II.' Mr. K. KKtch.-r. Chein* lysis oj a [Feb. 1/i. 



IV. * Chemical Analysis of the Meteoric Stone found at Maka- 

 riwa, near Invercargill, New Zealand, iii the year 1886." 

 By L. FLETCHER, M.A., F.R.S., Keeper of Minerals in the 

 British Museum. Received December 13, 1893. 



(Abstract.) 



As the preliminary investigation of the Makariwa stone had 

 already indicated to Professor Ulrich* the presence of mineral con- 

 stituents having the physical characters of olivine, enstatite, glass, a 

 substance resembling glass, nickel-iron, troilite, magnetite, hydrous 

 oxide of iron, and possibly chromite, the quantitative chemical analysis 

 presented difficulties, among which may be specially mentioned the 

 fact that one chemical element (iron) enters into the composition of 

 each of the above fine-grained and closely intermingled constituents. 

 This chemical examination I was invited to undertake by Professor 

 J. W. Judd, F.R.S., through whom the two fragments of the stone 

 sent to this country by Professor Ulrich have been generously pre- 

 sented to the British Museum. 



The composite method adopted for the analysis was as follows : 

 It was found advisable to make a preliminary separation of the 

 powder by means of a magnet into attracted and unattracted 

 material. Treatment of a portion of the attracted material with a 

 solution of mercuric ammonium chloride, as recommended by Dr. 

 Friedheim,t revealed the fact that the proportion of rust was 

 too large to be negligible, and indicated the necessity of a pre- 

 liminary reduction of the rust of the unattracted material, and of a 

 subsequent extraction of the reduced metal with mercuric solution ; 

 this prevents the unattracted oxide of iron due to rusting of the 

 alloy from passing into the hydrochloric acid extract with the oxide 

 of iron of the silicate decomposed by the acid. Accordingly, after 

 the sulphur and phosphorus of the unattracted material had been 

 determined, mercuric solution was employed both before and after 

 lieating the material to low redness in a current of hydrogen (as 

 recommended by von Baumhauer), the residual unrusted and rusted 

 nickel- iron being thus separately removed. Analysis of the post- 

 reduction mercuric extract showed that there had been a small, but 

 appreciable, action on the silicate portion of the meteorite during the 

 reduction. Further, it became obvious that the troilite was largely 

 affected by the heating in hydrogen, and in such a way that the 

 greater part of the iron of that constituent, and practically all the 

 iron and nickel of the schreibersite, had gone into the mercuric 



' Roy. Soc. Proc.,' 1893, vol. 53, p. 54. 

 t ' Sitz. Ak. Berlin,' 18S8, p. 345. 



