THE 



LONDON AND EDINBURGH 



PHILOSOPHICAL MAGAZINE 



AND 



JOURNAL OF SCIENCE. 



-♦- 



[THIRD SERIES.] 



FEBRUARY 1835. 



XI. Oil the Practicability of alloying Iron and Copper, By 

 David Mushet, Esq, 



To Richard Phillips, Esq., F,R.S. L, SrE. Src. 

 Sill, 

 TN perusing the other day Dr. Lardner's third volume on 

 ^ metals*, I met v^^ith the following unqualified assertion : 

 "As to alloying copper with iron, the notion not only appears 

 absurd, but unsupported by evidence." As at the present 

 moment Dr. Lardner's publication may be considered a text- 

 book of popular instruction, such a statement might lead to a 

 settled conclusion that to alloy iron and copper is under all 

 circumstances impossible. Now the contrary is the fact ; and 

 having considered this operation for many years as one which, 

 if happily effected, would materially contribute to the perfec- 

 tion of many of our mechanical contrivances, I hope I shall be 

 excused for entering on the subject somewhat particularly. 



In the first place, I see no prima facie reason why it should 

 be absurd to expect that iron should unite with copper as 

 well as it does with other metals. Then as to the evidence, 

 I think that most chemical works state the fact as a matter of 

 course, never doubting the practicability of the measure ; and 

 in your own Magazine, vol. xlix., I find some experiments on 

 the union of iron with copper; which shows that the subject has 

 not been recently altogether overlooked. The uncertainty 

 which prevails upon the subject arises from the want of accu- 



• " Manufactures in Metal, vol. iii. Tin, Lead, Copper, Brass, Gold, 

 Silver, and various Alloys," p. 174. 



Third Sei'ies, Vol. 6. No. 32. Feb. 1835. M 



