bromisovalum - 11-1-2018 at 02:41
Mercury was mentioned 300 BC by Theophrastus as chytos argyros, quicksilver or liquid silver, and he states that it can be made by rubbing
vinegar with cinnabar (HgS) in a copper vessel.
Has anyone tried this? It doesn't seem as much as a preparative method, I would guess that it is the copper that reduces Hg2+ to the
element.
bromisovalum - 11-1-2018 at 04:55
Another possibly interesting method to turn cinnabar into something more useable is described on p730 of Mellor's Modern Inorganic Chemistry:
"the black precipitate (HgS) is almost unaffected by boiling dilute acids, though hot concentrated nitric acid gradually converts it into a white
mercury thionitrate, Hg3S2(NO3)2, and finally into mercuric nitrate.
The price of mercury metal where I am has raised to ridiculously expensive levels for private individuals due to all the hysteria about its toxicity.
Cinnabar however seems cheap and readily available.
The Austrian Scientist - 11-1-2018 at 09:12
You could also disolve the HgS in a polysulfide solution and reduce it with Al to Hg metal.
3Hg+2 + 2 Al --> 3 Hg + 2 Al+3
[Edited on 11-1-2018 by The Austrian Scientist]