ELISHA MITCHEI.L SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY. 23 



very large and a heavy source of expense, and the pent- 

 oxide or mixed oxides yielded is not nearly so convenient 

 as the chloride for further working with. The method 

 described above is shorter than the tedious and expensive 

 treatment with hydrochloric acid, alcohol and ether. 

 Judging from an attempt at carrying it out on a small 

 scale, the amount of ether required in purifying the prod- 

 uct from a kilo of zircons would be very large indeed. 



The modifications in the process have throughout the 

 aim of cheapening and shortening Linnemann's process, 

 and were successful in both directions, at least under the 

 conditions under which I worked. 



A qualitative analysis of the different products obtained 

 while thus decomposing the zircon was made under my 

 direction b}" ]\Ir. John M. Morehead. It differed in sev- 

 eral noteworthy particulars from that made by Linnemann. 

 In the first place, the hydrochloric acid used in the prelimi- 

 nary treatment of the zircon powder extracted a large 

 part of tlie total tin present. Linnemann does not men- 

 tion tin as occurring in this solution. No lithium was dis- 

 covered in any of the solutions, nor any bismuth and zinc. 

 The list of elements found by Mr. Morehead is therefore 

 shorter than Linnemann, who reports sixteen. The list 

 found was sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, alu- 

 minium, iron, lead, tin, uranium, erbium, silicon and zir- 

 conium. Undoubtedly a large proportion of these come 

 from foreign matter mixed with the zircons and sifted into 

 the cracks in the crystal, so as not to admit of separation. 

 A number of the rare elements were looked for without 

 finding them. No thorough spectroscopic examination 

 was made, however. 



Mr. Morehead also made several quantitative determina- 

 tions of the iron, silicon and zirconium, resulting as fol- 

 lows: 



