2^8 



NATURE 



[January io, 1895 



which is rarely the caie in the male, and the green markings, 

 which disappear towaids the cosia in the male, are there in 

 the female replaced by long bifid grey streaks between the 

 nervures. An interesting account of the habits of this species, 

 as noliced by various observers, is given by Mr. Rippon in his 

 " Icones Otlhopierotum." 



One other species of this genus is known : T. Trofana, Stau- 

 dinger, from Palawan, an island about a hundred miles Irom the | 

 north coast of Borneo. Here the brassy-green spois of the fore 

 wings of the male are shorter and more subconical, instead of | 

 forming long isosceles triangles, and there is only a row of 

 coonec eJ green spots across the hind wings, bordered within 

 with blue ; the base of the wings is also marked with rich 

 blue across the nervures, and along the edge of the fold of the 

 hind wings. | 



Some idea of the market value of conspicuous insects, before 

 they are sent over in numbers, may be gathered from the circum- 

 stance that a specimen of this butterfly recently sold for ;£^IS at 

 Stevens's auction roims. | 



This is the last genus included in Ornithoptera which is met | 

 with in the East, but the two largest West African butterflies 

 are likewise considered to belong to this group, and may re- \ 

 ccive a passing notice here. One of these is the famous Drurya 

 Aitlimj.hus, which was brought by Smeathman from Sierra | 

 l.eone, and figured by Drury in 17S2, and, afterwards, by ^ 

 Donovan in his " Naturalists' Repository," but of which no 

 second specimen wa> seen in Europe till 1864. It is an insect 

 with very long and narrow wings, from seven to nearly nine 

 inches in expanse, and much resembles some gigantic species of 

 the very characteristic African genus Air,ca. It is black, with j 

 large tawny spots and markings toward- the ba<e of the fore 

 winjjs, the greater part of the hind wings is tawny, with a row 

 of black suhmarginal spots. It has been suggested that this 

 insect possibly mimics an extinct Acriza, for the largest known 

 species of that genus are not much more than half the size of 

 /). Antimacktis. The female is considerably smiller than the 

 male {a raiher unusual character in butterflies), and has much 

 shorter wings. There are two specimens in the Hewitson Col- 

 lection in the British Mu>eum, and ii was one of these that Mr. 

 Hewiison used to say cost him /500. The real explanation is 

 probably that he spent that amount in sending out agents to 

 collect butterflies in Africa, with special instructions to look for 

 D. Antiinachus. Of late years, many specimens have been 

 brought to Europe, and the butterfly can now be bought at a 

 comparatively reasonable price. 



The other West African butterfly now recognised as belonging 

 to the Otnilhoplcra group, but lor which a new genus will pro- 

 bably be created before long, was described by Hewitson under 

 the name of rapilio Zalmoxis. It measures about seven inches 

 across the wings, which are broader and more rounded than in 

 the typical Eastern buiietflies of this group. The male is o( a 

 raiher pale blue, with black borders, slightly spotted with blue 

 on the hind wings, and with black mart;inal lines between the 

 nervures, and a black cosIa rn the fore wings. The male 

 is fairly common in collections, but the female, which is of a 

 dull yellowish grey instead of blue, is si ill very rare. 



It is curious that, like the gorilla and chimpanzee, the nearest 

 relatives of these two great West' African butterflies (if we except 

 Papilio Kidltyanus, White, a West African bulierfly which has 

 some resemblance \oD. Antimachtis, though it is much smaller 

 and redder), are to be looked for in the islands of the Eastern 

 Archipelago. W. F. Kirby. 



A aWew element in the nitrogen 



CROUP. 

 A NEW element appears to have been discovered by Dr. 

 ■^ Bayer in the residual liquors derived from the older pro- 

 cess for the extraction of aluminium from red bauxile, and an 

 account of it is commnn cited to the current issue of the 

 HulUltn ill la Social,' Chiinii]ue. The liquors in question con- 

 sist chirfly of »ulphaic and carbonate of sodium, but there are 

 also present considerable quantities of chromic and vanadic 

 acids, and smaller quantities of molybHic, silicic, arsenic, 

 phosphoric, and t.ingsiic acids, lOKcthcr »iih alumina, magnesia, 

 a'd lime, and an acid of the new clement. In order to isolate 

 the latter, the vanadium and chromium arc first removed, ihc 

 former as the difficultly soluble ammonium van.vlate, and the 

 lat er as hydrated sesquioxide. The filtered liquid is then 

 saturated with sulphuretted hydrogen, and the sulphides, all of 



NO. 1315, VOL. 51] 



