ANTIMONY. 41 



tained was exceedingly soft, and its specific gra- 

 vity was only 6*424, at the temperature of 60. 

 This is somewhat below the specific gravity of 

 this metal usually given by chemists. 



1. 5%5 grains of this antimony were put into 

 a platinum crucible, and dissolved by the assist- 

 ance of heat in nitric acid. The solution was 

 evaporated to dryness, and exposed for some 

 hours to a heat of 500. A yellow coloured 

 powder was thus obtained, possessing the pro- 

 perties of peroxide of antimony ; it weighed 7*5 

 grains. Four different trials, made in the same 

 way, gave each the same result. Thus it ap- 

 pears that peroxide of antimony is a compound 

 of 



Antimony . . 5-5 



Oxygen . . 2 



It is evident that 5*5 is the atomic weight of At ? mof 



antimony 



antimony, and that peroxide of antimony is a an ? per- 

 compound of 1 atom metal and 2 atoms oxygen. 

 Its atomic weight, therefore, is 7* 



2. 7 '5 grains of peroxide of antimony were Atom f 

 kept for some time in a red heat; the colour 

 changed from yellow to white, and the weight 

 diminished from 7%5 to 7. By this process the 

 peroxide was changed into deutoxide ; for the 

 white powder possessed the well known proper- 



