152 Intcllige?tce and Miscellaneous Articles. 



contained a much larger quantity than the iron prepared from it, 

 thought that the scoriae formed during the conversion of the cast 

 into wrought iron would be still richer : this conjecture was con- 

 firmed by experiment ; and M. Sefstrom being enabled thus to pro- 

 cure a sufficient quantity of the new substance, he examined its 

 properties, in conjunction with M. Berzelius. 



The name of Vanadium, from Vanadis, a Scandinavian divinity, is 

 provisionally given to the substance. Vanadium forms an oxide 

 and an acid with oxygen ; the acid is red, pulverulent, fusible, and 

 on solidifying becomes crystalline ; it is slightly soluble in water, 

 reddens litmus, gives yellow neutral salts and orange bisalts. Its 

 combinations, with acids or bases, dissolved in water, possess the 

 singular property of suddenly losing their colour, assuming 

 if again only at the moment of returning to the solid state; and if 

 then redissolved they preserve their colour. This phaenomenon 

 appears to have some analogy with the two distinct states of the 

 phosphoric acid and phosphates. 



Hydrogen gas reduces vanadic acid at a white heat; a coherent 

 mass remains, which has a weak metallic lustre, and conducts elec- 

 tricity perfectly ; but it is not certain that the reduction is complete. 

 Vanadium thus obtained does not combine with sulphur, even when 

 heated to redness in an atmosphere of its vapour. Oxide of vanadium 

 is brown, almost black ; it dissolves readily in acids. The salts are 

 of a very deep brown colour, but on the addition of a little nitric 

 acid, effervescence occurs, and the colour becomes of a very fine 

 blue. 



Sulphuretted hydrogen, and even nitrous acid reduce vanadic 

 acid combined with another acid, to the blue matter, which appears 

 to be a compound of vanadic acid with the oxide of vanadium, 

 analogous to the compounds formed by tungsten, molybdena, 

 iridium and osmium. The oxide and acid of tliis metal produce 

 other combinations, which are green, yellow and red, and all soluble 

 in water. When the oxide of vanadium is produced in the humid 

 way, it is soluble in water and the alkalies. The presence of a salt 

 renders it insoluble, and upon this eflect may be founded a process 

 for precipitating it. The vanadates dissolved in water are decom- 

 posed by sulphuretted hydrogen, and converted into sulpho-salts, 

 of a fine red colour. Chloride of vanadium is a colourless fluid, 

 very volatile, and produces a thick red vapour in the air; the flu- 

 oride is sometimes red, at other times colourless, but always fixed. 

 Before the blow-pipe vanadium colours fluxes of a fine green, like 

 chrome. — Ann. de Chim. xlv, p. 332. 



It appears that this new metal has also been discovered by M. 

 del Rio, in a lead ore found in Mexico. —Ibid. xlvi. p. 205. 



MAGNESIUM. 



A report was made to the Academy of Sciences, on the 21st of 

 February, on the mode adopted by M. Bussy, for obtaining mag- 

 nesium in a metallic state, which is by decomposing chloride of • 

 magnesium by means of potassium. Magnesium is a brilliant metal, 



of 



