Sdenti/ic News, Accounts of Books^ &c. , 23 J 



This effe£l: muft be more particularly feen with regard to its value, by pbyficians, who 

 are aware with what facility the feeds of various diforders are perpetuated in hofpitals, 

 and how infufficient the greater number of procefles ufed in walhing linen have proved to 

 deftroy them. 



SCIENTIFIC NEWS, ACCOUNTS OF BOOKS, SCc. 



Notice relative to the GadoUnite. By CiT. Haut. ' 



X HIS fubftance was difcovcred at Ytterby, in Sweden. In the year 1794, M. Gadolin 

 announced the exiftence of a new earth ; and his aflcrtion has fmce been confirmed by M. 

 Ekeberg's analyfis of that fubftance, to which he has given the name of Gadolinite, in 

 honour of the difcovercr, and he has denominated the new earth Yttria, a name derived 

 from the country where the mineral that contajns it was difcovered. / 



From the defcription publiflied in the Journal de Phylique for Frudlidor, 8tTi year, It 

 appears that the Gadolinite has a tolerably perfect black colour ; it breaks in an imperfedl 

 conchoid form ; it is brilliant, and its polifh is vitreous } its fpecific gravity is alfo con- 

 fiderable. 



To thefe external charadlers may be added others of a phyfical and chemical nature, 

 already in part known, by which the Gadolinite is clearly diftinguilbed from fomc other 

 minerals to which it refembles in its afpeft, particularly the vitreous lava denominated 

 lapis obfidianus. Its fpecific gravity, which Cit. Hauy has found to be 4,0497, is greater 

 than that of the above-mentioned lava, nearly in the proportion of 5 to '3 ; but it is lefs than 

 that of black fulphurated uranium, called pech-blendc, in the proportion of 2 to 3. The 

 Gadolinite likewife, when reduced to powder and put into nitric acid, diluted with water> 

 is difcoloured on heating the acid, and converted into a kind of thick jelly, of a ycllowifh 

 grey colour. According to the obfervations of Cit. Lelievre, the Gadolinite, when ex- 

 pofed to the flame of the blow-pipe, decrepitates, and emits particles apparently inflamed : 

 but if care has been taken to ignite it by the flame of a capdle, it does not decrepitate : it 

 acquires a red tinge, intermixed with white ; cracks, and does not melt, unlefs the frag- 

 ment be very fmall. The Gadolinite a£is very fenfibly upon the magnetic needle, but 

 Cit. Hauy has not difcovered that it has poles. 



M. Ekeberg obtained from the GadoUnite 47.5 parts of Yttria, 25 of filex, 18 of iron, 

 and 4,5 of alumine : the lofs was 5. Cit. Vauquelin, on repeatfng this analyfis, found 35 

 parts of Yttria, 25,5 of filcx, 25 of iron, 2 of oxide of manganefe, 2 of lime, with a lofs 

 of 10,5, the caufe of which he inveftigated, and attributes it principally to the water con- 

 tained in the Gadolinite, and to a fmall quantity of carbonic acid. He obferved that the 

 new earth has fome analogy to glucine. Like that fubftance it forms faccharine folutions 



H h 2 with 



