CHEMICAL SCIENCE. 235 



tricity into it. The chlorine is thus removed -with a little chloride of 

 aluminum, proceeding from the decomposition of the double salt. This 

 chloride would volatilize, and be entirely lost, if some common salt were 

 not in the porous vessel. The double chloride becomes fixed, and the 

 vapors cease. A small number of elements (two are all that are absolutely 

 necessary) will suffice for the decomposition of the double chloride, which 

 presents but little resistance to electricity. 



The platinum plate is removed when it is sufficiently charged with the 

 metallic deposit. It is ^ suffered to cool, the saline mass is rapidly broken 

 off, and the plate replaced in the current. The crude matter removed from 

 the electrode is melted in a porcelain crucible enclosed in an earthen cruci- 

 ble. After cooling, it is treated with water, which dissolves a great portion 

 of the common salt, and a gray metallic powder is obtained, which is 

 formed into a button by several successive fusions, using as a flux the 

 double chloride of aluminum and sodium. 



The first portions of metal obtained by this process are almost always 

 brittle ; it is of aluminum castings that 1 now speak. However, we can 

 obtain quite as beautiful a metal with the battery as with sodium, but 

 must employ a purer chloride of aluminum. And in fact, in this last pro- 

 cess, we remove by means of the hydrogen the silicium, sulphur, and eA r en 

 the iron, which passes into the state of fixed protochloride at the tempera- 

 ture at which the operation is performed ; whereas all the impurities re- 

 main in the liquid which is decomposed by the battery, and are removed 

 with the first portions of the metal which are reduced. Comptes Rcndus 

 Xo. 7, 1854. 



ON THE METAL GLUCINUM. 



While Deville has been occupying himself with aluminum, his as- 

 sistant, M. Debray, has been studying glucinum, which metal (as well as 

 aluminum) M. Wohler was the first to obtain separate, although in an 

 impure state, if we may judge from the properties of the metal mentioned 

 by M. Debray. According to this chemist, glucinum is lighter than alu- 

 minum ; its specific gravity is 2.1. It looks like zinc, but is less fusible, 

 non-volatile, unalterable at the ordinary temperature, and oxidizes on the 

 surface at the blow-pipe temperature without affording the phenomena of 

 ignition produced under the same circumstances by zinc and iron. Con- 

 centrated nitric acid attacks it only when hot, and diluted acid under no 

 circumstances. Chlorohydric and sulphuric acids, even when diluted, dis- 

 solve it, disengnging hydrogen. Potassa dissolves it, even cold ; ammo- 

 nia is without action. 



DEPOSITION OF ALUMINUM AND SILICIUM. 



Mr. Gore, of Birmingham, has succeeded in depositing aluminum and 

 silicium upon copper by the electrotype process. To obtain the former, 



