Various Uses for Quicksilver.
Quicksilver, according to the United States Geological Survey, is being used for many new purposes. It is used mainly in the manufacture of fulminate for explosive caps, of drugs, of electric appliances and scientific apparatus, and in the recovery of precious metals, especially gold, by amalgamation.
One use in the United States, and possibly elsewhere, is the coating of ships’ bottoms with a paint containing quicksilver to prevent organic growth. Mercuric oxide—red oxide of mercury—is the active poison in antifouling paint successfully used on ships’ bottoms. The metal appears to be but little employed in silvering mirrors, as nitrate of silver is now chiefly used for the purpose.[Pg 61]
Increasing use of quicksilver is probably to be expected in the manufacture of electrical appliances and fulminates and possibly of paints for protective coatings on metals. The demand for quicksilver for amalgamating gold and silver has greatly decreased, as is well known, with the decreased supply of free milling ores and the increased application of cyanidation to gold and silver ores. Industrial chemistry and inventive genius are to be looked to for increasing the demand.
The quicksilver production of the world during 1913 is estimated at 4,171 metric tons, against 4,262 tons in 1912 and 4,083 tons in 1911. Spain last year headed the countries of production with 1,490 tons. The United States produced only 688 tons. The other producing countries were Austria-Hungary, 855 tons; Italy, 988 tons; Mexico and others, 150 tons.