THE 



LONDON AND EDINBURGH 



PHILOSOPHICAL MAGAZINE 



AND 



JOURNAL OF SCIENCE. 



[THIRD SERIES.] 



DECEMBER 1839. 



LXII. On the Combinations of Carbon with Silicon a7id Iro?i 

 and other metals, forming the different species of Cast Iron, 



. Steel, and Malleable Iron. By Dr. C. Schafhaeutl, of 

 Munich^. 



nPHE opinions of the generality of chemists, concerning the 

 -'- chemical constitution of carbon, are briefly as follows : 



The diamond is carbon in its highest state of purity. Dr. 

 Thomson considers next to the diamond the carbon obtained 

 from decomposed coal-gas. 



Next in order maybe coxm^ox^^ graphite ox ■plumbago, an- 

 thracite, coke from stone-coal, charcoal, pit-coal, and animal 

 coal. 



Sir Humphry Davy considers the difference between the 

 diamond and common charcoal to consist only in the form of 

 aggi'egation of their molecules ; but he has at the same time 

 shown that diamond burnt in oxygen gas produced nothing 

 but carbonic acid gas, while* charcoal always left behind 

 traces of xvater, notwithstanding it had been previously ex- 

 posed to the highest degrees of temperature. 



These and other experiments caused Berzelius, in the 

 earlier editions of his " Treatise on Chemistry," to explain, 

 that the difference between the diamond and charcoal and 

 other coaly matters, arose from the combination of carbon in 

 the latter with other substances ; but having, in all probability, 

 neither the time nor the inclination to follow up the matter, 

 he abandoned it in the last edition of his treatise, asserting, 



* Communicated by the Autlior : an extract from this paper was read 

 on the 3] st of August last before the Section of Chemistry and Mineralogy 

 of the British Association at the meeting at Birmingham. 



Phil, Mag. S. 3. Vol. 15. No. 98, Dec, 1839. 2 E 



