90 TRANSACTIONS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. | YOL. IL 



about 230 lbs. of crude Ferro Nickel is produced, of the following 

 composition : — 



Carbon, 170 per cent, to 3*40 per cent. 



Silicum, 2*40 " 0*85 " 



Sulphur, 0-55 " 1-50 " 



Iron, 23-30 " 32-35 



Nickel, 75'50 " 60-90 " 



Cobalt, ^ 



Copper, - Traces. 



Manganese, J 



This crude Ferro Nickel is taken to France and treated in a Siemens- 

 Martin furnace on a hearth of Nickel Oxide, where it is decarbonized, 

 while Iron, Silicum and Manganese are slagged. During the process 

 Nickel Oxide is added to remove the Carbon. Towards the close of the 

 operation, a crude Nickel containing oxygen is added in order to remove 

 the excesses of oxygen. Ferro-Nickel is used in the manufacture of 

 Nickel Bronze, along with Tin, Zinc, Copper. 



The ore is sometimes mixed with an equal weight of Sulphuric Acid, 

 then boiled with water and Ammonium Sulphate added. This precipi- 

 tates Nickel as Nickel Ammonium Sulphate, which is the form it is 

 required in for plating. The poorer ores, that is ores with less than 7 

 per cent. Nickel, are melted with Pyrites, Gypsum and Iron ore. The 

 resulting product contains about 50 per cent, to 60 per cent. Ni., 15 per 

 cent, to 25 percent. Iron, 25 per cent. Sulphur; or instead of adding Iron 

 ores, Copper ores can be used, and the result is a crude Copper Nickel. 



The New Caledonian ores and the Silicates generally can be treated 

 by a wet process, resembling the treatment of Speisses and mattes. 



I now come to the refining of crude Nickel. During the process of 

 producing crude Nickel, new impurities are taken up and the amount is 

 sometimes increased. This is especially the case of Silicum Oxygen and 

 Carbon. It is impossible, for instance, to decarbonize Nickel by a puddle 

 process without the metal absorbing oxygen ; besides, the molten Nickel 

 absorbs Carbon Monoxide, which is formed in the process of decarboniza- 

 tion and makes it impossible to make solid castings. The method of 

 refining it is first of all to remove Silicum and Oxygen, and then reduce 

 the newly-formed Nickel Oxide. 



The Carbon can be best removed by a puddle process or by the addi- 

 tion of Nickel Oxide. Garnier, of New Caledonia, decarbonizes his 

 Nickel in a Bessemer converter, and lets the blast play on it till all the Iron 

 's oxidized and goes off in the slag. This method is open to the objec- 



