ALU 



eartlis is, however, foluhle in muriatic or nitric acids, and 

 may thfn be decompofcd citlicr hy hydrofiilpluirct of foila 

 or of ammonia, which will pricipitatc thf ahimino and riLim 

 the magnclia in fohition, or by an alkaline pruHiat, which 

 will alio fcpai-atc the aluminc while the i)rnniatui magnelia 

 remains difTolved. In the dry way, aeeordinj; to Kirwan, 

 niagnefia and ahimine at 150° Wedgewood have no action 

 on each other in any proportions. 



A confulerablc degree of afti.iity exifls between fdex and 

 aluinine, and the niifufpefted formation of tliis compound in 

 many analytical experiments on minerals ha,; often prodnced 

 a number of deceitful and en-.barr.ifiin<r appearances, wliich 

 have vitiated the refults of many a laboi-ious analyfis. Che- 

 niiftiy is, therefore, indebted to Klaproth for Ihewiiif;, that 

 when to a folution of pure fdex in caulUc potafh is added a 

 folution of alumine equally pure in the fan.t menllriium, 

 the liquor iminediately affumes a reddifli brown colour, and 

 after ilandir.g an hour or more, coagidales into a thick 

 opaque whitilh jelly. This jelly, by the addition of a little 

 warm water, is refolved into a fluid, and being then mixed 

 with muriatic acid, to the exac\ faturation ot the alkali, a 

 copious precipitate is depofited, confiAing of the two earths, 

 in a {late of combination ; if now a flight exccfs of acid is 

 dropped in, the filex as well as the alumine, will be per- 

 fetlly dilTolved. Carbonated potarti will again caufe the pre- 

 cipitate to appear, and this even when fcparated by filtnition 

 and dried, will be Hill entirely fohible in dilute fulplunic 

 acid, without the fmalleil dcpufition of iilex. If the fiil- 

 phuric fjlution is now ger.tly evaporated, cryftals of alum 

 will be depoiittd, and the remainder will affume the form of 

 a clear jelly, the furface of which, after a few days, will be 

 covered with cryftalline pyramids; and in order to 3iew that 

 it is really fdex mixed with alumine, which has tlms repeat- 

 edly been dilTolved in acids, nothing more is neccflary than 

 to mix this jelly with a large quantity of water, and digcil 

 it for fome while in a moderate heat, ilirring it repeatedly 

 at the fame time, when the liquor will become tin-bid and 

 pure fdex will be depofited. In the drv way, according 

 to Kirwan, equal pans of aluminc and filex at 160° Wedge- 

 .wood concrete together, but (hew no figns of fufion. 



Alumine is as yet a pure chemical element, never having 

 been compofed or analyfed. From its affinity with colouring 

 matter, and its blackening in a low heat. Baron W£s of 

 opinion that it was of a metallic nature, and even Lavoifier 

 entertained the idea that it might be a metallic oxyd, whofe 

 component elements were united together by a very powerful 

 pffinity. Bcaume confiders the earth of alum as cffentially 

 the fame with filex, being led into this mlftake by fufing 

 rock cryllal repeatedly with potadi, and always obtaining 

 alumine ; this experiment of Beaumc's was repeated by 

 Scheele, v.'ho found indeed that it was true whenever an 

 earthenware crucible was made ufe of, but perceiving the 

 crucibles corroded internally after every proeefs, he fufjjcAed 

 that the aluminc was furnifhed by the action of the alkali 

 upon" them ; in proof of which he repeated the fufion of 

 fdex with potafh in an iron crucible, and as might be cx- 

 peAed, did not procure a particle of alumine. 



The ufes of pure alumine are wholly confined to the la- 

 boratory ; it gives, however, their peculiar charafter to all 

 clays ; every thing, therefore, that depends on tlie cohefive- 

 refs and plafticity of thefe fubftances when freih, and their 

 hardnefs after being baked, may be fairly attributed to the 

 alumine which they contain ; hence, it is the bafis and ma- 

 terial of all the arts of potter}-, from the common brick to 

 tbe fined porcelain, and thefe include more of the comforts 

 and elegancies of life than are perhaps dependent on any 

 ether fubftance in nature. 



ALU 



Journal dcPhyfique, vol. lii.— Scheelc'i Eirays.-Kl.pmlli'. 



