422 J. L. Smith—Concretions in Meteorie Irons. 
treatment of a nodule of eight grams of a compound troilite 
nodule from the Cranbourne iron, for this is most accessible: 
to any one desiring to repeat the experiments. This nodule 
was very finely powdered and treated with petroleum-ether 
(boiling under 72° C.) for about one hour, filtered and washed 
with the same petroleum, and the entire amount of liquid 
evaporated slowly to dryness, This gave me a few minute crys- 
tals of celestialite mixed with sulphur. But as this substance 
is so enveloped in the mineral maiter, it is only in a subsequent 
part of the process that the greater part of the celestialite is 
obtained. 
After the treatment by petroleum, the dried powder is 
treated by dilute chlorhydrie acid (1 acid to 1 water) and 
warmed over a water bath for an hour or two, and after all 
action has ceased more acid is added (1 acid to 1 water) for 
about half an hour; this will dissolve entirely all the troilite 
with the evolution of SH,, leaving a black residue. The solu- 
tion of troilite is filtered and the residue washed. The troilite 
solution was analyzed and found to contain a very minute 
quantity of nickel, 0°40 per cent, and the merest trace of 
cobalt; sometimes more of the cobalt will be found than nickel, 
but this arises from another mineral in the compound nodule 
that has been partially attacked. The residue was then treated 
with petroleum-ether in the manner already stated, and the 
filtered solution on slow evaporation in a small beaker gave 
beautiful long needle-shaped crystals that weighed 045 grams— 
a mixture of sulphur with a sulphur-carbon compound. The 
residue from the last irons was treated twice over a water bath 
with strong chlorhydrie acid, and the soluble portion filtered 
off and concentrated gave a greenish-blue solution which heated 
with nitric acid did not acquire a red color and on analysis 
was found to contain cobalt-oxide with a little nickel, 028; 
bersite for I have obtained it from other meteoric irons by 
treating them with chlorhydric acid, and then verifying the 
composition of the crystals by analysis. ‘ 
t which was not magnetic was then treated with 
nitric acid, evaporated to dryness, and treated again with a lit- 
tle nitric acid and water and filtered; an intensely green solu- 
* Rose found it in square prismatic crystals in the Braunan iron, but he could 
not determine either its composition or precise erystalline form. 
