388 GOODWIN — ELECTROLYTIC CALCIUM. [Nov. 4, 



its lovyer end hit smartly on the cement floor several times, after 

 which the tube was quickly cooled in water. The lower cap was 

 broken off and the walls of the tube cut lengthwise in the milling 

 machine. When torn apart the two halves, split down the centre, 

 displayed a most beautiful mass of large, reddish-violet, cubical 

 crystals (Fig. 7). There was much speculation as to the composi- 

 tion of this peculiar *' compound " until the following analysis 

 showed it to be over 90 per cent, calcium : 



Gangue 0-03% 



SiOg 0.77 " 



Fe.Og 0.46 " 



AI2O3 0.77 ♦' 



Ca 91.28 *« 



Mg o. 1 1 " 



CI 1.28" 



C tra ce 



N trace 



O (by difference) 5-30 ** 



100.00" 



The crystals showed a specific gravity of 1.5425 at 28.1° C. In 

 water they evolved hydrogen with an oder of acetylene. Carbon 

 was probably extracted from the iron melting tube, which reaction 

 may be of technical importance for converting pig iron into steel, 

 and the power of calcium to combine with and remove Fulphur 

 and phosphorus a.re very important as is also its strong reducing 

 action on organic compounds, the reaction being more easily 

 controlled and less dangerous than with metallic sodium. These 

 crystals were quite soft and were hammered as thin as paper, often 

 exploding with a slight flame under the impact of the hammer. 

 When filed or cut they showed a brilliant metallic lustre, being 

 not as pure a white as silver but slightly yellow. The solid metal 

 at times has this same slight yellow tint. The crystals near the 

 top of the tube evolved ammonia with water, shewing that they 

 had combined with the nitrogen in the melting tube. 



The solid metal can be worked like other metals and is much 

 more stable than imagined. It can be heated red hot continuously 

 in a triple Bunsen flame without igniting, but at this temperature 

 its texture is like clay and it can be easily squeezed apart with the 

 tongs, sometimes igniting at the edges and burning feebly till the 



