18 JOURNAL OF THE 



This substance when so dried was perfectly white 

 and quite hard. It was powdered with some difficulty 

 in an ag'ate mortar and resembled, very much, iinely 

 divided silica. 



It was sometimes noted that the precipitate formed 

 on passing' the sulphur dioxide into the solution of 

 zirconium chloride was partially dissolved upon the 

 prolong'ed passag-e of the gas. To determine in how 

 far the liberated hydrochloric acid was the ag-ent caus- 

 ino' this re-solution, some zirconium hvdroxide, freshlv 

 precipitated by means of ammonium hvdroxide, was 

 washed free from hydrochloric acid and was then treated 

 with a concentrated and freshly prepared solution of 

 sulphur dioxide. This was allowed to stand during- 

 two or three months and was frequently shaken. The 

 solid at the bottom of the flask separated into two lay- 

 ers, the g-elatinous hydroxide settling- first and upon this 

 a white, iineh^ divided, substance formed. The super- 

 natant liquid was found to contain zirconium. Tlie 

 white layer was separated from the hvdroxide and 

 analyzed. It contained: 



Zirconiiiiii dioxide 15.05 15.53 .... 



Sulphur dioxide .... 4.86 



Water (blast-lamp) 2.78 3.03 



Water, at 95- (' 77.41 76.33 



100.10 99.75 

 Ratio of zirconium U) sulphur dioxide is 2.2 : 1. 



This substance apparently came to a constant weigdit 

 on drying- in a steam-bath at ^)5- C. 



A somewhat |)eculiar product was obtained during- 

 an attempt at filtering- the precipitated sulpliite. It 

 filtered very slowly and in the course of a few hours a 

 layer of a watery liquid formed above the white sul- 

 phite. This was allowed to stand several days and 

 turned into a solid jelly. This was noticed several 



