2^6 C H E M 
the i'.ime time difengaged with confiderable agitation of 
the fluid. The muriat of antimony difappears, and the 
liquid becomes of a yellow reddilh.colour. It is a folu- 
tion of oxyd of antimony in nitro-muriatic acid. The 
oxyd is loon depofited in the form of a powder, or white 
magma. If the folution of muriat of antimony by the 
nitric acid be evaporated to drynefs immediately auer it 
is made, a very white oxyd is obtained. This oxyd is 
diluted with its own weight of the fame acid, which is 
likewife evaporated, and the fame procefs is a third time 
repeated ; after which the matter is calcined in a crucible 
kept red-hot for about half an hour, and affords an oxyd, 
which, when cold, is found to be white on the upper part, 
and of a role colour below. Thefe two portions mixed 
together conflitute the preparation called Bezoar mineral. 
Corrolive mercurial muriat is decompofed by zink. If 
a mixture of two parts of this l'alt, with one part of zink 
in filings, or coarl'e powder, be diftilled in a glafs retort, 
a very white and folid fait arifes, which cryftallizes in 
fmall united needles, fimilar to the aggregates of which 
Italablites are compofed. The mercury remains pure in 
the retort, and paffes over after the fait. This muriat 
of zink fumes (lightly when taken out of the receiver, 
and melts with a mild heat, becomes coloured by inflam¬ 
mable vapours, and is partly decompofed by water, like 
the fublimed muriat of antimony. 
The moft lingular property of corrofive mercurial mu¬ 
riat, is its combination with running mercury. When 
faturated with this metallic fluid, it lofes molt of its pro¬ 
perties, efpecially in its talte and folubility. To make 
this combination, corrofive mercurial muriat was former¬ 
ly triturated in a glafs mortar with running mercury, 
added by a little at a time, till no more could be made 
to difappear. The quantity of mercury, which the fait 
takes up by this procefs, amounts to three-fourths of its 
weight, as Lemery and Baume have obferved. The mix¬ 
ture was placed in fmall velfels, two-thirds of which were 
left empty, and in this manner fublimed three times fuc- 
ceflively, care being taken each time to leparate a white 
powder which is found beneath the fublimed matter, and 
is very corrofive. The produfl, called fiveet fublmate , 
mercuriu} dulcis, or aquila alba, or more properly mild 
mercurial muriat, differs from the corrofive by its infolu- 
bility in water, by .its infipidity, and by its cryltalline 
form. The cryltals obtained by flow fublimation, are 
tetrahedral prifms, terminated by four-fided pyramids ; 
two very long and tetrahedral pyramids are frequently 
united a.t their bale, and form a very acute oflahedron. 
The foregoing procefs for the preparation of mercurius 
dulcis, is inconvenient in many refpefts. The .tritura¬ 
tion of corrofive mercurial muriat with running mercury, 
till the latter difappears, is very tedious and difficult; and 
at the fame time a fubtle powder rifes of fo pernicious 
a quality, that the operator is under the necefiity of co¬ 
vering his mouth and nofe with a cloth. The mercury 
is never abfolutely made to difappear in the mortar, and 
the fublimations are very flow. Bailleau, of Paris, has 
communicated to the Royal Society of Medicine, a pro¬ 
cefs for making mild mercurial muriat, which is free from 
the imperfections and danger of the common methods. 
It confilts in forming a palte of corrofive mercurial muriat 
and water, and triturating it with running mercury ; the 
trituration in the courfe of half an hour caufes the mer¬ 
cury to dilappear, becaufe the water promotes its com¬ 
minution, and the combination is completed by digelting 
the mixture on a fand-bath with a mild heat. The mat¬ 
ter, which at firfl is grey, becomes white, and forms a 
very mild mercurial muriat, which requires only one 
fublimation to render it perfectly pure. 
