Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 393 



it is reduced, it would seem to be very difficult of fusion ; at com- 

 mon temperatures it neither oxidizes in air nor water, not even when 

 the water is boiling. 



When heated on platina foil it inflames with great splendour, and 

 becomes colourless glucine ; but to produce this effect it must be 

 heated to redness: in oxygen gas it burns with extraordinary 

 splendour, and yet the resulting glucine evinces no trace of fusion : 

 if it is mixed with hydrate of glucine, (which happens when too 

 much potassium is employed in the reduction,) aflame is perceived 

 during its combustion in the oxygen gas, arising from the hydro- 

 gen which is disengaged during the action of the glucinum upoa 

 the water. 



When heated in sulphuric acid it dissolves, with the evolution 

 of sulphurous acid gas : it readily dissolves in the sulphuric, muriatic, 

 and nitric acids ; and also in a solution of potash with the evolution 

 of hydrogen. Unlike aluminum, it is not acted upon by ammonia : 

 when moderately heated in chlorine it burns with great splendour, 

 and sublimes as a crystallized chloride : when heated in the vapour 

 of bromine it burns with equal facility, and the bromide of glucinum 

 sublimes in long white needles : it is fusible, very volatile, and dis- 

 solves in water with great heat. Heated in the vapour of iodine, 

 it burns in the same manner, and the iodide obtained sublimes in 

 white needles ; in other respects it is similar to the preceding. It 

 readily forms compounds also with sulphur, selenium, phosphorus, 

 and arsenic. 



Yttrium was procured from yttria in the manner above descri- 

 bed with respect to glucinum; its texture is scaly, its colour 

 gray-black, and lustre perfectly metallic; the scaly texture di.stin- 

 guishes it from aluminum and glucinum. Its colour and metallic 

 appearance are inferior to those of aluminum ; one being to the 

 other about as iron to tin. Aluminum appears to be a ductile 

 metal, and yttrium on the contrary a brittle one: the latter at com- 

 mon temperatures is not oxidized either in the air or in water ; but 

 when heated to redness it burns with splendour, and becomes yttria. 

 In oxygen gas the combustion is of the most brilliant kind. The 

 yttria obtained is white, and shows unequivocal marks of fusion. 

 It dissolves in sulphuric acid, and less readily in asolution of potash ; 

 ammonia does not act upon it. It combines with sulphur, selenium, 

 and phosphorus. 



It results from these and former experiments, that the bases of 

 alumina, glucina and yttria, are metals which at common tempera- 

 tures do not oxidize either in the air or water, but decompose it 

 when acids are present; and combine, and almost always with ex- 

 traordinary heat, with oxygen, clilorine, bromine, iodine, sulphur, 

 and selenium. — Ann. de Clnm.et de Phys. xxxix. 77. 



ACTION OF SULPHURE'lTED HYDROGEN ON SOLUTIONS OF 



MERCURY. 



M; Rose remarks that it is well known if, sulphuretted hydrogen 



be passed into a solution of mercury, tliat a white precipitate is at 



first formed, which eventually becomes black sulphuret. The white 



N. S. Vol. 5. No. 2i>. Mai/ 1829. 3 E precipitate 



