An account of some experiments on mercury, silver and gold : made at Guildford in May, 1782, in the laboratory of James Price. To which is prefixed an abridgement of Boyle's account of a degradation of gold.

  • James Price
Date:
1782
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An account of some experiments on mercury, silver and gold : made at Guildford in May, 1782, in the laboratory of James Price. To which is prefixed an abridgement of Boyle's account of a degradation of gold. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    A fmall quantity of Borax (brought by Mr. R.) was then inje&ed by him and the fire railed, but with the fame precautions on the part of Dr. P. to fubjed every thing to the minute infpedion of the perfons prefent; and after continuing it in a ftrong red-white heat for about a quarter of an hour, the crucible was carefully taken out, gradually cooled : on breaking it, a globule of yellow metal was found at bottom, and in the fcoris fmaller ones, which colleded and placed in an accurate ballance by Mr. Ruffell, were found to weigh fully Ten Grains. This Metal was in the prefence of the above mentioned Gentlemen fealed up in a phial, impreffed with the Seal of Mr. Ander- fon, to be fubmitted to future examination, though every one prefent was perfuaded that the metal was gold. . ' •' 1 J . * • . , < ‘ r . “ r* v ■ « -•■»-*»*- • The feal being broke the next morning, in the prefence of the former company, and of Captain Auften, and the metal hydroftatically examined, the weight of the larger globule (the others being too minute for this mode of ex¬ amination) was found to be in air 9 Grains and a Quarter, and in diftilled water of temp. Fahren. 50 plus, it loft, fomething more than ■§■ (but not quite an half) of a grain : the difference was not appreciable, as no fmaller weight than the eighth of a grain was at hand, but was judged by all the company to be nearly intermediate ; i. e. ^:—at half a grain the fp. gr. would be rather more than 18:15 if only I- were loft in water the fp. gr. would exceed 24: 1. the intermediate would be 21. f nearly; but as the lofs feemed rather more than the intermediate, though appa¬ rently and decided lefs than half a grain, the fpecific gra¬ vity
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