. Elements of modern chemistry . icsulphate. A bright piece of iron plunged into a cupric solution in-stantly becomes covered with a deposit of metallic copper. MERCURY. Hg (Hydrargyrum) = 200 Natural State and Extraction.—Mercury occurs native,and especially combined with sulphur, mercuric sulphide ornatural cinnabar being its principal ore. It is found in differ- 352 ELEMENTS OF MODERN CHEMISTRY. ent localities in Europe and America, principally at Almaden,Spain; Idria, in Illyria; San Jose, in California. The treatment of the ore is very simple. The sulphide isroasted in a current of air in
. Elements of modern chemistry . icsulphate. A bright piece of iron plunged into a cupric solution in-stantly becomes covered with a deposit of metallic copper. MERCURY. Hg (Hydrargyrum) = 200 Natural State and Extraction.—Mercury occurs native,and especially combined with sulphur, mercuric sulphide ornatural cinnabar being its principal ore. It is found in differ- 352 ELEMENTS OF MODERN CHEMISTRY. ent localities in Europe and America, principally at Almaden,Spain; Idria, in Illyria; San Jose, in California. The treatment of the ore is very simple. The sulphide isroasted in a current of air in furnaces of peculiar construction:the sulphur is oxidized, and passes off-as sulphur dioxide, themercury being set free. The metal volatilizes and is led, to-gether with the gases from the combustion, either into con-densation-chambers, or through long rows of little cylindricalvessels, where the mercury condenses. Fig. 113 represents the furnaces employed at Almaden,with the fireplace, and the body, AB, charged with ore. The. Fig. 113. mercury-vapor passes by o, and condenses in a series of ahidelsentering one in the other, and arranged upon two inclined planes,ah, he. The condensed metal runs into a channel, 6, fromwhich it is conducted into a reservoir. The sulphurous acidgas, still charged with vapor of mercury, passes into a chamber,C, descending to the floor, where it is cooled by contact with atrough filled with water, d. In this chamber the condensationof the mercury-vapor is completed. Fig. 114 represents the several-storied furnaces aa, hh, cc,and the condensation-chambers CC, used at Idria. Cinnabar may also be reduced by iron or by lime. The metal thus extracted is purified by filtration throughticking-cloth or chamois-skin. It is ordinarily transported inforged iron bottles. The mercury of commerce is nearly always alloyed with smallquantities of other metals, such as lead, tin, copper, and bis- MERCURY. 353 muth. In this state its surface is not as brilliant as
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade18, booksubjectchemistry, bookyear1887
