Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 235 



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sometimes flying into fragments. Heated in a tube it loses water, 

 which acts as weak hydrofluoric acid. With borax it gives a glass 

 of a reddish-brown colour, which decolorizes on cooling. Reduced 

 to powder it is attacked by hydrochloric acid, with the evolution of 

 chlorine, and the separation of gelatinous silica. 



M. Berlin obtained the following as the results of the analysis of 

 this mineral, which, however, on account of the rarity of the mineral, 

 are to be considered as merely approximative : — 



Silica 20-13 



Oxide of cerium 40*36 



oflantanium 15*11 



Lime 5*15 



Alumina 2*24 



Yttria 0*46 



Magnesia 0*22 



Soda 1*46 



Protoxide of iron 1*83 



Manganese, copper, tin and tungsten. 4*62 

 Loss by calcination 7*86 



99*44 

 From the analysis, this mineral appears to be a hydrated tribasic 

 silicate of cerium, lantanium, and lime. 



Catapleite. — This mineral accompanies the preceding. It exists 

 in imperfect crystals, consisting of a prism of about 1 20°, terminated 

 by an oblique base, also inclined at about 120°. Sometimes it 

 exhibits indications of several vertical faces. Cleavage perfect ac- 

 cording to the base. Fracture splintery. Dull or very little lustre, 

 even when fractured. Colour light yellowish-brown, powder isa- 

 bella-yellow ; opake or a little chatoyant. Hardness resembling 

 that of felspar ; density 2*8. 



This mineral readily fuses into a white enamel ; it dissolves with 

 difficulty in borax, forming a colourless glass. A solution of cobalt 

 renders it blue. Reduced to powder it is readily decomposed by 

 hydrochloric acid, but does not gelatinize. 



Its analysis gave M. Sjogren the following results : — 



I. II. 



Silica 46*83 46*52 



Zinconia 29*81 29*33 



Alumina 0'45 1-40 



Soda 10-83 10-06 



Lime 3-61 4-66 



Protoxide of iron . 063 0'49 



Water 8-86 9*05 



101-02 101-51 



Its composition may be represented by the formula — 



3 £ *° j SiO + 2Zr0 3 , SiO 3 + 6Aq. 



