116 



Experiments on NiccoIa7ium» 



[Feb. 



r^umber of Middle day Medium of 

 penthcme- of the pen- 50 years' 



rons . theoierou. observations. 



66" Nov. 24 



^7 

 68 

 69 



n 

 n 



29 

 Dec. 4 

 9 

 14 

 19 

 24 

 29 



0- 611 



1- 405 



1- 602 



2- 165 



3- 155 



3- 164 



4- 334 



Probable 



mean 

 tempei'. 



+ 0'023^ 

 -0-667 

 1-326 



1- 952 



2- 544 



3- 100 



3- 617 



4- 092 



-0-406 

 -f 0-056 

 -0079 

 + 0350 

 + 0-379 

 -0-055 

 + 0-453 

 —0-242 



Column 3d in 

 degrees of 

 Fahrenheit. 



si-su^' 



30-900 

 29-471 

 29-117 

 28-103 

 26-321 

 26-305 

 24-i9t 



Mean + 5-765 



Article V. 



Experiments en Niccolanum.^ By W. Hisinger and C, 



Murray. 



Mr. J. B. Ricliter published in the Neues AUg, Journal der 

 Cliemie^ vol. iv. p. 392, his experiments on a new metallic 

 body, which he discovered during his attempts to reduce the 

 pure oxide of nickel to the metallic state, and which he called 

 Niccolanum, a neiu discovered metal, very similar in many re- 

 spects to nickel. It was chiefly distinguished from nickel in not 

 being reducible by mere heat, in being more violently attacked 

 by nitric acid, and in the different colours of the precipitates ob- 

 tained from the solutions of it in acids. Through the goodness 

 of Mr. Gehlen, we obtained various specimens of this new metal, 

 soon after its discovery. One of these specimens was subjected 

 to the following experiments :— 



(a) A regulusof niccolanum, which weighed 224 3 milligrammes, 

 (34'54 grains Troy) was digested in pure dilute nitric acid. The 

 action was moderate ; but was increased when the acid became 

 more concentrated. The colour of the solution v/as emerald 

 green, exactly similar to that of nickel. The acid left undis- 

 solved a small yellowish brown mass, which was separated, and 

 boiled for a long time in concentrated nitric acid, but was not 

 sensibly dissolved. Muriatic acid was therefore employed, which 

 gradually dissolved the whole of the mass, and assumed a greenish 

 yellow colour. The solution being diluted with a great deal of 

 water, was mixed with an excess of caustic ammonia, in a glass 

 vessel, furnished with a stopper, but no precipitate fell. By 

 gentle evaporation in a retort, a reddish brown oxide was thrown 



* From Afhandlingar i Fysik, Kemi «ch Mineralogi, Utgifne af W. Hisinger 

 ©ch I. Berzeliusj vol, iii, p. iG5. 



