78 



Dr. G. H. Bailey. 



[May 9, 



(3.) Kelation of K 2 ZrF 6 to Zr0 2 and to K 2 S0 4 . Marignac (' Ann. 

 de Chim.,' vol. 60, p. 257). 



Tn addition to these it seemed possible that the relations — 



(4.) Zr to Zr0 2 by direct oxidation of the metal, 



(5.) Zr (in Zr0 2 ) to Br (in AgBr) on analysis of ZrBr 4 , might be 

 worthy of examination. 



The bodies, therefore, to be investigated were the metal, the 

 oxide, the chloride, the oxychloride, bromide, sulphate, and double 

 fluoride. With regard to the last mentioned, no further investigation 

 was considered necessary after the very complete treatment it has 

 received at the hands of Marignac following upon the work of 

 Berzelius on the double fluorides. 



Preparation and Properties of Zirconium. 



Zirconium was first obtained by Berzelius (' Poggendorff, Annalen/ 

 vol. 4, p. 117) by heating the anhydrous potassium zirconium fluoride 

 with metallic potassium in an iron tube. It is described by him as 

 being an amorphous black powder without lustre and resembling 

 charcoal in appearance. Becquerel, by electrolysis of a concentrated 

 solution of the oxychloride, and Troost (■' Journ. Prakt. Chem.,' 

 vol. 97, p. 171), by fusing together potassium zirconium fluoride and 

 aluminium, obtained it in a crystalline form, though it does not seem 

 to have been in either case quite pure. Phipson (' Journ. Prakt. 

 Chem.,' vol. 96, p. 447) found that like carbon, boron, and silicon it 

 can be obtained hy heating together magnesium and zirconia and 

 then extracting the excess of magnesium and the magnesia by means 

 of dilute hydrochloric acid. 



There was left a black amorphous powder resembling that de- 

 scribed by Berzelius. No determinations are, however, given to show 

 how far this was free from impurity, and whether it contained unre- 

 duced oxide. A repetition of Phipson's experiments showed that as 

 far as the presence of foreign impurity is concerned it leaves nothing 

 to be desired, though I have not succeeded in preparing the metal by 

 this or any other of the methods in a state of sufficient purity for a 

 determination of atomic weight. Phipson's method is a very con- 

 venient one for preparing the metal, and the following results will 

 show the conditions most favourable to its production in this way. 



Experiments were first tried with intimate mixtures of magnesium 

 powder, 3 grams and 5 grams respectively, with 4*4 grams of zirconia, 

 the mixture being heated to bright redness in an iron tube, the mouth 

 of the tube being filled with finely powdered common salt. There 

 remained, after repeated digestion with dilute hydrochloric acid, a 

 fine black powder, so fine that it passed through the filter-paper and 

 remained in part suspended for weeks in water, showing a reddish- 

 purple coloration by transmitted light. 



