Phosphate of Lime in the Virginia Meteoric Stone. 103 
phoric acid, adds, ‘‘for Sueparn’s discovery of this acid in the 
meteoric stone of Richmond, is still doubtful, (denn SuHEeparn’s 
Entdeckung dieser Satire in Meteorsteine von Richmond ist noch 
zweifelhaft).” Although this observation occasioned in me no 
surprise, since I had stated at the conclusion of my remarks on 
the mineral,* my regret “that the smallness of the quantity, pre- 
vented me from making still further experiments by means of 
which my conclusion concerning its nature might have been ren- 
dered certain,” still it determined me to make new trials for pla- 
cing the subject if possible, beyond dispute. 
Through the kindness of Prof. Sirtiman, who possesses nearly 
the whole of the Richmond stone, I was permitted to detach a 
fresh fragment which brought into view several points of the 
yellow mineral in question. 'The most perfect of these, having 
the size of half of a pin’s head, was crushed to powder on a small 
piece of clean platinum foil, previously fitted to the bottom of an 
agate mortar. ‘The foil with the crushed mineral thereon, was 
then shaped into a little cup, and a freshly cut piece of potassium 
pressed into it, so as to be in immediate contact with the powder. 
The platinum cup and its contents were then forced to the 
bottom of atest tube (4 of an inch in diameter and 24 long); 
and after heating the tube in contact with a live coal, untila 
slight flash of light was witnessed in the platinum cup, a few 
drops of water were let fall into the tube. On holding the open 
end of the tube beneath the nose, a distinct odor of phosphuretted 
hydrogen was recognized. A few drops of dilute nitric acid were 
subsequently added; and after digestion for a few moments and 
neutralization by ammonia, oxalate of ammonia threw down an 
evident precipitate. 
The foregoing experiment clearly establishes the presence of 
phosphoric acid in the mineral; and the precipitate with oxa- 
late of ammonia, taken with all the circumstances detailed in my 
mineralogical account of the substance, leave scarcely a doubt of 
its being combined with lime, in the form of phosphate of lime. 
Charleston, S. C., March 18, 1843. 
* See Vol. xvi, p. 199, of this Journal. 
