70 Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



ON CHIOLITE — A NEW MINERAL. BY M. HERMANN. 



There is found in the granite of the district of Miask in Russia a 

 white mineral, which has much resemblance to cryolite, but the com- 

 position is different. 



This new mineral occurs in compact and granular masses, and 

 sometimes spathose or leafy. The lamellar portions are somewhat 

 translucent, and give an appearance to the mineral of its being 

 impregnated with moisture or with fatty matter. The cleavage faces 

 form an angle of 66°. 



Its hardness is that of fluor spar ; its lustre is between vitreous 

 and greasy. Its density is 2-72. It fuses below the melting-point 

 of glass, without yielding a trace of water. Heated in an o])en 

 tube, it evinces the action of hydrofluoric acid. It fuses readily with 

 borax and a phosjjhate, giving colourless glasses. When mixed with 

 sulphuric acid, the powdered mineral disengages much hydrofluoric 

 acid. Cai'bonate of ammonia precipitates pure alumina from the so- 

 lution ; the liquor separated from the precipitate contains pure sul- 

 phate of soda, unmixed with potash or lithia. 

 M. Hermann found it to consist of — 



Sodium 23-78 



Aluminium 18'69 



Fluorine 57"33 



100-00 

 Crj'olite contains, for the same quantity of fluoride of sodium, only 

 half the quantity of fluoride of aluminium contained in chiolite. — 

 Ibid. 



PURIFICATION OF MERCURY. BY M. MILLON. 



Mercury may be perfectly purified by agitating it for a consider- 

 able time with weak nitric acid. With two pounds of the metal, 

 about an ounce and a half of the acid diluted with twice its volume 

 of water may be employed. The mercury freed from the nitrate thus 

 formed is to be boiled with pure nitric acid sufficient to dissolve 

 about nine- tenths of the metal ; the resulting nitrate of mercury is 

 to be reduced to red oxide by heat, and this is to be calcined in a 

 porcelain retort to reduce it. 



By the action of the first portion of nitric acid the more oxidable 

 metals are acted upon ; the second portion of acid leaves the metals 

 less oxidable than mercury in the undissolved portion. 



As the mercury reduced by this process dissolves a notable quan- 

 tity of oxide, this last is to be separated by agitation with sulphuric 

 acid ; it is afterwards to be washed with a very large quantity of 

 water, and dried in the receiver of the air-pump over sulphuric acid. 

 Mercury thus purified was employed by M. Regnault in his third 

 determination of its density. 



M. Millon states that when a saline solution, such as chloride of 



