364 
CHEMICAL PRINCIPLES. 
Oxides of pal- adhering, and of 0‘f]]57 gr. of mercury chemically com- 
lacinini. billed with the palladium (that is to say, of 0 /2/7 gr. of 
mercury,) and lastly, of 0 006 grains of moisture. It follows, 
then, that of the two gr. of mercury employed in this expe- 
riment, only 1’2725 gr. were oxided j and that these had 
reduced O /O73 gr. of palladium. A hundred parts of 
mercury will, therefore, reduce 55't) parts of palladium from 
the state of an oxide, so that the oxide of palladium must be 
composed of 
Palladium 87’56 - 100000 
Oxigen 12 44 - - - l4'20g 
But, according to the composition of the sulphuret of palladium, 
100 parts of palladium should combine with 14‘06 parts of 
oxigen. The experiments do, therefore, in reality, agree, 
although made on quantities too small to furnish any thing 
more than approximations. 
In making these experiments, I observed that mercury has 
a very strong affinity to palladium, and that the combination of 
these two metals may be heated to a red heat without separat- 
ing the mercury. In order to effect a complete separation of 
the two metals, it is necessary to keep up a strong fire for a 
length of time. One circumstance, well worthy of remark, 
is, that an amalgam of palladium which resisted the action of a 
cherry red heat was composed of 7073 parts of palladium, 
with 6157 parts of mercury. Now, the first of these would, 
for producing oxidation, require Q81 parts of oxigen, and the 
latter 488'8 parts, which wants but little of being exactly the 
half of the preceding. 
The oxide of palladium precipitated with caustic alkali, has 
' the colour of rusty iron. It is an hydrate. This oxide is ob- 
tained by exposing the nitrate of palladium to a moderate heat. 
The nitric acid is detached, and the oxide remains in the form 
of a black and shining mass. It may be entirely redissolved 
by the acids, although not without difficulty. It indeed re- 
quires continued ebullition to effect it. It is dissolved by 
the muriatic acid, without the separation of any oxymuriatic 
gas. The muriate of palladium is of a beautiful red colour, 
which. 
