TRIPHYL1TE. 169 



The solution which contains the bases, is evaporated, 

 and heated to a dull red heat to drive off the quick- 

 silver. The mass is then treated with a solution of 

 nitrate of ammonia to dissolve the lime and magnesia, 

 and the oxides of iron and manganese are separated by 

 filtration, the latter are washed and added to the first 

 portion containing oxide of iron, dissolved in hydro- 

 chloric acid, and treated as in No. 25. 



From the solution which contains the alkalies, mag- 

 nesia, and lime, the latter are precipitated by adding a 

 small excess of oxalate of ammonia, the liquid filtered, 

 concentrated by evaporation, and the magnesia pre- 

 cipitated and also washed by a mixture of caustic and 

 carbonate of ammonia. The filtered solution is evap- 

 orated to dry ness, the mass heated to decompose the 

 nitrate of ammonia, and the alkaline nitrates treated 

 with a mixture of equal parts of alcohol and ether, in 

 which the nitrate of lithia dissolves. The mixture of 

 nitrates of potassa and soda are heated with chloride of 

 ammonium to convert them into chloride, and then 

 separated by chloride of platinum. 



The lithia may be separated from both the other 

 alkalies by precipitating as SLiO, PO 5 . The solution 

 is mixed with phosphate of soda, and evaporated to 

 dry ness, being kept slightly alkaline, by the addition 

 from time to time of pure caustic soda. The mass is 

 then dissolved in the smallest possible quantity of 

 water, mixed with an equal quantity of ammonia, 

 allowed to stand for twelve hours, filtered, and the pre- 

 cipitate carefully washed with ammonia. If the filtrate 

 is evaporated to dryness, some lithia-salt separates. 



Magnesia may also be separated from lithia by add- 

 ing hot saturated baryta-water to a solution of the 

 chlorides. The lithia is then converted into a sulphate, 

 and as such weighed. 



In order to obtain the lithia, the coarsely-powdered 

 mineral is dissolved in concentrated hydrochloric acid, 

 15 



