Electro-dejiosited Antimony. 4i7 



of amorphous antimony upon gold-leaf attached by varnish to 

 a tube of glass, the film of gold was quickly raised from the sur- 

 face, and curled into fantastic shapes by the cohesive action. 

 Both varieties of the metal exhibit this phrenomenou. 



18. The fracture of amorphous antimony is conchoidal, 

 smooth, and wavy ; that of the gray variety is crystalline, radia- 

 ting like hematite. The texture of the former is rather soft and 

 weak, that of the latter is quite hard and strong. The amor- 

 phous metal files easily, the gray with more .difficulty. The 

 gray metal, if stiiick by a hard substance, emits a clear metallic 

 sound, whilst the dark variety gives a more dull tone. The 

 crystallization lines of gray antimony are at right angles to the 

 receiving surface ; and in several experiments of depositing upon 

 magnets, the direction of those lines did not seem to be altered 

 by the magnetism. 



19. The amorphous variety, if gently struck by a hard sub- 

 stance, u.udergoes a rapid and intense change throughout its mass, 

 attended by development of considerable heat ; the crystalline 

 kind undergoes no such change, apparently, under any circum- 

 stances. The change appears to be molecular in its character; 

 and according to this view the crystalline variety of metal must 

 be regarded as being in a state of comparatively stable molecular 

 equilibrium. 



20. The following are a fcw selected instances of this phfeno- 

 meuon. Antimony was deposited to jyth of an inch thick upon 

 a permanent bar magnet immersed vertically in the solution of 

 tartar-emetic and dilute hydrochloric acid ; the deposit was well 

 washed, and after remaining in this state two days, I struck it 

 gently with a small piece of i'-on ; it at once shattered all to 

 pieces with great evolution of heat and with a small cloud of 

 vapour, emitting an adour of burnt tartrates and hydrochloric 

 acid. 



21. On another occasion a deposit ith of an inch thick, formed 

 upon one side of a copper medallion in the same liquid, had 

 been removed from the solution and lain in water thirty-six 

 hours ; I then wiped it dry and momentarily applied the lianie 

 of a candle to a very small portion of its edgej the whole at 

 once changed with exceedingly great evolution of heat. 



22. Once having by accident feebly struck a deposited bar 

 ^tli8 of an incli thick against the glass containing- vessel beneath 

 the surface of the liquid, the metal was immediately shattered 

 throughout, many pieces fell to the bottom of the vessel, and 

 a powerful su])prcssed bubbling noise, as of heated tnetal plunged 

 into water, occurred. 



23. At another time, when examining the thermo-electric 

 properties of a bar 4|^ inches long and l;j; iuch thick, ou bring- 



