4 JOURNAIv OF THK 



hi^h temperature. This was the case in the subsequent 

 experiments also. 



It is by fusion with sodium carbonate that Hiortdahl 

 claimed to have prepared his zirconates. Ouvrard seems 

 to have gotten little besides crystals of zirconia. Very 

 little action could be seen in the experiments described 

 below\ The zirconia sank to the bottom of the fused 

 mass and remained without apparent chano-e for hours. 

 Varying- the time of heating- did not seem to have much 

 effect upon the results. 



After the fused mass had cooled it was leached with 

 successive portions of water until no alkali could be de- 

 tected. The wash water contained no zirconium. As 

 the mass left will absorb carbon dioxide, it was dried as 

 rapidly as possible at about 150° to constant weigfht. Di- 

 lute hydrochloric acid was used to separate the zirconate 

 formed from the unchang-ed zirconia. As this zirconia 

 was now in the ig^nited and even crystalline form, it was 

 concluded that it vas insoluble in the dilute acid. The 

 zirconia in the solution was precipitated as hydroxide and 

 determined as oxide, and the alkali determincil in the fil- 

 trate. Two g-rams of zirconia were used in each case 

 and a larg-e excess ot the carbonate. The amount of 

 unattacked zirconia rang-ed from ninety-three to ninety- 

 nine per cent., showing- thus very little action after many 

 hours of fusion. In some cases, therefore, the amount of 

 supposed zirconate obtained was too small for reliable 

 analysis. 



I. WITH SODIUM CARBONATE. 



Three experiments with sodium carbonate were carried 

 to completion. 



1. Two g-rams zirconia and eight grams sodium car- 

 bonate were fused three hours. xVmount of residue after 

 leaching-, soluble in dilute hydrochloric acid, 0.1588 g-ram,' 

 or eig-ht per cent. In this ^rO.,==75.70 per cent.; Na^O 

 = 24.30, 



