1000000030

will nnt

~lIow

us to eon(ound il wilh Ihe femi

met~h.

The mfon why quiek·filver, by the chemiHs eommonly

ealkd mereury, is nnt rtptlteo a

met~l,

is,

th~t

w~nls

one o( the e/lellti,1prnpcnies thereof, t';: . m,lIe.b'¡ity.

Wheo it is pure anrlun.,dulll'ratcd with

~ny

mixture, it

is alllays lIuiu, and of eourfe unm.l!eablc. Hut as, on

the other

h~nd,

it emioently

pofli:i1~s

the 0I':tI:ily. ,he

fplendor, anu above all Ihe gral'ily of a metal, beiog,

next tOgold, the heavieH of

~II

bodies, it may be eooli·

der~o

as a Irue mwl, dilfering from the reH no olherwife

:l.ln

by being eonlbotly in fufion; whieh \Ve

m~y

fnp.

po:e

~, ifcs

from ils . plncfs to flo\V wilh lueh

fm~1I

de·

~r~c

(lf heat, Ihat be Ihere el'er fo liltle warmth 00 e. nh,

thel

is Hill more th.n enough

keepmcreury in fufion ;

whieh \Vould beeome folid aod

malle~ble

if it were polli.

blc

appty

it , degreeof eold confidmbleenough for

tha! purpofe. Thefe propenies will not allow us tO con·

f."IOd il with the fcmi·metals Add,

th~t

U'e are nut yet

~fli,rcd

by . ny undoubted experiment that il can be whully

dep' il'ed of ils rhlogilloo, as Ihe imperfeél

mct~ls

may.

l nneeu we eaOll(lt apply Ihe forceof fire 10 il as eould be

",iflled : for it is fo volalile,

th~t

il fiies off and exhales in

~apours

wi lh a mueh lefs degree of fire Ihan is neeell'ary

tu nl.lke it rcd· hol. The

v~pours

of mereury thus raifed

by Ihe a,qionof fire, being eolleéled and uoiwl in a q:r·

tain

~uantily,

appear to be no other Ihan Irue mereury

retatning every one of ils properties ; ana no experi.

mtnl halh ever been

~ble

tO fllelV the bll ehange thus

proJueed in its nature.

11'

merell ry be e'pofed to the grealell

he~t

that it

e~n

bear wilhoul fublimation, and eontinued io it for feveral

mooths, or evena whole year IOgether, it IUroS to a red

rOll'der, whieh the chemills eall

nltrcu,;uJ p,,,c;p;'a'uJ

1'"

Hut tOfumed in Ihis operal,on, il is abfolutely

neccfr.,ry Ihal the heal be fu eh as 's above rpecificd; for

Ihls mwIlic fubflanee may remain expoftd tO a weaker

he.tt

for a eonfiderable number of years, withoUI under·

g(l;ng any

(~nfible

alleralion.

Sume chemills

f.ne'

ed that by this operation they had

fixed mereur)', and eh.nged ils nature; bUI Il'ithotlt any

n afen ; for if the mereury Ihus feemingly tr. nfmutcd be

n p')fed 10 a romewhat flronger degree of fire. it fublimes

. "d e'<ides in vaponrs as ufual ; and Ihore I'''pours col·

kaeJ

u e

nuthing c1fe hUI running mercury, whiel! has

ree0v~r~d

all its pr0perties widlOUt the help of any adu,·

tJnlt:ra.

~lmur)' h~s

the propeny of dill'uh'ing all lite metals,

iron ooly exeeplerl.

H,lt

it is a eondition abfolutdy nt·

e':!:

' v tO Ihe fueecfs of fueh dill'olulion, Ihal the mw l·

h e fébllaneesLe poll'<lI'ul of Iheir phlogillon; ror if they

be eAIc,oer!, mercury caonot toueh them: .nd htnce il

¡,,:hws. Iltal

mu<

ury rlolh nOI uoile Wllh fubllanees

ti",

A'C

P",ely cmhy. Sueh a eombin. tion or

metal

wilo IIlereery is eallcd an

amo/gom

Trituration alooe

is 1,,1li-lenl tO (lI'd l it; howevcr, a proper degree 0r

htat

,¡Jfo is ur "re.

M",curya!ll;.Igamaled witb a metal givc< it a confin·

tore mO'e or I,r, f"rl. aod el'en fl nid,

a,:~

..rdiog lu tbe

f "1tl'r '" f.1l

,:!.,

P"'I)/¡rtionor mer '"rycn'pll yul AII

.m,,:,~

'" a'e

I,,~,

""If,í' he"" aod harlkned by r.uIJ.

