34 o COMBINATION OF MERCURY 



fire, is certainly the mod probable. For the 

 fame red powder clearly appears, although the 

 corrolive mercury be repeatedly fublimcd with 

 the fame matter, or caput mortuum that remain- 

 ed after its former fubliination, or even though 

 the procefs is renewed with vitriol and nitre *. 



We arc told by Becher, that corrolive mer- 

 curial fublinuite diiloJved in water, precipitated 

 by an alkali, digeftcd withditlilled vinegar, tlien 

 exficcated, and afterwards macerated iguin and 

 again by a long digeilion in fphit of wine, is 

 reiblved after all this labour into a milky Iio 4 uor 

 which depofits a fediment,and aiiumes at lait the 

 form of a fwcct llavoured oil. The truth of this 

 relation, and the principles on which it rolls re- 

 quire the investigation of repeated experiments 

 before they can be cilabliihcd. Pott f howe- 

 ver aflerts that corrolive mercury mixed with 

 triple the quantity of fal ammoniac, cxpolcd to 

 d(liquefcence in the air, and afterwards cxficcat- 

 ed oa bibulous pupj;-, yielded by dillillation a 

 water, v, hicli being again diililled, contracted a 

 ixvect imeil, and was wonderfully calculated to 

 dillblvc various bodies. 



x 1 1 1 . United with alkaline Salts and caujlic Lime. 



ON the addition of fixed alkali to a folution 



of 



*Confp.Chcm. 

 f DC SulpUurc McuUorum. 1716. r> 



