FULMINATING MERCURY. 01 



substances can combine with mercury, is not my present object. 

 After observing that the mercury left in the residuary liquor can 

 be precipitated in a very sub;'" dark powder, by carbonate ot pot. 

 ash. 1 shall content niyseli with examining the nature of the white 

 fumes. 



'* It is clear that these white fume* contain mercury : they may 

 be wholl) condensed in a range of Wolfe's apparatus, charged 

 with a solut;on of muriate of ammonia. When the operation is 

 ov.-i. a wltite powder is seen floating with ether on the saline 

 liquor, which, if the bottles are agitated, is entirely dissolved. 

 Aftei the mixture has bee, boiled, or for some time exposed to 

 the .Atmosphere, it )ields to caustic ammonia a prerip'tate, iu all 

 respects similar to that which is separated by Caustic ammonia, 

 from corrosive subiimute. 



" I would inier from these facts, that the whjf dtuse fumes 

 consist of mercury, or perhaps oxid<^ c! mercury, unites to the 

 nitrous etherized gass : and that, wh..n the muriate of ammonia 

 containing them is expose to the atmosphere, or is boiled, the 

 gass separates trom he mercury, and the excess of nitrous acid, 

 which always comes over , ith nitrous ethi r, decomposes the am. 

 moniacal -inmate of sublirrate, and forms corrosive mercurial 

 muriate or sublimate. This ih- >ry is corroborated by compar. 

 ing the quantity o*' gass estimated to be contained in the fulmi. 

 nating mercury with the qtianties of gass yif-lded from alrohol 

 and nitrous acid, with and without mercury in solution; not to 

 mention that more ether, as well as more gass. is produced with- 

 out the intervention of mercury; and that, according to the Dutch 

 chemists, the product of ether is always in the inverse iati<> to the 

 product of nitrous etherized gass. Should a lurtinr proof be 

 thought necessary to the existence of the nitrous etherized gass, in 

 the fulminating mercury, as well as in the white dense fumes, it 

 may be added, that if a mixture of alcohol and nitrous acid, hold- 

 ing mercury iu solution, be so dilute, and exposed of a tempt ra. 

 ture so low, that neither ether nor nitrous etherized gass an pro. 

 duced, the fulminating mercury, or the white fumes, will n< ver 

 be generated ; for, under such circumstances, the mercury is pre- 

 cipitated chiefly in the state of an inflammable oxalate. Fuither, 

 when we consider the dillerent substances formed li) mi uu on of 

 nitrous acid and alcohol, we are so far acquainted wiih all, < 

 the ether aud the uitrous etherized gass, as to create a pic&ump. 



