368 Native and Meteoric Iron. 



forming this operation, he observed that its hardness was less in 

 amount, and more uniform in its nature, than that of the Texian 

 meteoric iron, while it differed no less strikingly in other respects, 

 from any artificial iron with which he was acquainted. He no- 

 ticed in particular, that it possessed an unusual degree of tough- 

 ness. Its specific gravity is 7.50. 



Ammonia was added in excess to the slightly warmed, nitro- 

 hydrochloric solution of this iron, and the fluid shortly after 

 cleared from the precipitated sesquioxide of iron : this fluid was 

 destitute of any tinge of blue, nor did it yield a precipitate when 

 treated with the hydrosulphate of ammonia. Neither nickel or 

 cobalt can therefore enter into the composition of this iron. 



In the next place, I detached, with considerable difiiculty, 

 enough of the brittle plumbago-looking mineral above alluded to, 

 to discover in it the following properties : hardness =5.0. . . 5.5 : 

 specific gravity = 5.2 . . . 5.4 ; brittle : color dark iron-black : streak 

 similar, except a tinge of brown : lustre imperfectly metallic : 

 fracture uneven to granular ; a portion of it is magnetic, while 

 the rest is not taken up by the magnet. Heated before the 

 blowpipe, in thin fragments, it does not fuse, but becomes some- 

 what rounded on the edges ; after heating, it is strongly mag- 

 netic. It slowly entered into solution in nitro-hydrochloric acid, 

 excepting a few flocks of silicic acid. No traces of either nickel 

 or cobalt were present in the solution. 



It is only very recently that I have had it in my power to re- 

 sume the investigation of this singular specimen of iron. I am 

 unable to detect in it either of the following principles, to wit, 

 lead, tin, manganese, copper, titanium, silver, sulphur or phos- 

 phorus. 



The precipitated peroxide of iron, on digestion with a solution 

 of potassa, and subsequent treatment with hydrochlorate of am- 

 monia, gave only a faint troubling from alumina. 



The clear fluid, from which the iron and alumina were precip- 

 itated, gave with oxalate of ammonia, a distinct, but feeble pre- 

 cipitate of oxalate of lime. 



The solution of the iron in hydrochloric acid, as well as in 

 sulphuric acid, gave an impalpable, heavy, black, plumbaginous 

 looking matter, which on being ignited alone, suflered no change 

 in color. It was heated to redness along with carbonate of po- 

 tassa, the mass was treated with water, and hydrochloric acid, 

 whereupon silicic acid made its appearance. 



