NOTE ON PUCHERITE FROM WEST AUSTRALIA. 251 
NOTE on PUCHERITE From WEST AUSTRALIA. 
By H. GRIFFITHS, 
Caird Scholar, University of Sydney. 
[Communicated by J. A. SCHOFIELD, Acting-Professor of 
Chemistry, University of Sydney. | 
[Read before the Royal Society of N. S. Wales, November 4, 1908. ] 
DvuRING 1907 a few grams of concentrates from an oxidised 
quartz reef at Niagara, 115 miles north of Kalgoorlie, W.A., 
were forwarded to the Chemical Laboratory from Mr.C. F. 
de J. Grut, M.A., B.E., of Kalgoorlie, with the suggestion 
that they might contain Pucherite, a Bismuth vanadate. 
Mr. Grut stated that the quartz reef occurred in the typical 
so-called ‘‘ diorite’’ (more strictly amphibolite) country. 
The concentrates consisted largely of grains of silica, 
magnetite, pieces of metallic sulphides and metallic 
bismuth. In addition to the above there was a mineral 
which occurred in the form of approximately cubical, 
crystalline grains about $ mm. diameter, chrome yellow in 
colour, brittle and with a resinous lustre. These were 
picked out by hand with the aid of a lens. On crushing in 
an agate mortar a lemon yellow powder was obtained. 
The mineral dissolved in sulphuric and hydrochloric acids 
yielding aredsolution. On warming the hydrochloric acid 
solution chlorine was evolved. On passing H.S through 
the HCl solution and filtering, a deep blue filtrate was 
obtained, which on evaporation with HNO, yielded a dark 
red fusible residue, having the properties of vanadium 
pentoxide. The mineral gave a light green borax bead in 
the reducing flame. On charcoal in the reducing flame it 
fused and yielded a metallic bead of bismuth. 
The specific gravity, determined on the original grains 
by means of a pyknometer was 9°7. 
