PROF. NORDENSKIOLD, EXPEDITION TO GREENLAND. 443 



The gas was clearly no primary constituent, but was formed partly 

 by the decomposition of organic mutter in the meteorite, partly 

 by the reducing operation of compounds containing carbon on the 

 oxide of iron in the meteorite, which was found to be completely 

 reduced at the termination of the experiment. On the iron being 

 dissolved in chloride of mercury, only a trifling quantity of gas 

 was emitted, probably coming from the pores in the iron. In 

 hydrochloric and nitric acid the meteoric iron is dissolved, leaving 

 in some cases a residue containing much carbon, in others very 

 little residue at all. The gas that escapes during solution in 

 hydrochloric acid has a most penetrating smell, probably due to 

 some hydrocarbon. On dissolving in acid Ovifak iron which has 

 been heated to redness in air or oxygen, there often remains a 

 flocky, voluminous, brown material soluble in warm, but hardly 

 soluble in cold, water, and very easily dissolved in ammonia, form- 

 ing a dark-brown, almost opaque fluid. The same material is 

 obtained from the carbon that remains after the solution of the iron 

 in acids. It can again be precipitated by means of acids from the 

 ammoniacal solution, though not quite completely, so that the acid 

 solution is also brown, but of a very light tint. This material is 

 a humus-like compound, which probably did not originally exist 

 in the meteorite, but arises from the solution of the carboni- 

 ferous iron in acids.* This humus-like body can be decomposed 

 with difficulty by long boiling in strong nitric acid or chlorate of 

 potash and hydrochloric acid. 



The following analyses have been made of this iron from Ovifak: — 



I. Analysis of a fragment from one of the large stones, by A. E. 

 Nordenskiold. II. Analysis of a specimen of more compact 

 iron, by Th. Nordstrom. III. Analysis of iron with con- 

 spicuous Widmanstattian figures from the basalt ridge, by 

 (jr. Lindstrom : — 







I. 



II. 



III. 



Iron - - - 



- 



84-49 



86-34 



93-24 



Nickel 



_ 



2-48 



1-64 



1-24 



Cobalt 



_ 



0-07 



0-35 



0-56 



Copper 



- 



0-27 



0-19 



0-19 



Alumina 

 Lime 



- 



hardly perceptible- 



0-24 

 0-48 





Magnesia 



- 



0-04 



0-29 



some traces. 



Potash 



- 



scarcely enough ' 

 to weigh. 



0-07 



0-08 



Soda 



0-14 



0-12 



Phosphorus - 



- 



0-20 



0-07 



0-03 



Sulphur 



- 



1-52 



0-22 



1-21 



Chlorine 



_ 



0-72 



1-16 



0-16 



Silicic acid - 



- 



scarcely perceptible 



0-66 



\ 0-59 



Insoluble portion 



- 



0-05 



4-37 



Carbon, Organic matter, | 



10-16 



3-71- 



C. 2-30 



Oxygen, and Water (lo 



.s)J 



H. 0-07 





lOO-OO 



100-00 



99-79 



* A similar substance, ohtaincd by dissolving iron containing carbon, has 

 been mentioned by Berzelius, in Afhandl. i Fysik, Kemi och Mineraloyi. 

 When iron containing carbon is dissolved in hydrochloric acid of proper 



