English: n Fig. is given a diagram of the best of these mercury pumps, the one devised by Sprengel.

The supply of mercury is contained in the reservoir on the left. It flows over into the bulb B, where it falls in drops into the long tube on the right. These drops entrap between them the air in B. The mercury which runs out is collected and poured back into reservoir on the left. In this manner practically all the air can be removed from the bulb B, and hence from any vessel R, which may be connected with B. At M is a manometer which indicates the pressure in the vessel R, which is being exhausted. A pump of this type is capable of producing a vacuum in which the pressure is only 100,000,000th of an atmosphere. ^[1]

Vector version of File:NSRW Air Pump2.png.