Manchester Memoirs, Vol. xlvi. (1901), No. 4. 3 



homofreneous composition. Since barium evidently has 

 a rather high melting point, such a process must be one 

 carried out at a high temperature. The Goldschmidt 

 process, whereby oxides are reduced by means of finely 

 divided aluminium mixed with them in an intimate 

 manner, and in which the heat of the reaction, being very 

 large, is generally sufficient to fuse even the alumina 

 formed, was considered likely to give interesting results. 



The experiments had to be carried out under reduced 

 pressure, both in order that the charge should not be 

 scattered about by the sudden expansion of the air, due 

 to the rise of temperature, and to prevent loss owing to 

 the formation of barium oxide and nitride, the ease with 

 which these compounds are formed being a great 

 hindrance to all attempts to prepare the metal in the 

 atmosphere. 



Description of Abparaius : Crucibles of Veitsch 

 magnesite of about 200 cc. capacity were employed ; these 

 do not seem to be acted on during the experiment. One 

 crucible generally lasted for two or three experiments 

 before it broke up owing to the sudden changes of heat. 

 Lids were made out of powdered Veitsch magnesite 

 with magnesium chloride solution. The crucible was 

 strengthened by being surrounded by a sheet-iron jacket, 

 and the lid was held down on to the crucible by two brass 

 plates, one below the crucible and the other on the top 

 of the lid, these plates being tightly screwed together by 

 means of three bolts. The crucible, thus encased, was 

 placed inside an iron vessel, over which another iron 

 vessel, inverted, was placed, this being a precaution for 

 the safety of the bell-jar desiccator, inside which the 

 whole apparatus was finally put. Undue heating of the 

 iron vessels by conduction was guarded against by means 

 of asbestos millboard. 



