-—=-_— 7. <1" ""” — 
ELISHA MITCHELL SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY. 23 
This method of drying has becn tried repeatedly on 
various preparations and I regard the facts stated above 
as showing conclusively that a neutral zirconium chloride 
can be prepared and dried. 
Analyses of this chloride gave the following percent- 
ages of ZrO. 
~ 
tn * 
2.10 Bh 52:63 
Believing that a simple compound of zirconium and 
chlorine had been obtained corresponding to the formula 
ZrCl, a series of determinations were undertaken with a 
view to securing data for calculating the atomic weight. 
This chloride obtained by recrystallization from con- 
centrated hydrochloric acid had also been analyzed by 
Linnemann (Lond. Chem. News LII, 233-240) and the 
percentage of zirconium found led him to believe that it 
was the tetrachloride. The determinations made by one 
of us with a view to securing data for recalculating the 
atomic weight were ten in number. They were made 
with great care and yielded a mean of 52.986. This 
would have corresponded to an atomic weight of 91.75 if 
the body were really the tetrachloride. To settle its 
exact composition the chlorine was determined in a sample 
dried also in hydrogen chloride. Two determinations 
gave the mean percentage of chlorine as 35.26. This 
result is entirely too low for the tetrachloride which would 
require 61.01 per cent. of chlorine. The substance anal- 
yzed was then manifestly an oxychloride but none of sim- 
ple composition could be calculated from the results. 
The formula which seemed nearest to it was Zr,(OH), 
Cl,.5H,O. (see J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1895. p. 842). The 
subject was then allowed to drop for two years, except 
that the chloride was tested for water and found to give 
: 3 it off abundantly at 180°—210°. 
During the past summer the accuracy of the chlorine 
determination was brought into question. Determinations 
~ were made on other samples and the percentage of chlorine 
was found to be 29.98. ‘The error af the previous deter- 