Analytical liHTays — Kirwan'r. Mineralogy, vol. i Annalct 



'!«■; /-'himie, voU. xxviii. x\ix. Jixxi. xl.— Macqutr't Chc- 

 mifeliea Wbrtcrbucli, vol. vi — lU^uint- Cliymic Expcrimcn- 

 tale, vol. i. 



ALUMTA, in Botany, a name given by fomc of the 

 old I.atin writem to the plant, othcnvifc called lulum and 

 corniola, and by the Greeks cynuiir. It wan tl»c fame with 

 our gen'i/lrllit limioria, or dycra weed, and waj ufed by I he 

 dyers, and by the ladies to tinge their hair yellow, llit culuur 

 that was ellecmed moll beautiful in thofc limes. 



ALUNGU, in A'uluml Ni/lory, is a word of the Mala- 

 bar language, and the name given by the Malabarianii to an 

 animal rcfcmbling a laige li/.ard, except as to head and tail, 

 which are both pointed. It is a German til ai.d ', long, 

 and its breadth is half an el). It is a fpecics of the mamis 

 of Linni-us, and belongs to the family of an T-<-ii/<-r/, wliich 

 have no teeth, but a long round tongue, with which ihey 

 catch the ants. Phil. Tranf. vol. Ix. N' 5. an. 1700. 



AI.UN'KAN, or ARRouKAng, in Geoj^m/Jy, a town 

 of Pcifia, in the province of Zabulillan, 100 mile* fouth 

 of Candaliar. 



ALUNTIUM, Alontium, or Haluntium, in yta- 

 acnl Geography, a town of Sicily, on a dee]) eminence, near 

 the month of the river Chydas. It is now in ruins ; but 

 from thefe arofe the hamlet St. Philadi ll'o, in the Val di 

 Demona. The injiabitants were c.->lkd ll.ilunlini. 



ALVOR^ in Gengraphy, a fmall place with an earldom 

 in the province of Algarvc, between Villa Nova dc Portimao 

 and Lagos. 



AL\'ORED0, an idand of South America, on the 

 coaft of Panignay, thiec leagues fouth of St. Catharine'l 

 ifland. S. lat. 27" 43'. W. long. 49° 16'. 



ALVORNIN HA, or Alii uRNiN HA, a fmall town of Por- 

 tugal, in Ellremadura, containing about I500 inhabitants. 



ALURNUS, in Enlomolo^, a genus of iiifci!:tii of the 

 onlerof CoLEOP TERA, with fdiform antenna-, fix very- fliort 

 palpi or feelers, and horny arched maxilla or jaw. There 

 are three fpecies, viz. 1. A. ^irofus, black, with crim- 

 fon thorax and yellow elytra-, found in South America 

 and India. 2. A. pmoralus, of a green reddilh colour, 

 with the hinder thighs and legs dentated, the tembrio fc- 

 moi-atus of Drury, and the tenebrio viridis of Sul/er, found 

 in India, with the antennie half the length of the body, and 

 the lall joints black. 3. \. lUnllprs, bTaek, with the iiindcr 

 thighs and legs dentated, found at the Cape of Good Hope. 

 ALUS, in ytncknt Gi^^ratihy, a village of Paledine, in 

 the vicinity of Nicopolis. Alfo an ancient town of Arabia 

 Petnea, where v.as the loth encampment of the Ifiitelitcs. 



ALL^SMA Cnramanica, in B'Aany, a tenn ufed fome- 

 times to cxprefs a plant growing in Caraniania, and fomc- 

 timcs a preparation of that plant, or pigment made from it. 

 The word frequently occurs in the writings of Aviccnna and 

 Serapion. 



ALUTA, in jindent Geography, a river of Dacia, novr 

 called ^h, or 0//,- which rifes at the foot of the Carpathian 

 mountains, and palTcs through the call and fouth regions of 

 Tnuifylvania into Walachia, dividing it into the callern and 

 wellern parts. It difcharges itfelf into the Ifter. 



ALUTA, a fmall village of FaleRinc, placed by Jerome 

 near the river Chebron. 



ALUT^-:, a people of Illyria. 



ALUTRAENCES, a people of the Alps, according to 

 Pliny. 



ALVUS, among y^nn/emf^/, is fometiines ufed ;o cxpref* 

 the lower belly, or veiilrr. 

 Alvus is more ufually taken among P/^tianx for the 

 5 K 2 <\ata 



