Lesson 24
Mercury-Its Preparation and Uses
"What I had already learnt about the liquid metal, mercury," said Will, "made me glad when teacher told us we were to have another lesson on it today. Our lesson has shown us how it is obtained, and some of the uses we make of the metal. Shall I try and tell you about it, Norah?""
"Yes," said Norah, "please tell me all you can remember.""Well then," he began, "mercury, like most metals, is usually met with in the form of ore. This ore is known as cinnabar. It is dug out of deep mines in various parts of the world, and looks like a rough, hard, brown stone, with very little metallic lustre. It contains besides the metal, mercury, a large quantity of sulphur. The mercury and the sulphur must, of course, be separated. This is done in a curious way.
