896 
12. Enquiries concerning the Nature of a 
metallic Substance, dately sold in London 
asa new Metal, under the Title of Palla- 
dium. By Ricuwaro Cuengvix, Esq. 
Be HS. ley it. L.A 
This is by far the most important che- 
mical paper that has appeared during 
the last twelvemonth, and conters new 
distinction on the already illustrious 
name of its author. 
The substance advertized by the name 
of Palladium, as a new metal, was possess- 
ed of the following properties. It was in 
the form of thin, flexible, not very elastic 
laminz, which had evidently. been rolled 
out in a flatting mill; its sp. grav. was 
from 10.972 to 14.48%.: its galvanic 
properties were the same as those of gold 
and silver. Upon exposure to the blow- 
Pipe, the surface not exposed to the 
flame became blue. When placed in an 
©pen vessel, in a temperature greater 
than required for the fusion of gold, no 
oxidizement, or appearance of fusion, 
was observable. At a considerably 
higher heat it run into a button, of a 
greyish white colour, harder than 
wrought iron, and the sp. grav. of 
_ which was = 11.871. If sulphur is 
added to Palladium, when strongly 
heated, a combination immediately takes 
place, and the mass remains fluid, even 
ata very low red heat. It unites with 
gold, platina, silver, copper, lead, tin, 
bismuth, iron, and arsenic, and the 
sp. grav. of the alloy-is in most of the 
eases remarkably diXerent from the re- 
sult obtained by calculation. ‘Thus the 
sp. grav. of equal parts of Palladium 
and platina ought, by calculation. to be 
= 17.241., but by experiment it amounts 
only to 15.141, being a deficiency of Y.1.: 
on the other hand, equal parts of Pal- 
Jadium and bismuth, which, by caleu- 
lation, should give a sp. grav. = 10.652 
amounts, by experiment, to 12.587, be- 
ing an excess of 1.935. ‘The fixed  al- 
kalis dimimish the brilliancy, and effect 
a partial solution of Palladium when 
fused with it. Ammonia, by long di- 
gestion, acquires a slight bluish’ tinge, 
and dissolves a minute portion of this 
metal. The three mineral acids, and 
the nitro-muriatic, act with more or less 
violence, and form beautiful red solu- 
tions; whence precipitates may be ob- 
tained by the usnal reagents, 
From some of the properties of Pal. 
ladium, Mr Chenevix was induced to 
believe that platina was one of its ingre- 
dients; and, after some previous expe- 
GENERAL SCIENCE. 
riments, he poured some gréen sulphate 
of iron into a salt of platina, and also 
into a salt of mercury, without occa- 
sioning any precipitation in either; but, 
upon mixing the two liquors, a copious 
deposit took place, exactly similar to 
_ the precipitate from nitro-muriat of Pal- 
Jadium, by the same re-agent. The pres 
cipitate wis exposed to a strong heat, 
entered into fusion, and produced a mes 
tallic button, not to be distinguished 
from Palladium 
In the course of his experiments on 
the combination of mercury with platina, 
Mr. Chenevix obtained various mixtures, 
which, though differing materially from 
platina, were yet by no means possessed 
of exactly the same properties as Palla- 
dium. The most successful method of 
preparing this alloy, he found to be the 
following. ‘ 
Dissolve 100 grains of platina in 
nitro-muriatic acid, and add to the solu- 
tion red nitrous oxyd of mercury, till 
the liquor is completely saturated, then 
pour im a solution of green sulphat of 
iron, and heat the mixture on a sands 
bath ; in less than half an hour a copious 
precipitate will. fall down, which, when 
well washed and dried, is to be strongly 
heated in a charcoal crucible, and wiil 
aiford a bution, weighing 135 grains, 
consisting of about two parts platina to 
one of mercury. 
All attempts made by Mr. Chenevix 
to decompose either the advertized Pal- . 
ladinm or his own imitation of it were 
wholly without success, but in the vari- 
ous experiments to which they were sub- 
jected they comported themselves ex- 
actly in the same manner, so that no rea- 
sonable doubt can be entertained of their 
identity. ‘The consequences that are 
drawn from these facts, by the author, 
areof the utmost importance. Welearn 
that mercury, the most fusible and one 
of the most volatile of the metals, may 
be combined with another so as wholly 
to lose its characteristic properties ; that 
no sort of dependence is to be placed on 
the calculated specific gravity of an al- 
loy from the known gravity of its com- 
ponent parts, and that the obstinacy with 
which the metals have hitherto opposed 
all attempts at their decomposition, is 
far from being a reason for chemical phi- 
losophers, to give up in despair all fur. 
ther endeavours. 
13. An Account of the Sinking of the Dutch 
Frigate dmtuscade, of 82 Guns, near the 
