The early history of chlorine : papers / by Carl Wilhelm Scheele (1774), C.L. Berthollet (1785), Guyton de Morveau (1787), J.L. Gay-Lussac and L. J. Thenard (1809).

Date:
1905
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: The early history of chlorine : papers / by Carl Wilhelm Scheele (1774), C.L. Berthollet (1785), Guyton de Morveau (1787), J.L. Gay-Lussac and L. J. Thenard (1809). Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    odour and the colour of the dephlogisticated marine acid disappear, vegetable colours are no longer destroyed, and the marine acid is meanwhile in combination; for, on adding to the liquid a little lime water, there is immedi ately formed a mercurial precipitate, which would not take place if a portion of marine acid were free. Hence it results that the difference between white precipitate and corrosive sublimate consists in this, that in the latter the mercury is combined with a greater quantity of vital air and marine acid. The manner in which dephlogisticated marine acid acts on mercury merits attention; if some of this liquid is put on a certain quantity of mercury, the surface of the metal blackens, there is formed the calx of mercury known by the name of ethiopsper se, and the liquid reddens blue paper, so that the metal begins by removing the vital air from the marine acid. If they are still left in contact the calx of mercury which has been formed takes up marine acid and becomes white, it passes into the state of combination known by the name of panacea, and the supernatant water does not contain either acid or mercurial salt; if it be poured off and dephlogisticated marine acid anew added, there is at once formed a com- bination with the mercurial salt, which, according to the quantities of marine acid which it absorbs, takes successively the properties of mercurius dulcis and of white precipitate, and then, if the liquid is renewed, it dissolves and forms corrosive sublimate; so that in this experiment the whole series of mercurial muriates is obtained, to which corresponds that of their causticity. Scheele announced that dephlogisticated marine acid had no action on sulphur, but M. de Morveau has ascertained that it changes it into vitriolic acid. When some is poured on a small portion of solution of hepar made with fixed alkali, there is no hepatic gas disengaged