PLATINUM BLACK. 



IM.KADINO. 



deliquescent prismatic crystals on evaporation. It u very soluble in 

 wafer, alcohol r <-tln r. 'on heating it to 450* Kahr, half the chlorine 

 it exi*lled, and protackloridt of fJatinum (PtCl) remain*. HoUi 

 chloride* form crystalline double salts with alkaline chloride*. The 

 potamo-Moriitr uj jJa'inxm c Kfl. I't ( 'l.i is so sparingly soluble in 

 water, that it* formation u of < onideral>le value a* a <|iialiutive test 

 for potassium. Its insolubUity in alcohol and ether admit* of iu being 

 used a a mesas of quantitatively estimating potassium. Thcawmtmi-.- 

 Mantle of plait*** (XH.C1, PtCl,) is isomorpbous with the iUuaiam 

 kit, and U thrown down u a crystalline yellow precipitate on adding 

 together tolerably strong solutions of bichloride of platinum and 

 chloride of ammonium. 



'ft of Platinum. The pntoritle (Pt O) U a black precipitate, 

 formed on digesting the protochloride in caustic potash, and neutra- 

 lising with sulphuric acid. It forma unstable salts with acids. The 

 bimojride (PtO,> j precipitated as a bulky brown hydrate, on adding 

 carbonate of coda to excess of nitrate of platinum. It forma crystalline 

 compounds with the alkaliea and with acids. 



Sull-kiilti of platimtm are formed by the action of sulphuretted 

 hydrogen on proto- and In-salt* of platinum. The prototulphide (Pi S) 

 U gray, the buulpkide (Pt S.) black. 



lottidt* vfptatinm are produced by acting upon the chlorides with 

 iodide of potassium. The pntoiodide (Pt I) is black; the bmiodide 

 (Pt I,) U deep wine-red. 



Bioromidt of platinum (Pt Br.) is a brown insoluble powder. 



tfitratt of platinum (PtO,,9NO.) remains in solution when nitrate 

 of potash is added to bichloride of platinum so long as potassio-chloride 

 of platinum is deposited. 



Compound jJatinum and ammonia batet. Platotamine, plalinaminr, 

 tic. By the action of ammonia on protochloride and bichloride of 

 platinum, and by the action of nitric acid, *c., on the resulting pro- 

 ducts, a series of remarkable compounds hare been produced by Oros, 

 Reiart, Qerhardt, and Kaewsky. These bodies seem to be derivatives 

 of hydrated oxide of ammonium, containing platinum in the place of 

 hydrogen : they bear a striking resemblance to the ammonium ORGANIC 



Spongy platinum is a dull-gray, soft, porous form of platinum, 

 having somewhat the appearance of sponge. It is produced on simply 

 igniting the ammonio-chloride of platinum. It possesses in a high 

 degree that power of inducing the combustion of inflammable gases in 

 the manner already alluded to. When freshly prepared, it causes the 

 inflammation of a jet of hydrogen on the latter being impinged against 

 a small pellet of it. By great pressure spongy platinum is condensed into 

 lamina} having the metallic lustre. 



Platinum black differs from spongy platinum, not only in colour, but 

 in being perfectly amorphous. It is also in a still finer state of 

 division, and possesses in the highest degree the power of condensing 

 gasps upon its surface and of inducing the combustion of gases and 

 vapour*. It is prepared by adding to bichloride of platinum, first 

 protosulphate of iron, then caustic soda, and afterwards hydrochloric 

 acid ; or by precipitation from the chloride by means of metallic iron 

 reduced by hydrogen from the oxide obtained on igniting the oxolate 

 of iron. 



Alloyt of platinum. Platinum forms an alloy with tin, which 

 crystallises in cubes, and contains Pt,Sn,. With twenty-five per 

 cent, of indium, or with nineteen and a half per cent, of iridium and 

 five per cent, of rhodium, platinum forms alloys that arc perfectly 

 malleable : they may be worked into vessels that are almost unacted 

 upon by aqua rcgia, and which, from their greatly increased rigidity 

 retain their shape longer and better than if constructed of platinum 

 alone. 



DettetioX of platinum. The production of the yellow crystalline 

 precipitate with chloride of ammonium, which becomes converted into a 

 spongy metal on ignition, is sufficiently characteristic of platinum. 



tiimation nf platinum. This maybe effected in the state of spongy 

 platinum produced as already directed; or, on a tared filter, as 

 ammonio-chloride of platinum which contains 44'28 percent, of metal 

 or as potassio-chloride which contains 4<H3 per cent, of platinum. 



PLATINUM BLACK. [PLATOU-M.] 



PLATINUM, inlammable chloride of. Ethylchloroplatinic acid. 

 [ETHYL.] 



I'l.ATINDl'YlUDIXK. [PrniDiXE.] 



1'I.ATuSAMINK. | I'l.ATlXVK.j 



PLATOSOPYRIDINE. [I'YBIUISP.] 



H.AYIIOUSE. [THEATRE.] 



PLEA. fPLEAuixo.] 



PLEADING at Common Law. Pleadings are the allegations of tin 

 respective parties to a cause expressed hi technical language. In order 

 that a correct decision may be made upon disputed rights, it is neces 

 sary that the points to be decided should be clearly ascertained, and 

 this is effected by the system of pleading, whereby the precise p iM 

 in controversy are presented for decision, unencumbered with extraneous 

 matter. 



