38 Prof. J. Emerson-Reynolds on Glucinum : 



number of times. If the palladium sponge, when saturated 

 with hydrogen, be brought into the air, it becomes red hot. 

 Palladium which has become of a bluish-green tint from igni- 

 tion in the air, becomes hot when plunged into hydrogen and 

 assumes the original grey colour of the metal. 



V. Reports from the Chemical Laboratory of Trinity Col- 

 lege, Dublin. By J. Emerson-Reynolds, M.D., M.R.I.A., 



Professor of Chemistry, University of Dublin*. 



No. 1. — On Glucinum: its Atomic Weight and Specific Heat. 



AMONGST the few rare elements found in Ireland is the 

 metal glucinum or beryllium, which occurs in the well- 

 known alumino-glucinic silicate, beryl or "emerald." This 

 mineral is found in comparative abundance, though in a rough 

 state, in the granites of Donegal, and is somewhat less freely 

 distributed through the granites of the Mourne Mountains in 

 the county of Down. As the "atomic weight" of glucinum 

 has not yet been definitely fixed by the determination of the 

 specific heat of the metal, it seemed desirable that we in Ireland 

 should make the necessary crucial experiments. Hence, about 

 seven years ago, I commenced to collect the crude Irish beryls 

 or " emeralds," and ultimately succeeded in obtaining 3 kilo- 

 grammes of the dressed mineral, from which I prepared nearly 

 350 grammes of the pure glucinic oxide. 



I have to thank my friend Mr. William Harte, C.E., the 

 excellent County Surveyor of Donegal, for the valuable assist- 

 ance he kindly afforded me in collecting much of the mineral 

 from which the glucinic oxide was prepared. 



The satisfactory nature of the results of a set of preliminary 

 experiments with the material at my disposal must be my 

 apology for laying a short communication upon the subject 

 before the Academy at a very early stage of the investigation. 



Some glucinic oxide was converted into the anhydrous chlo- 

 ride by the action of chlorine upon it at a full red heat in 

 presence of finely divided carbon ; and the metal was subse- 

 quently procured by the action of metallic sodium on the pure 

 sublimed glucinic chloride. The reduction was effected by 

 heating a suitable mixture in a platinum vessel ; but the tem- 

 perature was not allowed to rise sufficiently to liquefy the mass ; 

 and on removal of the material from the crucible, those por- 

 tions which had been in contact with the platinum were rejected. 

 The resulting mixture of sodic chloride and reduced glucinum 



* Communicated by the Author, having been read before the Royal 

 Irish Academy, April' 10, 1876. 



