NATURAL HISTORY OF MERCURY.

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Class III. ...PARTLY DUCTILE AND OXIDABLE METALS.

MERCURY.

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SECT. I.

NATURAL HISTORY OF MERCURY.

lLERCURY is found in five different states in nature; it isfound native, fnative mercury,) adhering in small globules tothe surface of cinnabar ores, or scattered through the crevices,or over the surfaces of different kinds of stones. It is foundunited to silver, in the ore called amalgam of silver, or nativeamalgam. This ore exhibits thin plates, or grains ; it sometimescrystallizes in cubes, parallelopipeda, or pyramids. Its colour isof a silver-white, or grey; its lustre is considerably metallic.Combined with sulphur it constitutes native cinnabar, or sulphunetof mercury. This ore is the most common. It is frequentlyfound in veins, and sometimes crystallized in tetrahedra, orthree-sided pyramids. Its colour is red. Its streak metallic.

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