MR. HATCHETT ON MAGNETICAL PYRITES. ^ 



As carbon ads on foft iron, (which, although it moft readily Sulphur afls on 

 . . . . . {. iron like carboa 



receives the magnetic influence, is unable to retain it lo as to ]„ caufmg it to 



become a magnet, without the addition of a certain proportion contain magtiet- 

 of carbon, by which it is rendered hard and brittle, or, in other ' 

 words, is converted into fteel, fo, in like manner, does fulphur 

 feem toadl; for it has been proved, by the preceding experi- 

 ments, that the brittle mafs formed by tiie union of a certain 

 proportion of this fubftance with iron, whether by nature or by 

 art, becomes capable of retaining the magnetic virtue, and of 

 acting as a complete magnet. 



This remarkable coincidence. In the efre6ls produced on iron — a^d fo like- 

 by carbon and fulphur, induced me to try the effeas of phof- ""^^'^^f ' ^^""^^ 

 phorus; and my hope of fuccefs was increafed by the remark 

 of Mr. Pelletier, who fays, that *' the phofphuret of iron is 

 jittra61ed by the magnet;*' * and therefore, although certain 

 bodies maybe thus a(tra6led, without being capable of adluallv 

 becoming permanent magnets, I was deiirous to examine what 

 might be Ihe power, in this refpe6t, of phofphuret of iron. 

 , I therefore prepared a quantity of phofphuret of iron, in the Experiment. 



direft way, viz. b.y adding phofphorus, cut into fmall pieces, to?"'^^?^"''^' f 

 - . . , , , 1, . ., , It., r , iron was made i 



' fine iron wire made moderately red-hot in a crucible. The utual 



phenomena took place, fuch as the brilliant white flame, and the 

 rapid melting of the iron, which, when cold, was white, with a 

 ftrlated grain, extremely brittle, hard, and completely convert- 

 ed into a phofphuret. The fragments of this were powerfully 

 attrafted by a magnet; and, after I had placed two or three of 

 the largeft pieces, during a few hours, between magnetical bars, 

 -I had the pleafure to find that thefe had become powerful — and by the 

 magnets, which not only attraded or repelled the needle com- ^owt'fuTma^net. 

 pletely round, but were able to take up iron filings, and fmall 

 pieces, about half an inch in length, of fine harpfichord wire; 

 and, although they have now been removed from the mag- 

 netical bars more ihan three weeks, I cannot difcover any di- 

 minution of the power which had thus been communicated to 

 theia. 



The three inflammable fubftances, carbon, fulphur, and 

 phofphorus, which, by their chemical effects on iron, in many 

 relpeds refemble each other, have now therefore been proved 



* *' Le Phofphure de Fer efl attirable a I'aimant." Annales 4e 

 Chimie, Tome XIII. p. 114. 



alike 



