Page:Philosophical Transactions - Volume 095.djvu/361

Rh and sometimes for a few minutes, there will be no appearance of any precipitate; but in a short time the whole solution becomes slightly turbid, and a flocculent precipitate is gradually formed, of a pale yellowish-white colour. This precipitate consists wholly of prussiate of palladium, and when heated will be found to yield that metal in a pure state, amounting to about .4 or 5 tents per cent. upon the quantity of ore dissolved.

The prussiate of mercury is peculiarly adapted to the precipitation of palladium, exclusive of all other metals, on account of the great affinty of mercury for the prussic acid, which in this case prevents the precipitation of iron or copper; but the proportion of mercury does not by any means influence the quantity of palladium, for I have in vain endeavoured, in the above experiment on crude platina, to obtain a larger quantity of palladium than I have stated by using more of the prussiate of mercury, or to procure any precipitate by the same means from a solution of pure platina.

The decomposition of muriate of palladium by prussiate of mercury is not effected solely by the superior affinity of mercury for the muriatic acid, but is assisted also by the greater affinity of prussic acid for palladium; for I have found that prussiate of palladium may be formed by boiling a precipitated oxide of palladium in a solution of prussiate of mercury.

The prussiate of mercury is consequently a test by which the presence of palladium may be detected in any of its solutions; but it may be worth observing, that the precipitate obtained has not in all cases the same properties. In general, this compound is affected by heat similarly to other prussiates, but when the palladium has been dissolved in nitrous acid and