234 Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



nitromuriatic acid, the acid was added as long as solution occurred ; 

 the solution was filtered, and the insoluble residuum after drying was 

 treated with caustic potash and evaporated to dryness ; crystals of 

 nitre were afterwards fused with it ; after cooling', the fused mass was 

 washed with water, sutt'ered to subside and decanted. The insolu- 

 ble portion was again treated with potash and nitre ; and these ope- 

 rations were repeated until the matter entirely lost its metallic lustre ; 

 the various solutions were mixed, and then nitric acid was added 

 slightly in excess. A deep black powder was precipitated, and a 

 strong smell of osmium was given out; it was put into a retort and 

 distilled, in order to extract the osmium. When half the fluid had 

 come over, it was suffered to cool. After 24 hours, long prismatic 

 crystals, of a reddish white colour and remarkable lustre, were formed 

 in the solution : water was added ; this dissolved the crystals, and the 

 solution was poured into a capsule and evaporated to recrystallize. 

 The sa't being placed upon a bit of charcoal and heated with the 

 blowpipe, a part of it sublimed ; while another portion was re- 

 duced to a metallic globule : some of the crystals were dissolved in 

 water, a little muriatic acid was added, and a bar of zinc was put 

 into the solution. Some other crystals were heated in a glass tube 

 sealed at one end ; they sublimed without leaving any residue or 

 emitting any smell. Oxide of osmium would have been raised in 

 vapour by distillation ; the oxide of tellurium, bismuth and antimony, 

 would not have dissolved in water. For these reasons Professor 

 Osann concludes that these crystals were the oxide of a new metal, 

 to which he purposes to give the name of Rhutenium. 



Professor Osann has also discovered another metal in the .same 

 residuum, insoluble in nitric acid : to this he proposes to give the 

 name of Pluranium ; it is more abundant than rhutenium. — Ibid. 



SULPHURET OF SILICA, 

 M. Buchner mixed by trituration equal parts of silica and sulphur; 

 the mixture was put into a small glass retort and exposed to a mode- 

 rate heat for several hours. The product was a porous gray mass, 

 from which caustic potash separated only a minute portion of sulphur, 

 and left a few grains of quartz. The alkaline solution deposited a fine 

 black powder, which is the compound mentioned. — Ibid. 



MAGNESIA AND GLUCINA REDUCED TO THE METALLIC STATE. 

 M. Bussy gives the following account of the reduction of these 

 earths. I have succeeded in separating the metal from magnesia, by 

 the action of potassium upon chloride of magnesium heated to rednes.s 

 in a porcelain tube. The magnesium separated by washing, had the 

 appearance of small brown scales, which pressed by a pestle in an 

 agate mortar left a metallic trace, the colour of which resembled that 

 of lead. Diluted nitric acid does not attack this metal ; muriatic acid 

 and potash dissolve it. It burns with difficulty even at a high tempe- 

 rature, and yields magnesia by the combustion. 



Glucina treated in the same manner also yielded a metal. In order 



to 



