20 URANIUM, ANTIMONY, CHROMIUM, &c. 



the 40 or 50 grains of the salt, obtained at 

 the end of the process, were not employed in the 

 experiments to be immediately described. 



The salt thus obtained was redissolved, and 

 evaporated a second time. It was obtained 

 partly in the state of small crystalline grains, and 

 partly in hard globular crystals, composed of 

 small needles diverging from a centre ; but the 

 form of the crystals was too irregular to be de- 

 termined. This salt has a most beautiful lemon 

 yellow colour. Its taste is very astringent, like 

 that of all the salts of uranium ; but it leaves 

 likewise an impression of bitterness. 



(1.) 51 grains of these crystals were exposed 

 to a pretty strong heat (but not quite red heat) 

 in a platinum crucible. The process was stopped 

 when fusion seemed to be beginning the reason 

 of this was, that in some previous trials I had 

 found that if the salt had been exposed to a 

 strong red heat, and had been completely fused, 

 it was not afterwards altogether soluble in water. 

 The loss of weight by this regulated heat was 

 exactly 4*5 grains, which is equivalent to 4 

 atoms water; from this experiment it follows, 

 that 51 parts of the triple salt contain 4 atoms 

 of water. 



(2.) 51 grains of the crystals of the same salt 

 were dissolved in water, and the solution was 

 mixed with a solution of 33-125 grains of chlo- 

 ride of barium. A double decomposition took 



