Mercury principles

When metals have been but barely calcined, they have. lost only their phlogistou, and are recoverable by the introduction of fresh phlogiston. A more thorough calcination, by long continuance of fire or by additions, dissipates a part of this mercurial principle and as no method has been discovered of supplying it by art, the quantity of metal revivable will be proportionably less. The process is capable of being carried so far that no metal at all shall be recovered, and that the calx shall differ but little from mere earth. ... 

Polarography has been largely replaced by voltammetry with electrode materials that do not present the toxicity hazard of mercury. Principles described for the mercury electrode apply to other electrodes. Mercury is still the electrode of choice for stripping analysis, which is the most sensitive voltammetric technique. For cleaning up mercury spills, see note 18. 

In order to understand, more easily, the explanations which I give in this treatise on Hieroglyphics, one must know that the Philosophers, usually give the name male or father, to the sulphurous principle, and the name, female to the mercurial principle. The fixed is also male or agent the volatile is female or patient. The result of the union of the two is the Philosophical Child, generally male, sometimes female, when the matter has arrived only at the white state, because it has not, then, all the fixity of which it is susceptible the Philosophers have also called it, Luna, Diana and Redness,... 

It is not that the mercury gets any more purified during this process, but its inner etheric shell of sulfureous and mercurial principles is activated. After the final Eagle, distil the mercury two times by itself. This results in an Animated Mercury. 

For the Spiritus rector experiments, see Boerhaave, Elements, 47-49 on Boerhaave s Mercury (the alchemical mercury principle), see John C. Powers. Herman Boerhaave and the Pedagogical Reform of Eighteenth-Century Chemistry, Ph.D. Dissertation, Indiana University, 2001, 121-33. 

Mercury Principle WeU contained in Ai rand Water, engenders a principle of vaporous, subtle, mutable and generating nature, called Mercury. Tt is the Female principle of all seed, and from it is born smelly and the fundamental color blue. Tn Man it corresponds to Soul. 

Sulfur Principle by a determined quantity of the Mercury Principle or even more easily by the absorption of a proportional quantity of common Gold by a determined quantity of the Sulfur Principle. Tt is not necessary for this Gold to have previously been subjected to exaltation sublimation or volatilization) or transfusion. Tn a word, it does not have to have been recast or alloyed with itself. Tt must be virgin. 

In effect, by the copu I at ion of the Mercury Principle and the Su ur Principle the Adept obtains Philosophical Silver or Mercury of the Wise as by the copu lation of the Sulfur Principle and the Salt Principle they obtain Philosophical Golck or Sulfur of the Wise ... 

Sulfur P rinciple - to Faith Mercury Principle-xo Hope Salt Principle - to Charity... 

These two inner senses correspond. Imagination to the Mercury Principles and Memory to The Sulfur Principles respectively. 

If Understanding is total Knowledge Wisdom is the use of which it is made. It is in some way the superior aspect, being the result of the action of Faith and Charity of the Mercury Principle and Sait Principle. 

Mercury Principle + Sulfur Principle = Philosophical Silver (Mercury of the Wise)... 

Anger corresponds to the Mercury Principle, and opposes Hope. 

On closer inspeaion, the explicit criterion of this distinction proves to be questionable since the mercury principle was also lacking in three of the four classes of mineral substances that Homberg distinguished next. Thus, one may wonder why he did not divide the realm of chemical substances into those that contain the mercury principle—the metals—, and those that do not—the other minerals as well as the vegetable substances. One may conclude from this that classification according to provenance formed the unshakable basis for this division. 

The elements are earth, water, alkali, acid, air, phlogiston, and light fire, the ethereal fluid, and the mercurial principle -being rejected. Higgins in the Syllabus often refers to diagrams of globular atoms which he no doubt showed in his lectures, where they were seen by William Higgins. It mentions ... 

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