294 C H E M : 
muriat of ammoniac, afford by diftillation a fulphure of 
ammoniac, fulphurated hydrogen gas, a little fulphuf, and 
muriat of ammoniac. In this procefs the muriat of am¬ 
moniac is decompofed by the tin, and the difengaged 
ammoniac unites with the fulphur, and forms the ful¬ 
phure of ammoniac. The muriatic; acid unites with the 
tin, and dilengages the hydrogen gas, which, in being 
volatilized, carries along with it a (mall portion of ful¬ 
phur, and forms with it the fulphurated hydrogen gas. 
The muriat of tin is afterwards decompofed by the fire : 
the difengaged acid finding again the ammoniac, re-pro¬ 
duces the muriat of ammoniac, while the oxyd of tin 
remaining fixed, unites with the fulphur to form mufive 
gold. 
The frequent failure which artills experience in the 
procefs for making mufive gold, appearing to Pelletier to 
depend on the too great degree of heat which they em¬ 
ploy, he was induced to try the following experiment: 
Sulphur was added in different portions to one hundred 
ounces of melted tin, till the tin appeared to be faturated 
with it. By each addition, the metal feemed to become 
lefs fulible. When cooled, the mafs weighed 116 ounces 
and a half. Equal parts of this mafs reduced to powder, 
and muriat of ammoniac, were diftilled together in ,a 
heated retort. A fraall portion of ammoniac v/as difen¬ 
gaged, fome drops of fulphure of ammoniac came over; 
and, laflly, muriat of ammoniac was fublimed into the 
neck of the retort. The refidue was a black iridefcent 
mafs, refembling fome fpecies of pyrites. To the ingre¬ 
dients of the former mixture, an equal portion of ful¬ 
phur was added, and the whole lubjefted to diftillation. 
The products were, fulphurated hydrogen gas, fulphat 
of ammoniac,, a little fulphur, and muriat of ammoniac, 
having a yellow colour. The refidue was mufive gold. 
In this experiment the ammoniac difengaged from the 
muriatic acid finds a portion of uncombined fulphur 
with which it unites, and forms the fulphure of ammo¬ 
niac. The oxyd and muriat of tin which are formed alfo 
uncombined, find fulphur; fo that the oxyd of tin is 
eventually fully faturated with fulphur. 
Three ounces of fulphure of tin were diftilled with 
three ounces of the oxygenated muriat of mercury. 
White vapours were difengaged, muriat of tin was fub¬ 
limed into the neck of the retort, and fluid mercury puff¬ 
ed over into the receiver. The relidue, a very beautiful 
mufive gold, weighed two ounces and a half. Muriat of 
tin. in this procefs, was volatilized, becaufe the quanti¬ 
ty of fulphur contained in the fulphure of tin was not 
fufficient to iaturate the whole of the oxyd which had 
been produced. Perhaps, by diminifliing the quantity 
of oxygenated muriat of mercury, or by adding a little 
more of the fulphur, it may be poflible to prevent alto¬ 
gether the lofs which ariles from the volatilization of the 
muriat of tin/ 
A mixture of equal parts of muriat of tin and red oxyd 
of mercury, by the nitric acid, were diftilled together. 
Fluid mercury came over into the receiver, and the reii- 
due confilted of a mixture of mufive gold and undecom- 
pofed fulphure of tin. 
Six hundred grains of fulphure of tin were diftilled with 
fix hundred grains of cinnabar, or the fulphurated oxyd 
of mercury. Fluid mercury palled over into the receiver ; 
the refidue in the retort was mufive gold. In this pro- 
cefs, the oxygen, of the mercury united with the tin to 
form the oxyd of tin, while this retained not only the 
fulphur with which it was formerly combined, but alfo 
that which had been imparted to it by the fulphure of 
mercury. But as fulphure of mercury contains twenty 
per cent, of fulphur, and fulphure of tin from fifteen to 
twenty, mufive gold mufti neceffarily contain from thirty- 
five to forty per cent: of that fubltance. 
Equal parts of fulphur and oxyd of tin, precipitated 
from its folution in muriatic acid, were diftilled together. 
