Mr. E. Howard on a new fulminating Mercury. 205 



SECTION II. 



But mercury, and most if not all its oxides, may, by treat- 

 ment with nitric acid and alcohol, be converted into a whitish 

 crystallized powder, possessing all the inflammable properties 

 of gunpowder, as well as many peculiar to itself. 



I was led to this discovery, by a late assertion, that hydrogen 

 is the basis of the muriatic acid : it induced me to attempt to 

 combine different substances with hydrogen and oxygen. With 

 this view, I mixed such substances with alcohol and nitric acid, 

 as I thought might (by predisposing affinity) favour, as well as 

 attract, an acid combination, of the hydrogen of the one, and 

 the oxygen of the other. The pure red oxide of mercury ap- 

 peared not unfit for this purpose ; it was therefore intermixed 

 with alcohol, and upon both, nitric acid was affiised. The acid 

 did not act upon the alcohol so immediately as when these 

 fluids are alone mixed together, but first gradually dissolved 

 the oxide: however, after some minutes had elapsed, a smell 

 of ether was perceptible, and a white dense smoke, much 



H vegetable alkali. The white precipitate, well washed and dried, produced a fulmi- 

 '■' nating noise, not inferior to that of fulminating gold. Acid of sugar, perfectly neu- 

 " tralized by vegetable alkali, produced the same precipitate, which, on exposure to 

 "heat, exhibited the same fulminating power." I must confess, I have not been able to 

 " produce any such fulmination. Mr. Richardson has moreover given this supposed 

 discovery to Mr. Klaproth ; whereas, Mr. Berthollet, when quoting the fact to 

 which I suppose Mr. Richardson intended to allude, observes, " Qu'on avoit deja 

 " donne le nom d'argent fulminant au precipite. du nitrate d'argent par l'acide oxa- 

 " lique, dans lequel M. Klaproth avoit decouvert la propriete de fuser avec vivacite 

 " lorsqu'on l'expose a la chaleur. M. Ameilon avoit aussi, depuis longtems> fait 

 " connoitre que l'acide oxalique communiquoit cette propriete au mercure, quoique 

 " moins fortement qu'a l'argent; mais cet efFet (he continues) est fort eloigne de 

 " celui qu'on designe par la fulmination." Annates de Cbimie, Tom. I. p. 57. 



