

 water a bright powder is depofited, called magiftery 

 of bifmuth. This is fuppofed to be the fame with 

 the fubftance called pearl white> well known as a cof- 

 metic; for when rubbed on the Ikin it gives it a white 

 fhining colour. But in reality all thefe metallic fub- 

 ftances ultimately darken the (kin, for a calx when long 

 expofed to the air, and the exhalations of animal bo- 

 dies, parts with its oxygen to the inflammable matter, 

 and afifumes a dark colour. Bifmuth, moreover, pof- 

 fefles many properties in common with lead, and there 

 are fome inftances in which the external ufe of this 

 nas produced the worft effects. 



Solutions of bifmuth are particularly affected by 



fetid 



