C8 JVew Metal, provisionally called Vanadium. 



" Vanadium combines with oxygen to form an oxide and an 

 acid. The acid is red, pulverulent, fusible, and on solidifying, 

 becomes crystalline. It is slightly soluble in water, reddens lit- 

 mus, and forms yellow neutral salts, and orange bisalts. Its com- 

 binations with acids or bases, have the peculiar property of sud- 

 denly losing their colour — they resume it only on becoming solid 

 again, and being then re-dissolved, preserve their colour. This 

 phenomenon appears to have some analogy with the two states 

 of phosphoric acid and of phosphates. 



" Hydrogen at a white heat, reduces vanadic acid, leaving a 

 coherent mass, having a feeble metallic lustre, and being a good 

 conductor of electricity, but it is not certain that the reduction is 

 complete. Vanadium, thus obtained, does not combine with sul- 

 phur when heated to redness, in its vapour. The oxide of Vana- 

 dium is brown, or nearly black, and dissolves readily in acids. 

 The salts are of a deep brown colour ; but, by the addition of a 

 little nitric acid, effervesce, and become of a fine blue colour. 



" Vanadic acid, combined with another acid, is reduced by 

 sulphuretted hydrogen, and even by nitrous acid, to that blue 

 matter which appears to be a compound of Vanadic acid with 

 the oxide of Vanadium, analogous to those compounds formed by 

 Tungsten, Molybdenum, Iridium, and Osmium. The oxide and 

 acid of this metal together produce other combinations, green, 

 yellow, and red, all soluble in water. 



" V^hen the oxide of Vanadium is produced in the humid way, 

 it is soluble both in water and alkalies. The presence of a salt 

 renders it insoluble, and upon this effect may be founded a pro- 

 cess for its preparation. 



" The Vanadates, when dissolved in water, are decomposed by 

 sulphuretted hydrogen, and converted into sulfa salts, of a fire 

 red colour. 



" The chloride of Vanadium is a very volatile, colourless liquid, 

 producing thick red fumes in the air. The fluoride is sometimes 

 colourless, sometimes red, but always fixed. Before the blow- 

 pipe Vanadium colours fluxes of a fine green colour, in that re- 

 spect resembling chrome."* 



• On the 28tli of February, M. Humboldt stated that the same metal had been 

 discovered in Mexico, by M. Del Rio, in a brown lead ore from Zimapan ; who 

 had named it Erythronium, but was induced to suppose it not a simple substance, 

 but an impure chrome : upon a re-analysis of the ore of Zimapan, it is found the 

 metals are identical. 



