bromisovalum
Harmless
Posts: 3
Registered: 18-12-2017
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
mercury from cinnabar as observed by Theophrastus
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
Harmless
Posts: 3
Registered: 18-12-2017
Member Is Offline
Mood: No Mood
|
|
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
Harmless
Posts: 30
Registered: 1-1-2018
Location: Austria
Member Is Offline
Mood: Analytical
|
|
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]
|
|
|
Texium
|
Thread Moved
11-1-2018 at 09:58 |
![[*]](images/xpblue/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
