900 



SCmNGE. 



[N. S. Vol. VIII. No. 208. 



metallurgical practice and also in the prin- 

 ciples thus far applied. It depends upon 

 the fact that nickel forms a volatile com- 

 pound, W\ (CO),, by direct union with car- 

 bon monoxid, and that this compound is 

 decomposed with deposition of metallic 

 nickel at 180°. The compound was dis- 

 covered by Dr. Ludwig Mond in course of 

 an attempt to eliminate carbon monoxid 

 from gases containing hydrogen. The only 

 other metal forming similar volatile com- 

 pounds with carbon monoxid is iron ; hence 

 it seemed possible to utilize the reaction for 

 the practical separation and purification of 

 nickel. An experimental plant was erected 

 at Smethwick, near Birmingham, in 1892, 

 using as a source of nickel ' Bessemerised' 

 matte. The matte, after dead roasting, con- 

 tained 35% nickel, 42% copper and 2% 

 iron. Two-fifths of the copper was ex- 

 tracted by sulfuric acid and marketed as 

 sulfate. This residue, containing 51% 

 nickel, was then reduced by water gas, care 

 being taken not to reduce the iron. The 

 material was then submitted to the action 

 of carbon monoxid in a tower at a tempera- 

 ture not exceeding 100°, the volatile com- 

 pound being passed to the reducer, where 

 the nickel was deposited. The carbon 

 monoxid was circulated between the tower 

 and the reducer for a period varying from 

 seven to fifteen days, in which time 60% of 

 the nickel had been removed as nickel car- 

 bonyl. The residue was then returned to 

 the first stage of the process. The nickel 

 was deposited in the reducer, either on thin 

 sheets of iron or on granules of ordinai-y 

 commercial nickel. The product contained 

 99.8% nickel. This plant is now in full 

 working operation and over 80 tons of 

 nickel has been extracted from different 

 kinds of matte. The conclusion is reached 

 that this process is well able to compete 

 with any other process in use for the pro- 

 duction of metallic nickel. Professor Eob- 

 erts- Austen pointed out that its application 



to the nickel ores of Sudburj^, Ontario' 

 would probably contribute largely to the re- 

 sources of the Dominion. 



Continuing his researches on metallic 

 lithium and calcium, Moissan finds that 

 these metals are soluble in anhydrous am- 

 monia, forming compounds more stable 

 than those with the other alkalies. The 

 substances are represented by the formulse 

 LijNHj, and Ca,(N'H3)^, the ammonia being 

 apparently analogous to water of crystal- 

 lization. Both of these compounds take 

 fire on coming in contact with the air at 

 ordinary temperature. 



The interesting investigations of H. N. 

 Stokes on the compounds of phosphorus 

 and nitrogen are continued in the Novem- 

 ber issue of the American Chemical Journal. 

 It is found that on saponification, the series 

 of chlorids (PNClJfi. gives rise to a corre- 

 sponding series of acids (PN02Hj)n. The 

 compounds where n is 3, 4, 5 and 6 have 

 been formed, but when n is 7 the chlorid 

 yields an acid of the formula (PNO^H^), -f 

 HjO. The constitution of these compounds is 

 represented by a ring formula where the 

 phosphorus and nitrogen alternate. This 

 ring may thus contain 6, 8, 10 and 12 

 atoms, but when 14 atoms are present the 

 limit is passed and the typical constitution 

 is departed from. Applying the tension 

 theory of von Baeyer regarding carbon 

 atom rings, in which he finds that the most 

 stable ring is that which contains five car- 

 bon atoms (the pentamethylene ring), 

 Stokes finds that the phosphorus-nitrogen 

 ring containing eight atoms would be most 

 stable, and this is exactly borne out by the 

 facts, PjNjOsHj being the most stable of 

 these acids. This analogy existing between 

 the carbon rings and those of other ele- 

 ments is an interesting broadening of chem- 

 ical theorj'. 



The question as to the origin of petro- 

 leum continues to attract experimenters. 



