82 gee banal Pla ela 
For much the better half of all we know upon this pe ei 
are indebted to Dr. Claus, whose method of separation I 
followed up to a certain point, and then have diverged shote it 
el I think some advantage. I propose to introduce the use of 
¢c acid, as an agent in eifesting the separation, in the manner 
peck T shall presently deser 
From my friends, Prof. eich; of the U. S. Mint, and Mr. 
Garrett, I received the material upon dire T have ‘worked 
This was Californian osmiridium, which had already undergone 
a preliminary fusion si nitre and caustic potash, 
his material was next boiled with aqua regia to extract all 
the soluble portions, the hale was then ignited with nitre and 
caustic rio 8 the fused mass was eated with water. From the 
my hands, still left a ical portion of fiebasincteed residue. 
The boiling with aqua regia was continued for a very long 
time in order to get rid as thoroughly as possible of the osmic 
recognizable but in comparatively small quantity. The greatest 
vantage was foatid throughout the whole of this part of the 
operation from the use of the blowing apparatus, which I de- 
scribed in a former number of this Journal, and with the aid of 
which all inconvenience from the fumes of osmic acid was 
avoided. The apparatus was constantly swept clear by a power- 
ful air-current, and the osmic acid was removed as fast as it vol- 
atilized. The treatment which the ore had undergone before it 
was placed in my hands, had removed the greater part of the 
mium; a portion of what remained had separated out as 08- 
mite of potash, sri it was not deemed worth st to attempt 
to save the little that remained. It would be easy, however, in 
operating upon fresh material with the aid of this blowing ap- 
paratus, to conduct the osmic fumes through an appropriate re- 
48 agent, and at the same time to sweep out every trace 
which escaped reduction. As the ignition of the ore with alka- 
. line biteate and caustic scarcely drives off any osmium, and as 
almost all inconvenience in manipulating the resulting solutions 
ean be avoided by throwing down the metals with alcohol from 
Attention is res the order in which these substances are employed. 
the Mate soda is cer i first, it attacks the iron vessel strongly and may yet y 
rough. If added last, it cau: with danger of 