Actions are now commenced by writ of summons, calling upon the 

 defendant to appear, or otherwise the plaintiff will proceed to judgment 

 and execution. If the defendant fails to appear, the plaintiff obtains a 

 judgment by default. If he appears in court to answer the proceedings 

 against him, he is then entitled to receive from the plaintiff a detailed 



statement of the nature of his complaint, which is called the declara- 

 tion, narrati", or count, though the hut of these terms is now more 

 commonly used to denote one of several distinct matters of complaint 

 comprised in the same declaration. 



Eight days after the delivery of the declaration, the time for pleading 

 arrives ; the term " pleading being not only used in the extensive 

 nee mentioned above, but also in the limited sense of the answer, 

 whether consisting of statement or of denial, which is made by the 

 r\ltftr\^wtt to the declaration. In answering the declaration, the de- 

 fendant U not allowed to accumulate his objections both of law and of 

 fact in one defensive pleading. The peculiarity of our system in 

 referring matters of fact to the decision of a jury, and of leaving 

 questions of law only to the judges, has created a necessity for separa- 

 ting the matter* of law from those of fact, and of presenting the 

 in a ahape in which they can be readily understood by persons who are 

 not lawyer* by profession. It is to the severe analysis rcquii 

 this feature of our jurisprudence that the system of pleading is pro- 

 bably indebted for its excellence. 



If, when called upon to plead, the defendant fails to do so, he is 

 supposed to admit the complaint set out in the declaration, and there- 

 fore the court pronounces judgment against him upon his default, or, 

 as it is termed, by nil diclt, those being the words by which the default 

 of a defendant was formerly recorded. He may, however, decline to 

 answer the charge contained in the declaration, on the ground that the 

 court has no jurisdiction of the matter ; or that the plaintiff is not 

 entitled to sue, as being an outlaw, foreign enemy, or the like ; or that 

 the defendant cannot be sued alone, as being a marrn r as a 



party to a contract which forma the subject of the action, that he is 

 sued" without his co-contractor being made a co-defendant in the 

 action. This is called / aliatement, because the defendant 



prays that the court will abate (put down) or quash the proceedings. 

 The defendant may also pass by these pleas, and admitting, for the 

 present purpose at least, that the facts stated in the declaration are 

 true, may insist that the facts give the plaintiff no cause of action 

 against him; he may accordingly rest (demur) upon the facts as they 

 appear in the declaration, and call upon the court to give judgment, iu 

 his favour upon that state of facts. This form of pleading is called 

 a " demurrer." Or, finally, the defendant may answer the complaint, 

 or, as it is technically called, he may " plead to the action ; " and that 

 in one of two ways : he may deny one or more of the material allega- 

 tions in the declaration which is necessary to the maintenance of the 

 action : or plead one sweeping denial of the whole declaration, which 

 is called pleading the " general iuue;" which pleas are supposed to 

 " conclude to the country," that is, the defendant in them states his 

 readiness to submit to the decision of a jury (who are called " the 

 country," as contradistinguished from the "court") the truth of the 

 matter of fact asserted in the declaration and denied in the plea. It U 

 the same if the plea asserts a fact denied in the declaration ; and in 

 either case the defendant is said to take istiir. 



Another mode of " pleading to the action," is by putting in a 

 " special plfa," which cither expressly, or, according to modern practice, 

 tacitly, admits the truth of the allegations contained in the declaration, 

 but which not only confesses but also avoids them. The special plea 

 (whence the whole system is often called " special pleading ") intro- 

 duces some new fact or facts, the effect of which, if true, is to show 

 that notwithstanding the facts alleged in the deelan.ti- u. the plaintiff 

 is not entitled to maintain his action. As it is yet uncertain whether 

 the plaintiff will deny this new matter or will admit it to be true, 

 there can be no conclusion to the country upon such a plea, but if 

 that new matter contain an affirmative, proposition, the defendant is 

 supposed to conclude his plea with a r< hat is, an oll'n- to 



prove it if its truth should be controverted on the other side. This is 

 called " tendering on issue." 



This special plea may also consist of those facts, on which a court of 

 equity would relieve the defendant against the plaintiff's claim, and is 

 thence called an eauitaUe defence. 



The next pleading on the part of the plaintiff will l>e regulated by 

 the course pursued by the defendant If the defendant has plead. -.1 in 

 abatement, the plaintiff either acquiesces in Ike action being qn 

 or he demurs to the plea as not showing sufficient matter for quashing 

 the proceedings, or he replies to the plea either l.y taking issue 

 (denying) some material allegation in the plea, or by confessin 

 avoiding the plea, alleging some matter which, consistently with the 

 truth of the plea, destroys its effect and shows that the proceedings 

 ought not to be quashed, or amends his proceedings. If the plaintiff 

 demurs to the plea in abatement, the defendant must either abandon 

 that plea and put in a plea to the action, or he must join in demurrer. 

 If, upon the argument of the demurrer, the court are of opinion that 

 i in abatement is good, they give judgment that the proceedings 

 be quashed : if they are of opinion that the plea is bad, the judgment 

 is, that the defendant answer over (quod respondent ouster), in other 

 words, that he plead to the action. 



If the plaintiff take issue upon the plea in abatement, the defendant 

 is bound to join issue, that is, to accept the mode of trial offered, and 

 if upon a trial the issue lie found fur the defendant, he has judgment 

 that the proceedings be quashed ; but if the verdict I 

 the judgment is, not that the defendant answer over, but that the 

 plaintiff recover his demand against the defendant. 



