MERCURY

BICHLORIDE OF; Corrosive sublimate ; ( Deutochlorure de mercure , Fr.; Aetzendes quecksilber sublimat , Germ.) is made by subliming a mixture of equal parts of persulphate of mercury, prepared as above described, and sea-salt, in a stone-ware cucurbit. The sublimate rises in vapour, and encrusts the globular gla capital with a white ma of small prismatic needles. Its specific gravity is 5·14. Its taste is acrid, stypto-metallic, and exceedingly unpleasant. It is soluble in 20 parts of water, at the ordinary temperature, and in its own weight of boiling water. It di olves in 2 1 ⁄ 2 times its weight of cold alcohol. It is a very deadly poison. Raw white of egg swallowed in profusion, is the best antidote. A solution of corrosive sublimate has been long employed for preserving soft anatomical preparations. By this means the corpse of Colonel Morland was embalmed, in order to be brought from the seat of war to Paris. His features remained unaltered, only his skin was brown, and his body was so hard as to sound like a piece of wood when struck with a hammer. In the valuable work upon the dry rot, published by Mr. Knowles, secretary of the committee of inspectors of the navy, in 1821, corrosive sublimate is enumerated among the chemical substances which had been prescribed for preventing the dry rot in timber; and it is well known that Sir H. Davy had, several years before that date, used and recommended to the Admiralty and Navy Board, corrosive sublimate as an anti-dry rot application. It has been since extensively employed by a joint-stock company for the same purpose, under the title of Kyan’s patent.