274 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [1880. 



February 24, 18*79. 



ON RANDITE. 



BY THEODORE D. RAND. 



At the December meeting of the Mineralogical Section, Mr. 

 Goldsmith made a communication in regard to the uranium-yellow 

 coating found at the south end of the largest quarry at Frankford, 

 northeast of Adams Street, stating that he found in it, carbonic 

 acid, silicic acid, phosphoric acid, uranium, alumina and lime; 

 and that his conclusion was, that it was a mixture of autunnite 

 and calcite. The writer stated at the same meeting that he 

 had made an incomplete examination of the same mineral, which, 

 in great part, confirmed Dr. (roldsmith's observations, but that he 

 failed to find phosphoric acid, and promised the Section the result 

 of experiments then under way. 



At the meeting of the Academy held December 31st, 1878, Dr. 

 Koenig communicated the results of a full quantitative analysis, 

 giving the composition, a hydrous carbonate of uranium and lime, 

 to which he gave the name Kandite. 



The writer's results differ somewhat from those of Mr. Gold- 

 smith and Dr. Koenig. Owing to the very small amount of the 

 coating, and its close adhesion to the rock, proper separation was 

 impossible, and the first experiments were made by treating the 

 rock and coating, first with acetic acid, to remove calcite, then 

 with dilute hydrochloric acid. The coating was unaffected In* the 

 acetic acid, as proven by one specimen, in which, after solution of 

 a large amount of calcite, the Randite was left in tufts of acicular 

 crystals. The acetic solution contained chiefly lime, with a little 

 alumina, but no uranium. 



The hydrochloric solution yielded a small amoimt of silica, 

 alumina, sulphuric acid, and phosphoric acid, with a large amount 

 of lime and uranium. 



In the treatment with acetic acid, bubbles appeared to rise from 

 the coating — a multitude of tiny bubbles ; on the succeeding treat- 

 ment with hydrochloric acid, the bubbles were much larger, and 

 fewer in number, and appeared to rise from a cai"bonate in the 

 crevices of the rock. 



