Execration and Preparation
Mercury is still isolated the same way it was for centuries, by heating crushed cinnabar (a mineral consisting of mercury sulfide) and collecting the evaporating mercury with a condensing column. Mercury in Modern History On August 1, 1774, Joseph Priestley conducted an experiment in which he focused sunlight on a lump of mercuric oxide in an inverted glass container placed in a pool of mercury. The gas produced was easily breathable and caused a flame to burn more intensely. He had discovered oxygen. |
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