G. P. Merrill — Minor Constituents of Meteorites. 509 



Art. XLIII. — On the Minor Constituents of Meteorites; 

 by George P. Merrill, Head Curator of Geology, U. S. 

 National Museum. 



[Report on an investigation carried on under an allotment from the J. 

 Lawrence Smith fund of the National Academy of Sciences.] 



Some three years ago, in view of the current speculations 

 regarding earth history, the writer prepared a paper on " The 

 Composition of Stony Meteorites compared with that of 

 Terrestrial Igneous Bocks." * In the preparation of this paper 

 he was naturally impressed with the comparatively small num- 

 ber of satisfactory chemical analyses that had been made, out 

 of the whole number available but 99 being found which were 

 considered sufficiently complete and accurate for the purpose. f 

 A second impressive fact was the apparent similarity in and 

 simplicity of meteoric composition, there being shown scarcely 

 any of those elements which recent rock analyses have found 

 to be common constituents, though in very small quantities, of 

 terrestrial rocks. These facts, coupled with the occasional 

 reported occurrences of such elements as platinum, gold, tin, 

 lead, zinc, etc., and the high degree of perfection reached by 

 modern analytical chemistry, suggested the advisability of 

 undertaking a systematic investigation of the chemical nature 

 of both stone and iron meteorites, with particular reference to 

 the occurrence of such elements as had been reported as doubt- 

 ful or found only in traces. On mentioning the matter to 

 Prof. Morley, I was encouraged to make application for finan- 

 cial assistance from the J. Lawrence Smith fund of the 

 National Academy of Sciences. This was promptly granted ; 

 without it the work, under conditions now existing, would 

 have been impossible. There being no analytical chemist 

 attached to the Museum staff, and as naturally none of those 

 employed in other branches of the Government service could 

 be spared, it became necessary to employ someone in com- 

 mercial life. Looking over the available field, I was fortunately 

 reminded of Dr. J. E. Whitfield, now with Booth, Garrett & 

 Blair, of Philadelphia, but at one time with the U. S. Geologi- 

 cal Survey, who while there employed had made himself fully 

 conversant with the difficult and complicated methods of 

 analyses essential to a satisfactory understanding of these 

 bodies. 



* This Journal, xxvii, 469-74, 1909. 



fFarrington made use of 125 in his more recent study (Analyses of 

 Stone Meteorites, Pub. 151, Geol. Series, vol. iii, No. 9, Field Museum of 

 Natural History). 



