NEW METAL FOUND IN CRUDE PLATINA. 35 



4 rom the iron that adheres to it, by muriatic acid, without the 

 lofs of any of thofe metals which are at prefent the fubjeft of 

 iniquiry. 



(A 2.) Having in one inftance diflblved fuch a precipitate in The fame refi- 

 nitro-murialic acid, and precipitated the piatina by fal ammo- dua! folut '°n 



T f rr , it . . n . , ., , aftv-ds cryftals 



niac, 1 luffered the remaining fluid to evaporate without heat ; by fpontaneous 



and obtained a mixture of various cryftals, very different from eva P* 

 each other in form and colour. From thefe, I felecled for exa- 

 mination fonie that were of a deep red colour, partly in thin 

 plates adhering to the fides of the veffel, and partly in the form 

 of fquare prifms having a rectangular termination. 



(A3.) A portion of thefe cryftals being heated in a fm all Deep red cry ftal* 

 tube, yielded fal ammoniac by fublimation, and left a black lef< ; * , wh ' te 

 renduum, which, by greater heat, acquued a brilliant metallic 

 Whitenefs, but could not be fufed under the blowpipe. Having— not piatina. 

 obtained this fubftance from a diftinclly cryftallized fait, I was' 

 inclined to confider it as a Ample metal; and, as I found it to 

 be wholly infoluble in nitro-muriatic acid, I judged it not to be 

 piatina. 



(A 4.) The cryftals alfo, inftead of being nearly infoluble, The cryftals 



like the ammoniaco-muriateof piatina, were diflblved in a fmaliT re nor °{ P la- 



. , tma > nor that 



quantity of water, and gave a ro(e-coloured folution. Upon which makes the 



mixing this with a folution of piatina. the ammonia was tranf- Cs of P latina 



red. 

 ferred by fuperior affinity to the latter, forming an ammoniaco- 



muriate of piatina; and the precipitate was of a yellow colour. 



Confequently, the metal contained in the fait, was neither 



piatina nor that which gives the red colour to the falts of 



piatina. 



It would be ufelefs to detail my firft unfuccefsful experiments The bafe was the 

 made upon the properties of this metal, in hopes of difcovering ™ e w a ' podium 

 means by which its feparation from piatina might be effected ; ticed. 

 I fliall therefore confine mylelf to the following procefs, which 

 appears to be the moft direct for procuring rhodium in a ftate 

 of purity. In the fame procefs alfo palladium is obtained, fo 

 as to afford a prefumption, that it is rather a natural fimple 

 body, than any artificial compound. 



(B 1.) Since the platiua to be procured in this country, Procefs for ob- 



generally contains fmall fcales of gold intermixed, as well asa^ n, ° g !t ' 



fr * 'ii Fui fication of 



portion of the mercury which the Spaniards employ for the the platim- 

 feparation of the gold, the piatina ufed for my experimenis,§ rains » 

 after being by mechanical means freed, as far as poffible, from 

 D2 all 



