]08 EXPERIMENTS ON CERITE. 



red oxide- of cerium arifing from the decompofition of the ox- 

 alate by calcination was diffolved in muriatic acid. A brifk 

 effervefcence inftantly took place, with the evolution of oxi- 

 genated muriatic gas, which continued till the whole was dif- 

 folved, and differed in no refpect. from that prepared with oxide 

 of manganefe. 

 Muriatic folu- The fetation of cerium in muriatic acid was clear, and had 

 re^deferj-oliTby onl > r a lj S ht ro fy tin £ e - To Separate it from the lime, if there 

 ammonia. were any, ammonia was added, when the folution, having been 



diluted with but a fmall quantity of water, congealed into a 

 femitranfparent gelatinous mats, which it was neceflary to agi- 

 tate with a great deal of water, before it could be gotten out 

 of the bottle. 



The precipitate being wafhedand calcined was very com pa6r, 

 and had a brilliant fracture. 



The liquor thus decompofed by ammonia contained lime, 

 as appeared on precipitating it with oxalate of ammonia. 

 Oxalate of ceri- At the inftant when the oxalate of cerium is precipitated by 

 ammonia it is white and femitranfparent; but by agitation in 

 the air and deficcation it atfumes a yellowifh colour, and be- 

 comes opake. A remarkable circumflance is, that, if it be 

 boiled with ammonia or potafli before it is dry, it becomes 

 Does cot com- again perfectly white and opake. This is not owing to any 

 combination of the aicalies with the cerium, for when it has 

 been well warned, no trace of them can be difcovered by the 

 mod careful analyfis. 

 Component parts The reiiduum left untouched by the acids was afterwards 

 examined ; when it appeared, that the pureft ore of cerium % 



UiV. 



bine with al 

 kalies. 



* Mr. Vauquelin analyfed other fpecimens, which were mixed 

 with green aclinote and cupreous pyrites ; but as nothing particular 

 occurred in thefe analyfes, it is unnecefTary to enter into them. 



f Meflrs. H. and R. fay : {ilex 23 parts, carbonate of lime 5*5, 

 oxide of iron 22, and of oxide of cerium after calcination more than 



50. 



