﻿108 
  Derby 
  — 
  Constituents 
  of 
  the 
  Canon 
  Diablo 
  Meteorite. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  reliable 
  published 
  analyses 
  of 
  meteoric 
  phosphide, 
  

   or 
  phosphides, 
  show 
  very 
  variable 
  relative 
  proportions 
  of 
  iron 
  

   and 
  nickel 
  and 
  cobalt 
  even 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  meteoric 
  mass 
  and 
  as 
  

   regards 
  phosphorus, 
  a 
  larger 
  group 
  with 
  about 
  15 
  to 
  16 
  per 
  

   cent 
  and 
  a 
  small 
  group 
  with 
  about 
  12 
  to 
  13 
  per 
  cent. 
  The 
  

   above 
  analyses 
  place 
  Canon 
  Diablo 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  group. 
  Cop- 
  

   per 
  is 
  only 
  reported 
  in 
  two, 
  Schwetz 
  and 
  Seelasgen, 
  both 
  of 
  

   which 
  have 
  been 
  reanalyzed 
  by 
  Cohen 
  with 
  very 
  different 
  

   results 
  and 
  without 
  copper, 
  which 
  possibly, 
  however, 
  was 
  not 
  

   looked 
  for. 
  Tin 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  reported, 
  possibly 
  because 
  the 
  

   solution 
  has 
  usually 
  been 
  made 
  in 
  aqua 
  regia 
  in 
  which 
  it 
  would 
  

   only 
  appear 
  through 
  a 
  special 
  research. 
  In 
  the 
  present 
  case 
  

   the 
  solution 
  was 
  made 
  in 
  plain 
  nitric 
  acid 
  and 
  the 
  tin 
  ap- 
  

   peared 
  as 
  oxide 
  and 
  was 
  verified 
  by 
  blowpipe 
  tests. 
  The 
  pro- 
  

   portion 
  in 
  No. 
  Ill 
  was 
  certainly 
  as 
  great 
  as 
  in 
  No. 
  II, 
  but 
  was 
  

   not 
  determined 
  for 
  fear 
  of 
  losing 
  the 
  slight 
  residue 
  before 
  a 
  

   qualitative 
  test 
  could 
  be 
  made. 
  Curiously 
  enough 
  it 
  did 
  not 
  

   appear 
  in 
  Nos. 
  I 
  and 
  IY, 
  possibly 
  from 
  the 
  accidental 
  presence 
  

   of 
  enough 
  chlorine 
  in 
  the 
  nitric 
  acid 
  to 
  dissolve 
  the 
  small 
  

   amount 
  of 
  stannic 
  oxide 
  as 
  fast 
  as 
  it 
  formed. 
  If 
  this 
  was 
  not 
  

   the 
  case, 
  it 
  must 
  be 
  presumed 
  that 
  the 
  tin 
  does 
  not 
  belong 
  to 
  

   the 
  schreibersite 
  but 
  to 
  another 
  mineral 
  that 
  is 
  not 
  generally 
  

   distributed 
  throughout 
  the 
  meteoric 
  mass, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  only 
  

   appears 
  in 
  certain 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  residue. 
  

  

  As 
  in 
  the 
  course 
  of 
  this 
  investigation, 
  which 
  was 
  mainly 
  un- 
  

   dertaken 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  of 
  verifying 
  the 
  reported 
  existence 
  of 
  

   the 
  diamond 
  in 
  the 
  Canon 
  Diablo 
  meteorite, 
  nothing 
  resem- 
  

   bling 
  that 
  substance, 
  or 
  any 
  other 
  form 
  of 
  free 
  carbon, 
  could 
  

   be 
  detected, 
  it 
  was 
  suspected 
  that 
  possibly 
  the 
  polishing 
  effect 
  

   produced 
  by 
  the 
  residue 
  of 
  the 
  dissolved 
  mass 
  and 
  attributed 
  

   to 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  diamond 
  dust 
  might 
  be 
  due 
  to 
  schreibersite. 
  

   Owing 
  to 
  the 
  minuteness 
  of 
  the 
  grains 
  and 
  their 
  extreme 
  brit- 
  

   tleness, 
  it 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  determine 
  the 
  hardness 
  accurately 
  and 
  

   the 
  figures 
  given 
  (7'01 
  to 
  7*22) 
  may 
  be 
  too 
  low. 
  The 
  means 
  

   at 
  hand 
  were 
  too 
  crude 
  for 
  an 
  accurate 
  test, 
  but 
  apparently 
  dis- 
  

   tinct 
  scratches 
  were 
  produced 
  on 
  a 
  cleavage 
  plane 
  of 
  topaz 
  and 
  

   a 
  depolishing 
  effect 
  on 
  the 
  polished 
  face 
  of 
  a 
  cut 
  sapphire. 
  

   Specimens 
  have 
  been 
  submitted 
  to 
  Mr. 
  George 
  F. 
  Kunz 
  with 
  

   a 
  request 
  to 
  test 
  the 
  hardness 
  with 
  more 
  perfect 
  appliances, 
  and 
  

   probably 
  he 
  will 
  report 
  upon 
  them. 
  

  

  The 
  non-magnetic 
  residue 
  consisted 
  for 
  the 
  most 
  part 
  of 
  

   irregular, 
  black, 
  coke-like 
  particles 
  full 
  of 
  needles 
  of 
  rhabdite. 
  

   These 
  dissolve 
  quietly 
  in 
  strong 
  hydrochloric 
  acid, 
  setting 
  free 
  

   the 
  crystals 
  of 
  rhabdite. 
  In 
  strong 
  nitric- 
  acid 
  under 
  the 
  micro- 
  

   scope 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  rapid 
  evolution 
  of 
  gas 
  that 
  tears 
  the 
  particles 
  

   to 
  pieces, 
  scattering 
  the 
  rhabdite 
  and 
  leaving 
  an 
  extremely 
  

   light, 
  whitish 
  flocculent 
  skeleton. 
  

  

  