Notice of Meteoric Iron from Cambria, N. Y. 391 



representing the yellow sulphuret of iron, which appeared to be 

 segregated chiefly about the outer limits of the magnetic py- 

 rites ; the latter was very rapidly acted on by the dilute etching 

 acid, the yellow pyrites not at all, so that in taking an impression 

 with ink from the surface, this difference was very apparent. 

 Near the centre of the mass a long and irregular fragment of yel- 

 low pyrites alone appears. Microscopic points of the same could 

 be discerned with a glass, scattered through the entire mass of 

 magnetic pyrites. These masses of pyrites seem to have dis- 

 turbed the regularity of the crystallization of the iron, and 

 broken the continuity of the crystalline lines. To their abun- 

 dance in this specimen, I attribute the numerous pittings of the 

 surface. In the bottom of many of them I have observed it on 

 clearing away the rust, and it will be seen in the figure that one 

 of the masses on the left is in the bottom of a depression. The 

 ease with which this mineral suffers decomposition and the acid 

 which results, will easily account for the deep corrosion of the 

 mass. Every part of the iron seems to abound equally in the 

 sulphurets. This interesting specimen appeared then to be made 

 up of three distinct mineralogical species ; the metallic iron and 

 two sulphurets of iron. 



Chemical constitution. — A portion was dissolved in pure nitric 

 acid ; the solution was entire and speedy. Nitrate of silver pro- 

 duced a very feeble cloud of chloride — too feeble to be collected. 

 A current of sulphuretted hydrogen produced no change in its 

 passage through the solution in nitric acid, except a little sulphur 

 set free, and hence was inferred the absence of copper, tin, ar- 

 senic, and all other metals likely to be present and precipitable 

 by that reagent. 



Ammonia threw down the iron, and the filtrate condensed 

 by evaporation gave evidence by its feeble blue tint of a small 

 quantity of nickel, which was free from cobalt. One grain of 

 the iron gave 



Iron, 95-540 



Nickel, - - - - - 5-037 



100-577 

 It has lately been shown by M. le due De Lugnes, (Ann. des 

 Mines, torn, v, p. 161,) that in some meteoric irons an additional 

 quantity of nickel may be obtained by repeatedly redissolving 



