Mercury Intensifier

Richard Sullivan (richsul@roadrunner.com)
Fri, 21 Jun 1996 14:24:00 -0600

Jack Fulton Says:
>> To my knowledge, Mercuric Chloride is potentially VERY dangerous, and,
>> like other bothersome chemicals (formaldehyde) probably shouldn't be used
>> by most of us unless properly protected to the 'nth degree.
>> There was an intensifier in the late 60's or early 70's called Victor's
>> Intensifier which used Mercuric Chloride and it was taken from the market
>> due it's toxic properties.

Carson graves replies
>Are you sure about the mercury? I remember Victor's Chromium
>Intensifer, which was sold by Kodak and available at least until the
>late 70's. It too was withdrawn from the market. I don't recall a
>prepackaged mercury intensifier, though. The Chromium intensifier
>worked as you describe.

Dick Sullivan's 2 cents worth:

I think Carson is right. Monkhaven's Intensifier used mercury AND potassium
cyanide to boot. Probably the scariest formula in photography.

I disagree with Jack Fulton on the nth degree thing. Mercury should be
handled with respect and it's major problem is environmental. In liquid form
it normally doesn't make any gaseous compounds that are dangerous, it is
absorbed through the skin, but so is chromium and many of the other
compounds we use. If some got splashed on your hands or arms, a good wash
would suffice, no need to call 911. Note that the "Mad Hatters" of the
Victorian age were splashing about in the stuff day in and day out. Yes 1 gm
can kill you but so can a 2 degree deviation for 5 seconds a 65 mph on the
Interstate. Since I own in a corporation that manufactures and sells
chemicals, I can buy pretty much anything that is not controlled by the DEA,
but it hasn't always been that way. I get calls from highly intelligent and
responsible people everyday who wish to use some of the older formulas and
cannot get the materials they need. Ever tried to buy 10 gms of potassium
chlorate from Metropolis Chemicals? One pound could destroy a Grayhound bus,
but who sells in 10 gm quantities. What next? Silver nitrate and ammonia
forms highly explosive silver aside, same with gold chloride. Ban silver
nitrate? Chromium's awful. I had a friend who was teaching photography at a
high school and they were doing Blueprints. A teacher saw "cyanide" on the
potassium ferricyanide bottle and that was the end of that. "Cyanide is
cyanide" was the quote relayed to me.

I know that if I had started my business later in the childproof chemical
world that we are now building, B&S wouldn't have gotten started, and people
today would be paying Mallinkrodt prices for platinum salts. The big guys
are happy not to sell to the photographers buying in the pint sizes, their
insurance companies are happy. The Big Ones refer the little buyers to us,
they'd just as soon not bother, same as GM has not come to me to buy pt for
their catalytic converters, though I'd be happy to talk to them.

I'm not a raving lunatic right wing militiaman. I don't see much use for 100
round assault rifles, but I can see an intelligent person safely adding to
the world's joy some nice mercury toned VanDykes. I think that people
should be careful and environmentally responsible, and from the tone of the
discussion here on the list, I think by and large, that the community here
is just that. Almost everyone here could get a license to hurl a 2 ton piece
of steel through space at 75 miles per hour, but some worry about a few
grams of mercuric chloride.

Sorry Jack to spleen vent so loud, it's just that I got other mail that was
a little crazy. I think they read Susan Shaw after eating anchovie pizza,
drinking chili beer, and doing their email after a bad night.

Cheers

Dick S.

Bostick & Sullivan
Platinum and Palladium
Photographic Chemistry
Santa Fe, New mexico