£?S4 Process for mela! r rz>ng Potash and Soda. 



announced that potash and soda mi^ht be converted into 

 metal hv means oF iron; but not having obtained results 

 more satisfactory than those who to my knowledge have 

 repeated the same experiment, I continued my inquiries, 

 which appeared to me to he the more likely to be successful, 

 as Mr. Davy had thrown so much light upon certain phe- 

 nomena which I had observed, but could not till then ac- 

 count for. 



In short ; if, according to the hypothesis of the celebrated 

 Kn&jish chemist, potash and soda were metallic oxides, wis 

 it not more than probable that the prussic calcinations were 

 nothing else than the combination of this metal with char- 

 coal ? Such at least was my opinion then, and it will be 

 seen how far it was well founded, since I succeeded in 

 metallizing potash and soda, by heating strongly one of 

 these two alkalis with charcoal ; a process which, as we 

 shall find, enters into the prussic calcinations. 



The metallization of potash and of soda taking place 

 with one or other of the two mixtures which I have pointed 

 out, and succeeding equally well in stone retorts as in iron 

 pipes, we may employ the former or latter process indis- 

 criminately. As to the nature of the vessel, I prefer an 

 iron one, because it is more permeable to the caloric, ami 

 less subject to fuse than stone, particularly when the latter 

 is penetrated with alkali ; an inconvenience which prevents 

 us from bringing the operation to an end : which docs not 

 so frequently happen with the iron. 



Firsl Process. Mix exactly four parts of well pulverized 

 rnimal charcoal with three parts of carbonate of soda dried 

 in the fire without having been melted : combine the whole 

 with a sufficient quantity of linseed oil, but so as not to 

 make a paste. 



Stcvvd Process. Take two parts of flour, and mix them 

 Ultimately with one part of carbonate of soda prepared as 

 in the foregoing experiment : add to the mixture a sufficient 

 quaotitv of linseed oil, but so as not to prevent it from be- 

 ing in a pulverulent state. 



Whatever be the kind of vessel emplovcd for calcining 

 the eub.-tar.ee in question, and whether the^' first or se- 

 cond mixture be used, we must always begin by heating 

 gradually: but as soon as the matter is a dull red, we may 

 increase the fife until we sec in the inside of the retort or 

 iron pipe a tine celestial blue light, the areola of which js 

 greenish. To this light there soon succeeds a very abun- 

 dant vapour, which ouscures the whole inside of the vessel, 

 and which is the metal extricating itself from the mixture. 



The 



