348 A. LIVERSIDGE. 



insoluble in nitric acid, yielded by the sawdust and by 

 sections of the meteorite itself were soluble in aqua regia. 



I have not come across any previous statements as to 

 the presence of gold in meteorites, but the platinum metals 

 have been met with before. Palladium is recorded as 

 occurring in a meteorite by G. Trottarelli. 1 



A paper on the occurrence of platinum and iridium in 

 meteoric iron, was read before the Rochester Academy of 

 Science on Oct. 11, 1898, by JohnM. Davison, 2 in which he 

 gives the results of some experiments upon meteoric irons. 

 He found on dissolving the Ooahuila and Toluca irons in 

 hydrochloric acid that "they left a fine black sediment 

 consisting mainly of minute tetragonal prisms of rhabdite, 

 minute black irregular crystals which may also be rhabdite, 

 carbon and a little stony matter. 500 grams of Ooahuila 

 iron left 9*386 grams of residue. Diamonds were not found 

 in these residues." 



"From this sediment platinum was obtained in each 

 analysis, 606 grams of Ooahuila iron yielded *014 gram of 

 metallic platinum and *0015 gram of a black powder, in- 

 soluble in nitrohydrochloric acid, but after fusion with zinc 

 dissolving in that acid and giving with ammonium chloride 

 a dark red crystalline precipitate, which is probably 

 ammonium iridi-chloride." 



"From 464 grams of Toluca iron a few crystals of potas- 

 sium platinichloride were obtained. These show a reddish 

 colour and probably contain iridium. Platinum vessels 

 were not used, the reagents were tested and all precau- 

 tions taken against accidental contamination." 



Mr. J. O. H. Mingaye, f.c.s., Ohemist to the Department 

 of Mines, New South Wales, records the presence of 



1 Journ. Chem. Soc, Abstracts, 1891, p. 533. 



2 American Journal of Science, Jan. 1899, p. 4. 



