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Mr. J. B. Hannay. 



[May 27 y 



ingredients might yield successful results, and another series of five, 

 ranging from 30 per cent, to 10 per cent, of bone oil distillate, was 

 prepared, but not one of them gave any results. One by one the tubes 

 exploded, and the furnace had to be reconstructed at the fourth experi- 

 ment. I thought I should either have to abandon the attempt or begin 

 experiments of a very expensive nature, using large tubes and a large 

 furnace, as 20-inch tubes of a greater diameter than 4 inches could 

 not be closed when three parts filled — at least by welding. As some 

 of them, however, seemed to stand, I determined to make some further 

 trials with the apparatus I had at my disposal ; so another tube, 

 20"x4"x y bore was filled, using 4 grms. of lithium and a mixture 

 of bone oil, carefully rectified, 90 per cent., and paraffin spirit 10 per 

 cent., using these proportions because I had never had any results 

 with a high percentage of bone oil, the tubes so filled having burst. 

 The tube was closed with great difficulty, being three-parts full of 

 liquid, and then heated to a visible red-heat for fourteen hours, and 

 allowed to cool slowly. On opening the tube a great volume of gas 

 was given off, and only a little liquid remained. In the end of the 

 tube which had been the upper end in the furnace, the tube lying 

 obliquely, there was a hard smooth mass adhering to the sides of the 

 tube, and entirely covering the bottom. As I had never obtained all 

 the solids in one piece before, I wished to examine it, and so had the 

 other end of the tube cut off, exposing the hard mass. It was quite 

 black, and was removed with a chisel, and as it appeared to be com- 

 posed principally of iron and lithium it was laid aside for analysis. I 

 was pulverising it in a mortar, when I felt that some parts of the 

 material were extremely hard — not resisting a blow, but hard other- 

 wise. On looking closer, I saw that these were mostly transparent 

 pieces imbedded in the hard matrix, and on triturating them I 

 obtained some free from the black matter. They turned out to be 

 crystalline carbon, exactly like diamond. I shall describe further on 

 the analyses, &c, but will here go on with the account of my further 

 experiments. Two tubes were filled in the same manner as the last, 

 but one burst on heating, and the other had leaked so that there was 

 no reaction. Two more tubes were prepared, but were spoiled on 

 welding, and on cutting off the carbonised portion the remainder was 

 too short to work. After much trouble three tubes were obtained, 

 well closed, in which the three alkali metals were inclosed with liquid 

 containing 20 per cent, bone oil and 80 per cent, paraffin. All three 

 stood, and, on opening, only the potassium one had leaked to any 

 extent. The results were not good, however, the sodium tube con- 

 taining only soft scaly carbon, and the other two very little better. 

 The reaction did not seem to have proceeded in the same manner in 

 the lithium tube as before, as the mass was soft and friable. Still,, 

 lithium seemed to yield the best results, so it was adhered to in the 