Sulphureous acid gas was difengaged, and fome fulphur 
fublimed into the neck of the retort. The refidue was 
a 
S T R Y, 
mufive gold. Similar productions were obtained with an 
oxyd of tin from the nitric acid. 
Sulphat of ammoniac was added to a folution of tin in 
muriatic acid. A reddifh precipitate was formed, which 
affumed a black colour by drying it. Diftilled in a gentle 
heat, this precipitate gave out a little ammoniac : the re¬ 
fidue was mufive gold. In this procefs, the muriatic acid 
quits the oxyd of tin, to unite with the ammoniac acid, 
and the oxyd of tin, in its turn, feizes on the fulphur it 
finds in a ltate of perfeCt divifion, to form mufive gold. 
This laft requires only to be heated, in order to exhibit 
its peculiar colour. It is to be oblerved, that in this in- 
ftance the mufive gold feems to have been formed in the 
humid way. 
A folution of tin in the muriatic acid was precipitated 
by a folution of fulphure of potafh. The precipitate was 
of a dark colour, approaching to yellow. By diftillation, 
fulphureous acid was difengaged, and a little fulphur 
fublimed into the neck of the retort: the relidue was 
mufive gold. This, therefore, may be confidered as an¬ 
other inftance of the formation of this fubltance in the 
humid way. 
Mufive gold was fubjeCted to diftillation in a ftrong 
heat; a confiderable quantity of fulphureous acid gas was 
difengaged, and fome fulphur fublimed into the neck of 
the retort; the refidue was a black fhining metallic mafs. 
It feems almoft fuperfluous to remark, that the fulphu¬ 
reous acid gas mult have beerr formed by the combina¬ 
tion of a portion of the fulphur with the oxygen of the 
oxyd of tin.. The change which takes place in thi? ex¬ 
periment, in the order of the affinities, is to be attributed 
in this, as in many other inftances, to a difference in the 
degree of temperature. 
Two hundred grains of charcoal in powder, with 600 
of mufive gold, were introduced into a retort, and placed 
in a reverberatory furnace, and the neck of the retort 
connected with a chemical pneumatic apparatus. By- 
keeping the mixture in a red-heat for three hours, about 
100 cubic inches of an elaftic fluid were difengaged. The 
firft portion of this gas which palled over, feemed to be 
carbonic acid, containing about i-iooth of fulphurated 
hydrogen. This gas had alfo volatilized, and held as it 
were in folution, a large quantity of fulphur, which was 
afterwards depofited on the furface of the water, by which 
the gas was abf’orbed. The gas difengaged towards the 
end of the procefs contained a greater quantity of ful¬ 
phurated hydrogen, till at laft bubbles of pure hydrogen 
gas were evolved : the refidue was a fulphure of tin di¬ 
vided by charcoal. 
Six hundred grains of mufive gold were digefted for 
fome hours in'muriatic acid, but the colour remained un¬ 
changed. After being filtered and dried, it weighed ftill 
580 grains. The twenty grains that difappeared were 
probably a fulphure which had been mixed with the mu-^ 
live gold ; for, when this fubftance was digefted a fecond 
time with muriatic acid, no lofs of weight could be per¬ 
ceived. From thefe experiments it appears clearly, that 
tin, whether in its native ftate, or amalgamated with mer¬ 
cury, or combined with fulphur, is uniformly oxydated 
during the production of mufive gold. 
This preparation is ufed for colouring bronze, and to 
increale the power of the eleCtric machine, by rubbing- 
the cufhions with it. Inftead of this, fays La Grange, 
“ I have often feen ufed a fubftance which is collected in 
fine powder from the pedicles between the branches of 
the licopodium?' 
Potafh feems to have but little aCtion with tin; but 
this preparation has not been thoroughly examined. It 
is the fame with ammoniac; it is known only that the 
metal is attacked by that faiine fubftance, tarnifhing its 
furface, and prefenting rainbow-colours. 
Earthy matters contradno union with this metal. Its 
oxyd, which is very infufible, does not form a tranfpa- 
rent nor coloured glafs with vitrifying fubftances ; but, 
as it is exceedingly white, it renders the glals of a very 
opake 
