Mr. A. A. Hayes on the Alabama Meteoric Iron. 151 



color occurred. An excess of pure ammonia was added, the 

 fluid warmed, and the current of gas continued until an excess 

 was indicated. By warming the fluid the sulphurets precipita- 

 ted, leaving a colorless solution above them. The fluid was 

 evaporated, the ammoniacal salts dissipated by heat, left an earth- 

 like matter weighing less than 0-10, which afforded indications of 

 nickel, magnesia, chlorine, and soda ; a very light siliceous mat- 

 ter remaining undissolved. 



The sulphurets were oxidized by nitric acid, and the solution 

 decomposed by ammonia in excess ; the precipitate which a filter 

 would separate was washed in boiling water. It was boiled in a 

 solution of carbonate of soda to a dry mass, and after the addi- 

 tion of nitrate of soda exposed in a platina crucible to the heat 

 of bright redness. The mass after it became cool was brown, 

 portions of white fused salts appearing on parts of the surface. 

 Aqueous solutions, obtained by cold or hot water, were free from 

 vanadic, chromic, titanic, silicic, or phosphoric acid ; nor could 

 any traces of earths or oxides be discovered in the solutions. 

 The washed residue had the characters of peroxide of iron. The 

 ammoniacal fluid was evaporated, and caustic potash used to de- 

 compose ammoniacal salts. The dry mass afforded a colorless 

 solution in water, having black oxide of nickel undissolved. The 

 gas evolved by acting on fragments of the meteorite with di- 

 luted muriatic acid was odorless ; when inflamed, the jet of gas 

 was colorless ; while burning it did not deposit any film when 

 directed on the surface of cold water. 



From these trials, I infer that the mass of the meteorite is made 

 up of iron and nickel, and that the chlorine is united to iron and 

 nickel ; bisulphuret of iron and traces of earthy matter are also 

 present. The compound of chlorine, iron, and nickel, has a me- 

 talloidal character not interfering with the production of a pol- 

 ished surface, but subject to rapid action in moist air. To learn 

 how this compound is distributed throughout the metallic matter, 

 I resorted to a method of testing which has been described to the 

 Boston Chemical Society. The slip of meteorite which was se- 

 lected for the experiments had been sawed from a central part of 

 a large mass some months previously. It had been closely en- 

 wrapped in waxed paper, and with other slips prepared in the 

 same way, filled a small paper box. On opening the box, it was 

 found that the exudation of chloride of iron had cemented the 