which are soluble in the alkaline liquid, are precipitated by 

 hydrochloric acid. This precipitate exhibits a deep brown 

 colour, due to the new element. When dried it pre- 

 sents a brown earthy appearance, and burns readily with 

 evolution of sulphur dioxide and formation of a bright 

 brown powder. Concentrated nitric acid instantly causes 

 ignition, and formation of a deep brown solution, from 

 which a small quantity of a yellow precipitate of a compound of 

 molybdic and arsenic acids is deposited. The brown liquid con- 

 tains no tin, antim iny, or tellurium, but sill retains traces of 

 vanadium, molybdenum, and selenium. These elements arc 

 best removed by calcination of the sulphides immedi.itely after 

 their precipitation wiih hydrochloric acid when selenium is 

 volatilised, trentment of the residue with ammonia and 

 ammonium nitrate, which precipitate tlie last traces of 

 vanadium as ammonium vanadate, and concentration of the 

 filtered liquid which causes deposition of ammonium molybdate. 

 During the concentration two distinct crops of diflerent crystals 

 are obtained, the first and most sparingly soluble being cubic 

 crystals of an olive-brown colour, and the second the much 

 more soluble ammonium molybdate. The olive-brown cubic 

 crys'als contain the new element, together with a little 

 molybdenium. The latter is readily removed by dissolving the 

 crystals in dilute hydrochloric acid, and passing a current of 

 sulphuretted hydrogen through the liquid heated to about 70°. 

 The new element is not precipitated by sulphuretted hydrogen 

 in an acid solution. The filtered liquid is then allowed to 

 evaporate in the air. At first it is bluish-violet in 

 colour, and contains the new element in a low 

 state of oxidation; subsequently it becomes oxidised, and 

 the colour changes to lemon yellow. The oxide in the 

 latter stage possesses marked acid proclivities, and probably 

 corresponds to the formula R^Oj. The acid itself is soluble in 

 water, fiom which it is deposited in yellow crystals, which at a 

 red heat fuse to a brownish yellow mass. Ammonia trans- 

 forms the acid into a crystalline powder of olive colour, 

 presumably an ammonium salt, which readily dissolves in hot 

 water and crystallises from the solution in cubes nn co iling. 

 I The solution is olive green and is piccipitated by strong 

 ammonia. The solution of the acid after reduction wllh 

 I sulphuretted hydrogen in presence of hydrochloric acid yields 

 with ammonia a voluminous deep violet-brown precipitate, 

 which rapidly becomes crystalline. The precipitation is not 

 complete, hence the supernatant liquid is colouied violet. 

 Caustic soda and sodium carbonate likewise incompletely pre- 

 cipitate it, owing to solubility ol the precipitate in excess of the 

 reagent with formation of a soluble salt. Chlorides of barium 

 and calcium produce greyish-violet precipitates of the salts ol 

 those metals. 



An especially in'eresting reaction is that with ammonium 

 sulphide, with which the highly oxidised yellow solulion 

 of the acid yields a deep cherry- red colouration, due to a sulfo 

 salt. Acids piecipiiate from this solution a sulphide of the 

 colour of iron rust. Silver nitrate produces a green precipitate 

 of the silver salt, soluble both in nitric acid and in ammonia, 

 and if the solution in the latter solvent is effected at a moderately 

 elevated temperature the silver salt is deposited in crystals upon 

 cooling. Magnesia mixture gives after standing a lew minutes 

 a green precipitate analogous to ammonium mngnesium 

 phosphate, and owing to the slowness of the iirecipiiaiion the 

 latter occurs in the form of relatively large crystals ; moreover, 

 the prccipit.ation is complete after a short time, for the lupiid 

 which at first is green becomes colourless. A y.-llow precipitate 

 is likewise aflf^orded with a nitric acid solution of ammonium 

 molybdate, .as in the case of phosphoric aclil. The chlorides of 

 the new element appear to be volatile, for very considerable loss 

 occurs on attempting to remove by ignition any admixed 

 ammonium salts, (or instance from the solution obtained after 

 removal of the vanadium as previously described. A yellow 

 sublimate is produced having all the characters of a chloride of 

 the new element, and which is readily soluble in water. 



A suflicient quantity of the new element In the form of any 

 of its compounds has not yet been accumulated to enable exact 

 quaniiiative analyses to be carried out, but Dr. li.aycr hopes 

 shortly to have obtained the amount rcqul-itc for this purpose 

 and (or the dc'ciminalion of the atomic weight of the element. 

 There appears to be htlle room for doubt that it will prove to 

 be one of the missing elements iircdlded by I'lof. MendeleeflT 

 in the nitrogen-phosphorus group. Ii exhibits characteristic 

 spectroscopic lines in the green, blue, and violet. 



A. E. TUTTON. 



