Mercury silvering 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 toxic, especially in its vapor phase. Mercury silvering can be detected through a variety of
Mercury coulometer constant and its movement is linearly correlated with the passed charge. If the direction of the current is changed, the drop moves in the opposite direction. The sensitivity of this type of coulometer depends on the diameter of the capillary. Mercury coulometer A mercury coulometer is an electroanalytical chemistry device using mercury to determine the amount of matter transformed (in coulombs) during the following reaction:<ref name="Patrick/Fardo2000"></ref><br> These oxidation/reduction processes have 100% efficiency with the wide range of the current densities. Measuring of the quantity of electricity (coulombs) is based on the changes of the mass of the mercury electrode. Mass