Important: Safety Warning
This page describes trade processes that use dangerously toxic materials such as cyanide solutions, mercury amalgams, or strong acids. These processes require training, equipment, and precautions far beyond what the text describes.
This information has been left in for historical purposes but should not be acted upon.
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To Amalgamate Zinc
Immerse a plate or strip of zinc of the required size in diluted sulphuric acid, for a few moments; then rub quicksilver over the surface. Whenever the surface of the amalgamated zinc em ployed in a battery begins to blacken and lose its quicksilver coating, the zinc must be taken out of the acid cell and amalgamated again. 3663. Το Keep the Zinc Plates of a Smee's Battery Constantly Amalgamated. The trouble of renewing the coating of amalgam on the zinc plates may be obviated by a very simple contrivance. Cover the bottom of the cell with quicksilver, and let the zinc plates be long enough to dip into it.
The silver plate must be a little shorter than the zinc plates, so that it will not touch the mercury. By this arangement the zinc plates draw up the mercury as fast as it is worn off by the action of the acid.
Dry. 1.
Z Fig. 2.
Fig. 3.
Figure 2. Zinc and copper, placed in dilute acid. and wires attached, which, when connected, will exhibit the same effects as in the first case.
Figure 3. Shows the wires connected by means of a liquid, such as acid and water, sulphate of copper, etc., contained in a wineglass.
The copper and zinc, c and z, with the acid in the first vessel, figure 3, constitute a battery of one pair. The wine-glass in which the wires are placed, is termed the decomposing