ON THE METALS OF THE ALKALIS. 18^3^ 



Mortar, or cement, made with sulphur and two parts of combustible 

 slacked lime, forms a hard and very sonorous brick, which *"'*""^*^*'' 

 is not altered under water; while mortars made with pulve- 

 rised vegetable charcoal, or pitcoai, though they produce ' 

 hard and sonorous bricks, soon fall to pieces in watdr ; at 

 do bricks made with sawdust, or raspings of ivory. 



VI. 

 Observations on the Alkaline Metalloids', by Mr, Bucholz*. 



JL HE quantity of metalloid substance obtained varies Th<» quantity 



considerably. In an experiment made lately in my appa- ^j^^^ '^^"*^ 



ratus with three ounces of potash, six drachms of charcoal, means of iron ' 



and an ounce and half of iron, I obtained but one drachm ^*^'*^* 



of metalloid, divided into four or tive pieces. In the tube 



were found thirty grains more of metalloid, clotty, and 



contaminated with charcoal; yet all the vessels had stood 



well, and remained impervious to air. The residuum, which 



furnished prussiate of potash, still contafned however a 



large quffiitity of charcoal. It is clear therefore, from the 



small quantity of the product obtained, that it is not the 



whole of the charcoal, but perhaps only the hidrogen it 



contains, which concurs in the formation of the metalloid. 



Not being able to determine the specific gravity of the its specific gra- 



metalloid, as it alters so quickly in the air, I thought of ^'^J' *^<:'^"^^"'^'^ 



•1 r ^u J -^ • 1 • 1 • II bv a mixture 



composing an oil ot the same density, m which it would of i^rd and oil ' 



neither sink to the bottom, nor float on the surface, and of petroleum, 

 which consequently would be of the same specific gravity. 

 This I did by mixing oil of petroleum and lard. The spe- 

 cific gravity of this mixture was 0*876. 



Twenty-five grains of the metalloid, converted into pot- Metalloid con- 

 ash by water, and saturated with muriatic acid, produced verted into pot- 

 45 grains of fused muriate of potash, which, according to fn wTiri^t*(^2. ' 

 Rose's analysis, would contain 30 grains of potash and 15 

 of acid : but, as only 25 grains of the metalloid were em- 



• Ann. it Chimie, -vol. LXXIII, p. 7S. Translated from Gehlen*# 

 Journal for May, 1808, by Mr. Tassaext. 



ployed) 



