PLATINUM. 453 



2. The triple muriate of platinum and soda Analysis of 



, . , , ! i i i bichloride 



has not hitherto been described in any chemical of platinum 

 book which I have seen though it must have an 

 often been prepared by practical chemists. It 

 may be worth while, therefore, to mention its 

 most striking properties before proceeding to its 

 analysis. 



Its colour is a fine orange red it crystallizes 

 in flat, and very oblique four-sided prisms its 

 taste is cooling, bitter, and disagreeable it has 

 no smell its specific gravity is 1 *980 at the 

 temperature of 62 '5, 100 parts of water dissolve 

 107'2 parts of the crystals of this salt it is so- 

 luble, likewise, in alcohol. I analyzed it in the 

 following manner : 



37'5 grains of the crystals being cautiously 

 heated on the sand bath for about an hour, were 

 found to sustain a loss of weight amounting, at 

 an average, to 9 grains. Sometimes, when the 

 heat happened to be too low, the loss of weight 

 was less than 9 grains ; and at other times when 

 it was too high, it exceeded that amount. The 

 salt, thus deprived of its water of crystallization, 

 was heated to redness in a platinum crucible, and 

 the heat was continued till the platinum in the 

 salt was reduced to the metallic state : the addi- 

 tional loss of weight sustained was 9 grains this 

 loss was owing to the disengagement of chlorine. 

 The matter remaining in the crucible was di- 

 gested in distilled water till every thing soluble 



F f 3 



