'Electro-deposited Antimony. 448: 



one measure of sulphuric acid and tvventy measures of water, 

 and having prepared a small quantity of the mixture of chloride 

 of antimony and tartar-emetic, connect with the terminal silver 

 a piece of commercial antimony ("best French regulus") of the 

 same amount of immersed surface as one of the battery-plates, 

 and immerse it in the liquid as an anode, and for a receiving 

 surface immerse a piece of clean polished silver or copper of 

 about one-half the amount of surface of the antimony; connect 

 it by a silver or copper wire with the negative pole of the battery ; 

 suspend it vertically in the lower part of the depositing liquid at 

 a few inches from the anode, and protect the connecting wire 

 from receiving a deposit near the surface of the liquid by a piece 

 of gutta-percha tube, glass tube, or by a layer of varnish formed 

 by dissolving pure gutta pcrcha in bisulphide of carbon to the 

 cousisteuce of treacle. A perfectly bright deposit of amorphous 

 antimony will immediately be formed, and will, if the electric 

 power be rather great, exhibit a scaly surface after half an hour's 

 action ; but by further continuance the scaliness will cease, and 

 a firm coherent deposit of perfect brightness, and of similar 

 appearance to highly polished steel, will be produced. If the 

 electric pov>er is too great, the deposit will be granular and 

 loose. Much impure matter will appear upon the anode during 

 the process, especially if " common bowl regulus " is used, and 

 may be removed by means of a hard brush and dilute hydro- 

 chloric acid. There is no depositing liquid with which I am 

 acquainted, of any metal, which will bear so great a variation of 

 electric power without deteriorating the quality of the deposit, 

 as tliat composed of tartar-emetic dissolved to saturation in 

 hydrochlorate of terchloride of antimony : good amorphous de- 

 posits have been obtained in it with batteries varying from one 

 to tliirty-six pairs in intensity. 



G. To produce a crystalline deposit, prepare a similar quan- 

 tity of the second liquid, and proceed in exactly the same man- 

 ner, except that a much larger receiving surface should be used 

 in consequence of the greater tendency to a sandy deposit, and 

 the protecting tube or varnish may be omitted. In this case the 

 deposit is gray, and frequently of a dull aspect, or even a dark 

 loose granular powder if the power is too great; but when pro- 

 perly produced it has a silky lustre or semi-iridescent silver-gray 

 appearance, especially when viewed within the liquid; and if the 

 jjroccss is continued several days, or, better, for one week, tlie 

 edges of the deposit assume a partly nodular form. The cleau- 

 ing of the auod ; in this case may be of less frequency, and with 

 water alone. 



7. A speed of deposition, varying from 075 to 30 grains per 

 square lucJi oi receiving surface per hour, liab repeatedly yielded 



