460 GOLD, PLATINUM, PALLADIUM, &c. 



It is obvious that the crystals had retained a 

 portion of the mercury mechanically lodged be- 

 tween their particles. In fact, these crystals 

 resembled crystals of a salt taken out of the 

 mother liquor before being dried ; yet I think it 

 not unlikely from this experiment, that the crys- 

 tals of amalgam of mercury, if they could be 

 obtained in a state of purity, would consist of 



1 atom platinum 12, 



1 atom mercury 25 



37 



7. From the preceding experiments there 

 seems no doubt that the atom of platinum weighs 

 12; and that it forms two oxides, only one of 

 which, the peroxide, has been yet obtained in a 

 separate state. The atomic weight of the per- 

 oxide is 14. The protoxide must be a com- 

 pound of 1 atom platinum and 1 atom oxygen, 

 and its atomic weight must be 13. 



SECT. III. 



OF THE ATOMIC WEIGHT OF RHODIUM. 



THE soda-muriate of rhodium, a triple salt dis- 

 covered by Dr. Wollaston, and with a quantity 

 of which he was so obliging as to supply me a 



