THE 

 LONDON, EDINBURGH and DUBLIN 



PHILOSOPHICAL MAGAZINE 



AND 



JOURNAL OF SCIENCE. 



[FOURTH SERIES.] 



OCTOBER 1855. 



XXIX. On a neiv and advantageous Method of prep<iring Alu- 

 minium. By H. Rose, Pi'ofessor of Chemistry in the Univer- 

 sity of Berlin^. 



SINCE the discovery of aluminium by Wohler, Deville has re- 

 cently taught us the means of procuring this metal in large 

 solid masses, in which condition it exhibits properties with which 

 we were previously unacquainted in its more jndverulent form as 

 procui-ed by Wohler's method. While, for instance, in the latter 

 state it burns vividly to white earthy alumina on being ignited, 

 the fused globules may be heated to redness without being per- 

 ceptibly oxidized. The", ditterences may be ascribed to the 

 greater amount of division on the one hand and of density on 

 the other. According to Deville, however, Wohler's metal con- 

 tains platiua, by which he explains its difficulty of fusion 

 (although it affords white alumina by combustion). 



Upon the piiblication of Deville's researches, I also tried to 

 procure aluminium by the decomposition of the chloride of alu- 

 minium and sodium by means of sodium, I did not follow 

 exactly the method of Deville, but placed the salt in alternate 

 layers with sodium and applied heat. I did not, however, obtain 

 satisfactory results. 



Moreover, Professor Rammelsberg, who followed exactly the 

 method of Deville, obtained but a very small product, and found it 

 very difficult to prevent the cracking of the glass tube in which 

 the experiment was conducted by the action of the vapour of 

 sodium on the chloride of aluminium. It appeared to me that 

 a great amount of time, trouble and expense, as well as long 

 practice, was necessaiy to obtain even small quantities of this 

 remarkable metal. 



* From Poggendorff's Annalen for September, p. 152. Communicated 

 by T. H. Henry, Esq., F.R.S. 



Phil. May, S. 4. Vol. 10. No. G6. Oct. 1855. R 