~,!.r

"rl i vtry v01dulc

v.Hly OIore fo Ihan Ihe mo(!

unfixed

mel.ls

: moreover, the union it eontrdéls w,th

.ny metal is not fuOieiently intimate In entitlhhe nelV

eompound refulting from Ihal union to .11 the propenies

of Ihe IIVO fubllaoees 1l0ilcJ; at leall IVilh regard 10

Iheir degrec of fixityand vulatilily. Frolll all whieh

it follows, thal Ihe bell and furdl method of fcparalinc

il fr om mm ls oilloll'('<I hy il, is 10 expofe the am.lgam

to a degree uf heat fu flieient to

m.ke

all the quiek. lilver

rife and el·' por. te; a{ter wl,ieh the fIlctal rem.ins in Ihe

rorm or a powder, and being fufed reeovers its m.lleabi.

lity. If il be thought proper 10 rave Ihe quiek.fil ver,

the operatioo mull be perfurmed io clofe ,'dl"'s, whieh

will eoofine .od collell Ihe mercurial r'pours. This

o·

peralioo is 01011 fregueotly cmployed to fcp,rate golll and

r.lver from the fe"er.1 fons of e.rths and r.nJs wllh

whieh Ihey are mixed in Ihe ore;

bee.lu(

e Ibefe IIVO me·

t. ls, gold efreeially, are of li,i1ieient ". Iue

eompenrate

thc l.,fs of mcreury,

~·hich

is inn'itable in this procefs :

befiJ es, as they .ay rw lily anMlg.male wilh il, Ihis

way of ftpatating Ihem from el'ery thlOg unmetallic is

veryeommoJious.

Mereury is d,lI'ull'cd by arias ; but wilh eireumllanees

peculiar

10e.eh

particular aeid.

The I'itriolie .eid euneenlr'ted and

m.de

boiling ho!

feizes on it. and pre{endy reduces il

a kind of while

powJer, whieh toros yellow by Ihe affufion of wmr,

bUI dues not di!Tolvc in ,t : il is ealled

'u,bi,h

11/111"<1/.

However, the vitriolie .eid on Ihis oeeafion unites wilh

grcat

pan

of Ihe mereury in fueh a manner thal the eonl–

pound is (oluble in water. For ,f

the water whieh was

ured 10 w.llh the Illrbith • fixed alkali be added, there

falls inll.ntly a rull'et·eolourcd preeipi ate, IVhieh is no

olher than mereury feparated from the vitriolic aeid by

the tnlcrvenlion 01' Ihe ,Ikali.

This dill'01ulion of mm ury by Ihe vitriolie acid is ae·

eompanitd with a vcry rem.rkable pheoomcnon; whieh

is, Iha! Ihe .cid eonlraéls

IIrong fmeJl of vol' lile Ipiri!

of fulp!tur: a notJble proo( Ihat par! of the phlogiflonof

the mereury 13Ih united therell'lIh . And yet, If Ihe

mcreury be

f~pal ated

by means of a nxed alb li , il doe,

oot appear 10 havc hlll'e, ed any alteratiop. Turbilh mi·

neral is nOI fo volalile as pnre mereury.

TI,,: nilrous .cid ai!TulvtS mereury wilh eare. Th!

fulmion is limpiJ and

I r;n' pare~l,

and as it gmws eold

!hoo\< ,nlO eryllals, whieh ",e a nitrous merellJial 1.11.

If Ihis fulutioo be evaporated

dnnefs, the mmury

remalos

impregn.II:

·a ",ilh

Intle of the aeid, under the

rorm uf

red pOIV"er,

~I,i,

h hath 0hlained Ihe n,'me,

rt'J pr:CI,,,ilalt,

and

IIr c,tlltjJl/

c"r"II'hUUI

This pre·

eipitdte, as well

turbilh, islefs volalile than pure Oler·

cury.

If Ihis loluti,m01' mereu r)' be mi"d with a r.,lution of

eopper m"dé lik,""fe in Ihe nitluus .eIJ, .nd I"e mix·

ture "'pOLlttU tO drinefs, there will

rem.in

grecn

pll\wkr

e,llttl

g' al1/

,<'(:p"a/,.

Thefe preeipilateS are

e,,,lIie and eurt llfive; anJ

ate

ufed as fUlh in fu:gery.

Thuugh mmury be d,lI'ulv,d more ealily .nd rom–

plm ly

Ihe mtrous aeid IIl.n I,y Ihe I'itliulit.

)'lI

has a gr,ater affin"y

ilh Ihe ' lmer Ih,", with 11,.. fi,r–

nlCr; [ur

3 \itriulac

¡u.:i{1 be

pnur

lO¡n R

~illntl

n uf

mereUl y in fpilit of nitre, the nm

ur~

wllI qUlt tite I. t-

ter

·1