70 Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



potash in excess ; only minute traces of alumina were occasionally 

 found. But the peroxide had in one or two instances to be 

 redissolved and the manganese separated afresh. This occurred 

 when ammonia had been added to the solution in excess, and 

 a few drops of HCl again added, which were not sufficient to 

 neutralize or acidify the whole of the solution, which from being 

 very bulky required care in neutralizing. When the entire solution, 

 after attaining the requisite degree of acidity, was transferred from 

 one vessel to another so as to obtain a uniform mixture, then no 

 trace of manganese was found with the iron. From the amount of 

 peroxide the per-centage of iron was calculated. Before proceeding 

 to separate the manganese, the solution and washings were evapo- 

 rated to dryness, and the salts of ammonia driven off by ignition to 

 redness. This, I had found from repeated trials, was absolutely 

 necessary, in order to separate the whole of the manganese by hydro- 

 sulphate of ammonia. After ignition, the residue was always of 

 a brown colour from the peroxide of manganese ; a drop or two of 

 HCl dissolved this. Ammonia and hydrosulphate of ammonia 

 were then added, and the solution allowed to stand for several hours, 

 and gently warmed. The sulphuret of inanganese thus separated 

 was converted into sulphate of manganese, from which the per- 

 centage of manganese was calculated. In one or two cases, where 

 small quantities of nickel and cobalt were present, these were left as 

 sulphurets on the filter, when the sulphuret of manganese was dis- 

 solved by dilute sulphuric acid. The solution, after getting rid of the 

 excess of hydrosulphate of ammonia, was neutralized, and oxalate of 

 ammonia added. The lime thus separated was converted into car- 

 bonate, and from it the proportion of 'calcium deduced. A drop or 

 two of the solution with phosphate of soda occasionally indicated t^ery 

 minute traces of magnesia ; these were overlooked. After separating 

 the lime, the solution was evaporated to dryness, ignited in a platinum 

 capsule, and the residue, consisting of the alkaline chlorides, weighed ; 

 a few drops of solution of bichloride of platinum being added to the 

 moistened salts, the potash was separated (when sufficient in quan- 

 tity to weigh) in the usual manner; the weight of the chloride of 

 potassium calculated, and deducted from the weight of the mixed 

 chlorides; the loss gave the weight of the chloride of sodium. 



Determination of the Sulphur and Phosphorus. — The iron, re- 

 duced to fragments, was treated with fuming nitric acid and gently 

 warmed ; the reaction was violent. The nitrous fumes given off 

 contained no trace of SH. The solution was evaporated to dryness, 

 and the dried mass treated with HCl and water ; to a little of the 

 filtered solution a drop or two of BaCl were added ; if, after standing 

 several hours, any precipitate or cloudiness was occasioned, the 

 whole of the solution was treated in like manner, and the sulphate 

 of barytes allowed fully to subside, separated, detached from filter, 

 &c., and the weight of sulphur calculated. The excess of baryta was 

 separated from the solution by a few drops of dilute SO^, and after- 

 wards supertartrate of ammonia added in sufficient proportion to 



