the Attractive Powers of Mineral Acids. 
2 5 
Mercury in vitriolic acid. 
ioo grs of quickfilver require for their folution 230 grs. of 
real vitriolic acid, whofe proportion to that of water is at leaft 
as 1 to -f, and alfo a ftrong heat. The air produced is 
vitriolic. Precipitate, per fe, is ftill lefs Ibluble. 
ioo grs. of vitriol of mercury, produced by precipitation, 
contain 77 of mercury, 19 of acid, and 4 of water. 
Mercury in nitrous acid. 
,00 grs. of mercury are diflblved by 28 grs. of real nitrous 
acid whofe proportion to that of water is as 1 to 1 and T V„. 
and’ without the affiftance of heat. Mercury is alfo foluble, 
but in frnaller quantity, in a much more dilute acid, with the 
affiftance of heat. The produft of air is about , 2 cubic inches 
or lefs, if heat be not applied. Mr. Lavoisier found the pro- 
daft of air much greater, which evidently was caufed by his 
urine red or yellow fpiritof nitre, which already contains much 
phlogifton. ' When I diffolved a hundred grs. of mercury in 
three times more acid than was neceflary for its folution, and 
without heat, I obtained but 7 cubic inches of nitrous air, and 
the folution was green ; but, on applying heat when the folu- 
tion was over, I obtained 2 more cubic inches, and then the 
folution was of the colour of oil of olives. 
Precipitate, per fe, is much more difficultly diflblved by 
nitrous acid than genuine mercury, which I attribute to the 
attraftion of the aerial acid contained m the precipitate. 
Mercury in marine acid. 
The marine acid, in its common phlogifticated ftate, does 
not aft on mercury, at leaft in its ufual ftate of concentration 1 
VOL. LXXIII. E 1,Ut 
