1825.] Mr. George on Chloride of Titanium, 19 



Tydvil, which he has shown to be metallic titanium, occurs also 

 at the Low Moor Iron Works, near Bradford, Yorkshire. Hav- 

 ing a short time ago an opportunity to examine the foundation 

 of a blown out furnace at the Low Moor Iron Works, I found the 

 upper part of the stone, upon which the melted metal rests, com- 

 pletely penetrated by metallic iron, sulphuret of iron, and carbo- 

 naceous matter, amongst which brilHant cubes of metallic tita- 

 nium were thickly dispersed. 



Upon a portion of this substance reduced to a coarse powder 

 I poured muriatic acid ; a large quantity of hydrogen and sul- 

 phuretted hydrogen gases was extricated, and after ebullition in 

 excess of acid, the iron and earths contained in the slag were 

 dissolved, leaving brilliant cubes of titanium having a colour 

 between that of copper and gold and possessing great metallic 

 brilliancy, mixed with grains of silex ; the carbonaceous part had 

 floated away with the muriatic solutions. 



Having removed the grains of silex, 60 grains of the metallic 

 titanium were placed in a glass tube, and a current of chlorine 

 (from which all moisture had been removed by dry chloride of 

 calcium), passed over them, no action was perceptible, nor was 

 the lustre in the least impaired ; on heating to ignition the part 

 of the tube in which the titanium was placed, a fluid gradually 

 condensed in the cool part of the tube, and was collected by 

 gently inclining it. 



This fluid is transparent and colourless ; it possesses consi- 

 derable density ; on exposure to the atmosphere, it emits dense 

 white fumes, having a pungent odour resembling, but not nearly 

 so offensive as, chlorine ; the dense fumes appear to depend upon 

 the presence of moisture ; it boils violently at a temperature a 

 little higher than 212° Fahr. and is recondensed without decom- 

 position : on the addition of a drop of water to a few drops of 

 this liquid, a very rapid, almost explosive disengagement of 

 chlorine ensued, attended by a considerable elevation of tem- 

 perature, and when the water is not in excess, a solid salt is 

 formed. 



This salt is very soluble in water, deliquescent, and its solu- 

 tion possesses all the properties of muriate of titanium, giving a 

 brownish red precipitate with prussiate of potash, a dark red 

 with infusion of galls ; with pure potash a gelatinous precipi- 

 tate, soluble in excess of muriatic acid, and after subsidence 

 nitrate of silver, occasioning in the supernatant fluid a precipi- 

 tate of chloride of silver: ammonia throws down a white 

 precipitate from the solution. 



A salt possessing the same properties crystallizes in the inte- 

 rior of the tube when the chlorine is not freed from hygrometric 

 moisture. 



To ascertain the composition of the two substances, upon 14-6 



c2 



