FULMINATING MERCURY. 



detonate with hydrogen ; and 3d!y, having the appearance of th 

 gusseous oxide of azote, when mixed uith nitrous gass. 



" The gass separable by the same acid, from nitrous etherized 

 gass, and from the mercurial powder, have therefore the same 

 properties. Every chemist would thence conclude, that the ni- 

 trous etherized gass is a constituent part of the powder; and the 

 inflammable and nitrous gass, instead of the inflammable and car. 

 bonic acid gass, had been the mixed product extricated from it by 

 dilute sulphuric acid. 



" It however appears to me, that nitrous gass was really pro- 

 duced by the action of the dilute sulphuric acid; and that, when 

 produced, it united to an excess of oxygen, present in the oxalate 

 of mercury. 



" To explain how this change might happen, I must premise, 

 that my experiments have shewn me, that oxalate of mercury can 

 exist in two, if not in three states. 1st. By the discovery of Mr. 

 Ameilon, the precipitate obtained by oxalic acid, from nitrate of 

 mercury, fuses with a hissing noise. The precipitate is an oxalate 

 of mercury, seeming!} with excess of oxygrn. Mercury dissolved 

 in sulphuric acid, and precipitated by oxalic acid, and also the 

 pure red oxide of mercury, digested with oxalic acid, give oxalates 

 in the same state. 2dly. Acetate of mercury, precipitated by 

 oxalic acid, although a true oxalate is formed, has no kind of 

 inflammability. 1 consider it as an oialate, with less oxygen than 

 those above mentioned. 3dly. A solution of nitrate of mercury, 

 boiled with dulcified spirit of nitre, gives an oxalate more inflam- 

 mable than any other ; perhaps it contains most oxygen. 



" The oxalate of mercury, remaining from the powder in the 

 sulphuric liquor, is not only always in the same state as that preci. 

 pitated from acetate of mercury, entirely devoid of inflammability, 

 but contains globules of quicksilver, consequently it must have 

 parted with even more than its excess of oxygen ; and if nitrous 

 gass was present, it would of course seize at least a portion of 

 that oxygen. It is true, that globules of quicksilver may seem 

 incompatible with nitrous acid ; but the quantity of the one may 

 not correspond with that of the other, or the dilution of the acid 

 may destroy its action. 



" As to the presence of the carbonic acid, it must have arisen 

 either from a complete decomposition of a part of the oxalatr, or 

 admitting the nitrous etherized gass to be a constituent principle of 



o 3 



