ANALYSIS OF NATIVE IRON. 



871 



External Characters. 



Its colour is intermediate between steel- grey 

 and iron-black. 

 It occurs massive. 

 Its lustre is metallic and shining. 

 The fracture is small-grained, uneven. 

 It is opaque. 



It is malleable, but not in a high degree. 



It scratches glass. 



Specific gravity, 7.07. Mr Adie. 



It is highly magnetic. 



Chemical Characters. 



It fuses at a white heat, with a lambent blue 

 Hame on its surface. 



It becomes soft when heated, but does not re- 

 cover its original hardness on cooling. 



Analysis. 



It is needless to repeat the experiments, shew-- 

 ing its negative chemical qualities. The following 

 are the principal features in the analysis. 



A. Eighteen grains of it heated gently in dilute 

 muriatic acid dissolved slov/ly, giving out hydro- 

 gen gas, slightly impregnated with sulphur. 



B. One grain of a dark pov/der remained, which 

 resisted the action of boiling acids. This was 



