25i A. J. Moses — New Mercury Minerals from Texas. 



in a dish of platinum was subjected for five hours to a current 

 of about two volts. Two separate w^eighings of the dish and 

 mercury showed a loss between the times of weighing corre- 

 sponding to over two per cent. ('OOoS gms.). It was therefore 

 decided that with the large dish surface and the small amount 

 of available material the method was not safe. 



By trial Mr. McCord found that in a narrow closed tube of 

 hard glass 75"'°' by 6™°" external diameter and with low red 

 heat, mercuric chloride volatilized and was redeposited with a 

 loss of less than two-tenths of one per cent. Mercuric oxide 

 yielded metallic mercury with a loss almost exactly that of the 

 oxygen. 



Analyses I and II were therefore made by heating carefully 

 picked crystals in such a weighed tube and determining the 

 loss, which in the proved absence of w^ater and carbonic acid 

 was assumed to be oxygen. The sublimate's of mercury and 

 chloride of mercury were then dissolved from the tube by 

 nitric acid, the chlorine determined as silver chloride and the 

 difference between the weight of the chlorine and the weight 

 of the sublimates was taken as mercury. 



In analyses III, lY and Y the method was varied. The 

 weighed powdered crystals were mixed with dried soda free 

 from chlorine and heated in one of the closed tubes described 

 until the mass was bright red and all sublimate had been driven 

 clear of the fused mass. When cool the tube was cut just 

 above the fused mass and the piece containing the sublimate 

 carefully weighed. The sublimate was then dissolved in nitric 

 acid and the dried tube again weighed. The difference was 

 mercury. For safety the solution was tested for chlorine and 

 in one analysis a small amount was found and added to the 

 rest. 



From the other piece of the cut tube the soda fusion was 

 dissolved in hot water acidified with nitric acid and the chlo- 

 rine determined as silver chloride. Each sample was sepa- 

 rately picked. 



1. II. III. IV. V. 



Grams taken -OVeS -0618 '2048 -1404 -1097 



Per cent oxygen ._. 2-60 2-26 



" chlorine... 8-'72 7*24 7-81 7*68 8-20 

 mercury .. 88-67 90-45 90-72 88-25 89-70 



The average of these determinations corresponds closely to 

 the empirical formula IIggC]302. 



Percentages Percentages ■ Group 



in HgeClsOa. bv analysis. proportion. 



O 2-391 ^ 2-43 -^ 15-88 = -1530 or 2-036 



CI 7-946 7-93 ^ 35*18 = '2254 " 3-000 



Hg 89-666 89-56 ^ 198-49 = •4512 " 6 005 



100-003 99-92 



