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(I) nitrate Mercury(I) nitrate Mercury(I) nitrate is a chemical compound with the formula Hg(NO). It is used in the preparation of other mercury(I) compounds, and is toxic. Mercury(I) nitrate is formed when elemental mercury is combined with "dilute" nitric acid (concentrated nitric acid will yield mercury(II) nitrate). Mercury(I) nitrate is a reducing agent which is oxidized upon contact with air. Mercuric nitrate can be reacted with elemental mercury to form mercurous nitrate. Solutions of mercury(I) nitrate are acidic due to slow reaction with water: Hg(NO)(OH) forms a yellow precipitate. If the solution is boiled or exposed to light, mercury(I) nitrate undergoes a