312 Scientific Intelligence. [Oct. 



grains either solitary or aggregated. The form is that of a 

 regular hexahedral prism truncated on the edges and angles. 

 In form and other characters it perfectly resembles the dichroite 

 of Cape de Gatte, and of India. 



Pyrgom. — By this name, Werner distinguishes the mineral 

 found in the valley of Fassa, and to which the name of fassaite 

 had already been given by the Italian mineralogists. In its crys- 

 tallization, its structure, and other essential characters, it 

 perfectly agrees with augite (pyroxene of Hauy). 



IV. On Siriit?n, a supposed New Metal. 



A new metal is said to have been discovered by Prof. West, 

 or Vest, of Gratz, to which he gives the name of Sirium, a speci- 

 men of which has been sent over to this country. This, however, 

 we learn, upon being examined by Dr. Wollaston, proves to be 

 a compound, consisting essentially of a sulphuret of nickel and 

 cobalt, with a minute quantity of iron, and exhibiting also a trace 

 of arsenic. 



In the Annales de Chimie et de Physique for May, there is 

 an account of this supposed metal from an anonymous corre- 

 spondent at Vienna, accompanied by some observations from the 

 editor ; a translation of which will, we trust, prove interesting to 

 our readers. 



This metal is procured from the nickel mine of Schladminger, 

 where it is found united to a large quantity of arsenic and nickel, 

 with a little cobalt and iron. After having melted the ore in a 

 crucible with glass, it is pulverized and dissolved in nitric acid ; 

 the excess of acid is saturated, and the acetate of lead is then 

 added : an arseniate of lead is precipitated, but a portion of 

 arsenic still remains in solution. The excess of lead is separated 

 by sulphate of soda, the fluid is filtered, and a little acid is 

 added, which is necessary to obtain the Sirium in a state of 

 purity. After having passed a current of sulphuretted hydrogen 

 through the solution, it is neutralized by carbonate of potash, 

 until a flocculent precipitate is formed, which is not re-dissolved : 

 if we then pass a second current of sulphuretted hydrogen 

 through the solution, the Sirium is precipitated in combination 

 with sulphur. It is an essential character of this metal not to 

 be precipitated from its solutions by sulphuretted hydrogen, 

 when they contain an excess of acid, but to be precipitated 

 when they are not in this state. The green fluid, from which 

 the Sirium has been precipitated, contains nickel, cobalt, and 

 iron. 



If the dried sulphuret of Sirium be heated in a crucible lined with 

 charcoal, we obtain a black scorified mass with a metallic frac- 

 ture. This mass is pulverized, 4- of its weight of oxide of arsenic 

 is added to it, and it is heated for half an hour at a temperature 

 of about 60° W. The discoverer of this metal, M. Vest, procured, 

 in one experiment, a spongy regulus ; and in another, a compact 

 3 



