﻿T. 
  H. 
  Lee 
  — 
  Two 
  New 
  Zircon 
  Minerals. 
  127 
  

  

  Taking 
  into 
  account 
  the 
  insolubility 
  of 
  zirconite 
  

   (Zr0 
  2 
  .Si0 
  2 
  ) 
  the 
  only 
  silicate 
  of 
  zirconium 
  thus 
  far 
  

   known 
  by 
  wet 
  analysis, 
  and 
  verified 
  by 
  several 
  deter- 
  

   minations 
  of 
  materials 
  that 
  may 
  be 
  considered 
  as 
  abso- 
  

   lutely 
  pure, 
  Derby 
  suggested 
  the 
  possibility 
  of 
  making 
  a 
  

   separation 
  of 
  the 
  component 
  minerals 
  in 
  case 
  they 
  were 
  

   different. 
  

  

  For 
  this 
  purpose 
  a 
  few 
  grams 
  of 
  the 
  substance 
  were 
  

   treated 
  for 
  some 
  hours 
  with 
  a 
  mixture 
  of 
  hydrofluoric 
  

   and 
  hydrochloric 
  acids. 
  The 
  only 
  visible 
  effect 
  pro- 
  

   duced 
  was 
  an 
  alteration 
  of 
  the 
  color 
  of 
  the 
  fragments 
  of 
  

   the 
  material 
  which 
  changed 
  from 
  a 
  dark 
  gray 
  to 
  a 
  yel- 
  

   lowish 
  white, 
  but 
  preserving 
  perfectly 
  their 
  original 
  

   angular 
  appearance. 
  The 
  acid 
  solution, 
  however, 
  showed 
  

   with 
  turmeric 
  paper 
  the 
  characteristic 
  reaction 
  for 
  zir- 
  

   conium, 
  and 
  the 
  residue 
  was 
  easily 
  broken 
  up 
  under 
  

   slight 
  pressure 
  of 
  a 
  platinum 
  spatula. 
  

  

  Filtering 
  and 
  washing 
  in 
  a 
  funnel 
  coated 
  with 
  Canada 
  

   balsam, 
  the 
  dry 
  residue 
  was 
  examined 
  under 
  a 
  micro- 
  

   scope 
  (X400) 
  and 
  found 
  to 
  consist 
  of 
  microcrystalline 
  

   aggregates 
  radiating 
  from 
  centers 
  and 
  apparently 
  

   homogeneous. 
  

  

  The 
  honiogeneity 
  was 
  confirmed 
  by 
  the 
  analysis 
  and 
  

   the 
  residue 
  had 
  the 
  exact 
  composition 
  of 
  zirconite 
  

   (Zr0 
  2 
  .Si0 
  2 
  ). 
  The 
  quantity, 
  however, 
  which 
  was 
  41% 
  of 
  

   the 
  original 
  rock, 
  corresponded 
  to 
  one-half 
  of 
  the 
  silica 
  

   contained 
  in 
  it. 
  

  

  It 
  was 
  evident 
  that 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  a 
  simple 
  mixture 
  of 
  zir- 
  

   conite 
  with 
  an 
  excess 
  of 
  zirconia 
  (baddeleyite 
  or 
  brazil- 
  

   it 
  e) 
  but 
  two 
  silicates, 
  one 
  of 
  them 
  insoluble 
  in 
  the 
  

   humid 
  reagents, 
  and 
  the 
  other 
  readily 
  soluble. 
  1 
  

  

  At 
  this 
  point 
  the 
  investigation 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  suspended 
  for 
  

   some 
  time 
  to 
  await 
  the 
  arrival 
  of 
  new 
  material. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  noteworthy 
  that 
  this 
  first 
  analytical 
  work 
  had 
  sug- 
  

   gested 
  the 
  following 
  composition 
  of 
  the 
  Caldas 
  rock: 
  

  

  Zirconite 
  (Zr0 
  9 
  .Si0 
  2 
  ) 
  41 
  (det.) 
  

  

  Silicate, 
  new? 
  (3Zr0 
  2 
  .2Si0 
  2 
  ) 
  56 
  

  

  Impurities 
  3 
  

  

  100- 
  

  

  1 
  Thin 
  sections 
  do 
  not 
  show 
  the 
  least 
  sign 
  of 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  amorphous 
  

   or 
  crystalline 
  silica. 
  

  

  