The following procefs defcribedby Scheelefor the pre¬ 
paration of the mild muriat of mercury, in the humid 
way, does not feem liable to any of the objections which 
Fourcroy ftates to the preparation of this fubftance 
from the corrofive muriat. Introduce equal parts of mer- 
: S T R Y. 
cury and common aqua-fortis into a fmall cucurbit with 
a long neck, and place this veflel in the heat of a fand- 
bath. When the acid appears to aCt no longer on the 
mercury, the fire is to be augmented fo as nearly to make 
the folution boil. This degree of heat is to be continu¬ 
ed for three or four hours, and the veflel now and then 
to be lhaken. Towards the end the heat is to be regu¬ 
lated fo, that the folution (hall boil gently for a quarter 
of an hour. In the meantime, four ounces and a half 
of pure muriat of foda are to be dilfolved in lix or eight 
ounces of water, Into this folution, heated to the boil¬ 
ing point, the folution of mercury is to be poured in 
fmall quantities at a time, with conftant agitation. When 
the muriat of mercury, which is formed, has lubfided, 
the clear liquor is to be decanted off, and hot water pour¬ 
ed on the precipitate, with which it is to be edulcorated 
till the w r ater (landing upon it lhall be entirely taftelefs. 
It is then to be dried by a gentle heat. By this procefs, 
about eight -ounces and a half of the mild muriat are 
commonly obtained from four and a half of the mercury. 
The experiments of Baume teach us, that it is poflible 
to change the mild mercurial muriat into corrofive, by 
fubliming it with decrepitated muriat of foda and fulphat 
of iron calcined to whitenefs. In this operation the 
muriatic acid, being difengaged and oxygenated by the 
lulphuric acid, leizes the oxyd of the mild mercurial 
muriat, and converts it into corrofive muriat. Baume 
has afcertained another circumftance, which (hows the 
great difference between the mild mercurial muriat and 
the corrofive ; namely, that it does not unite with ammo- 
niacal muriat, as corrofive mercurial muriat does, in the 
preparation of lal-alembroth, or the ammoniaco-mercu- 
rial muriat. He therefore advifes the waffling of mild 
mercurial muriat with water charged with a fmall quan¬ 
tity of ammoniacal muriat, in order that all the corrofive 
mercurial muriat, which is rendered very foluble by this 
fait, maybe carried off. Lallly, He has difcovered, that 
at each fublimation the mild mercurial muriat lofes a por¬ 
tion of mercury, and confequently affords a fmall quan¬ 
tity of corrofive mercurial muriat; fo that, by repeated 
fublimations, mild muriat may be entirely changed into 
corrofive. From this lalt experiment it obvioufly follows, 
that the preparation known under the name of panacea 
mercurialis , which is made by fubliming mild mercurial 
muriat nine times, is fo far from being rendered milder 
by thefe operations, as moll chemills and phyficians have 
fuppoled, that it does not at all differ from what it was 
at firfl. 
Of the other acids, there are feveral which will not 
unite immediately with mercury : but moll of them will 
unite by means of the double affinity. The aftion of 
the carbonic, fluoric, and boracic, acids, on mercury, 
are not known. It is known, however, that the alkaline 
carbonats precipitate mercury from its acid folutions, 
and that thefe precipitates are different from thofe ob¬ 
tained with pure alkalis. It is necelfary to employ the 
combination of boracic acid with a bafe, for the obtain¬ 
ing of a mercurial borat by the way of double affinity. 
A faturated borat of foda being poured into a nitric io- 
lution of mercury, an abundant yellow precipitate is 
formed, as Monnet firlt obferved. In this operation the 
foda of the borax unites with the nitric acid, and forms 
nitrat of foda, while the acid of the borax combines 
with the oxyd of mercury, in the form of a neutral fait, 
which, being l’paringly loluble, falls down. The filtrat¬ 
ed liquor affords, by evaporation, fine and brilliant pel¬ 
licles of mercurial borat. Chauflier employed this faiine 
combination with fuccefs in the venereal difeafe. This 
fait, by expofure to the air, becomes gradually of a green- 
ilh hue. Ammoniacal muriat renders it very loluble, 
and forms with it a compound, analogous to the ammo- 
niaco-mercurial muriat; lime-water throws down a yel¬ 
low precipitate, which changes to deep red; and potalh 
caufes a white precipitate. 
Neutral 
