Mercury silvering methods. The technique was also used in Asia, for example "tokin" plating in Edo-period Japan. Mercury silvering Mercury silvering or fire gilding is a silvering technique for applying a thin layer of precious metal such as silver or gold (mercury gilding) to a base metal object. The process was invented during the Middle Ages and is documented in Vannoccio Biringuccio's 1540 book "De la pirotechnia". An amalgam of mercury and the precious metal is prepared and applied to the object which is then heated, sometimes in oil, vaporizing most of the mercury. The technique is dangerous since mercury is highly
Mercury(II) bromide Mercury(II) bromide Mercury(II) bromide or mercuric bromide is the chemical compound composed of mercury and bromine with the formula HgBr. This white crystalline solid is a laboratory reagent. Like mercury(II) chloride, it is extremely toxic. Mercury(II) bromide can be manufactured by: adding potassium bromide to a solution of mercuric salt and crystallizing; by precipitation using a mercury(II) nitrate and sodium bromide solution; by dissolving mercury(II) oxide in hydrobromic acid. Also, Mercury(II) bromide can be created by reacting mercury with bromine. Mercury(II) bromide is used as a reagent in the Koenigs–Knorr reaction, which forms glycoside linkages on carbohydrates. It is also