Dr. Walchner on Metallic Titanium. 125 



This reaction became more apparent when the melted pearl 

 was touched with nitre. Acids had no effect on these cry- 

 stals ; and even aqua regia, with which they were frequently 

 treated, left them untouched. It merely extracted the par- 

 ticles of iron attached to them, whilst the crystals preserved 

 their form, lustre, and colour unchanged. On being melted 

 with nitre, they were oxidated. I took advantage of this cir- 

 cumstance, in order to procure a solution of the oxide, by 

 melting a small quantity of the crystals (which had been pre- 

 viously freed as much as possible from every particle of iron 

 by means of aqua regia) with nitre, borax, and a little soda, 

 and dissolving the mass in muriatic acid. The solution was 

 colourless, and deposited, whilst boiling, white flakes. Caustic 

 and carbonated alkalies gave a white precipitate; triple prus- 

 siate of potash with a little excess of acid, a dirty-green pre- 

 cipitate, which, when ammonia was poured over it, became 

 white; tincture of galls, a copious precipitate of a dark orange- 

 colour; oxalic acid, phosphoric acid, arseniate of potash, white 

 precipitates ; metallic zinc produced blueish-black flakes, which, 

 on freeing them from the air-bubbJes with which they were 

 covered, became white. Hydrosulphuret of potash gave a bot- 

 tle-green precipitate. 



All this evidently proves that the cubes described are me- 

 tallic titanium^ and identically the same with those first de- 

 scribed by WoUaston*. Their conducting power for elec- 

 ti'icity I could not investigate, on account of the smallness of 

 the crystals. 



The piece of slag on which the crystals occur between small 

 globules of raw iron, is from the High furnace of Kandern, in 

 which pea-iron-ore is smelted. Nothing similar had ever been 

 found before. I was curious to ascertain the origin of the 

 titanium, and examined the pea-iron-ore for it. One attempt be- 

 fore the blowpipe made me aware of its presence ; but its quan- 

 tity must be very minute, since a very small bead was formed 

 of oxide of titanium and salt of phosphorus. Probably the 

 crystals were formed by the reduction of the oxide of titanium 

 contained in the pea-iron-ore, by means of the high tempera- 

 ture of the above furnace; and there is no doubt but that on 

 a closer examination of the produce of that establishment they 

 will be found frequently. 



* Sec Pliil. Mag. vol. Ixii. p. 18, ami vol. Ixiii. p. 15. 



XVIII. Oh 



