I i: M RKADING, PENNS1 l.\ VNIA. 



349 



once to the result of the fusion with carbonate of soda and addition of water, and omit ihe 

 use of hydrochloric acid altogether. The silica filtered rapidly, and after the incineration 

 was almost completely dissolved in hydrofluoric acid. The zirconia and iron were deter- 

 mined as in the first analysis. The zirconia requires a long washing, but filters quickly. 

 Care must be taken in the incineration of this zirconia, otherwise a too high result will be 

 obtained as in the first analysis. When the precipitate is burned in the usual manner, at 

 a low red heat, and until the filter ash is perfectly white, the zirconia remain- in BOining 

 lemon-coloured irregular masses, which when exposed to a high temperature lose weight. 

 Thus, in my second analysis with one gramme of substance, the weighl of the zirconia 

 ignited in the ordinary way, was 0*641, and by successive ignitions at a white heat, was 

 0-63G — 0-G3."> — 0*635. When it had no longer lost weight, it had a beautiful pearl gra*j lustre, 

 scratched glass, and gave a brilliant light when heated before; the blowpipe. The anarj Bis 

 by this method upon one gramme of the mineral, gave the following per centage results: — 



Silica, 

 Zirconia, 

 Peroxide of iron. 

 Water, 



10009 



The whole crystals of zircon were also raised to a white heat in a platinum crucible, 

 until no further loss of weight — 0-997 lost 0-0035, corresponding to a per centage of 0*35 

 water being less than that obtained from the finely pulverized mineral. The beat was 

 raised gradually, but no glowing of the crystals was observed. After this ignition, they 

 were in lustre more brilliantly adamantine, and darker; although in spots 1 1 h \ appeared 

 lighter than originally, as if the iron were not uniformly diffused throughout. \s the 

 mineral occurs in a matrix of iron ore, and has apparently been subjected to a bigb tem- 

 perature therein, it would seem as if a larire part of this iron bad been absorbed by 

 cementation. It follows from the analysis of this mineral, thai the contents of water alone 

 will not serve as a distinguishing characteristic between malakon and zircon, as DamoUT 

 proposes; nor that malakon is /.neon, altered by the absorption of water as Dana deems 

 possible; but, that the two species arc distinct, and differ probably in containing zirconia 

 in two allotropic condition-, as believed by Schccrcr. The following are analyses of 

 the two minerals. 1st, Zircon by Henneberg. 2d, Zircon from Litchfield, by Gibbt. 

 3d, Malakon from HitterBe, by Scheerer. 4th, Malakon from Chanteloube, l>\ Damour. 



v .... 



/.., :onia 

 Iron PerOX 

 u tec . . . 

 ITttria . . . 

 Lime 



MlL'lir-l.l . 



UnuVrnni; 



1 

 33-85 

 HIM 

 1-55 



II HI 



a 



36-26 



63 33 



o 79 



Mil mi 



a 39 



■>•> 7 1 



■ 





