416 
Scientific IntelUgence, 
11. Singular Heat developed in the fusion of Tin and Tla^ 
tinum,—Mx Fox of Falmouth has found, that a very extraor- 
dinary degree of heat is developed by fusing together platinum 
and tin in the following manner. If a small piece of tin-foil is 
wrapped in a piece of platinum-foil of the same size, and ex- 
posed upon charcoal to the action of the blowpipe, the union of 
the two metals is indicated by a rapid whirling, and by an ex- 
treme brilliancy in the light which is emitted. If the globule 
thus melted is allowed to drop into a basin of water, it remains 
for some time red hot at the bottom, and such is the intensity of 
the heat, that it melts and carries off the glaze of the basin 
from the part on which it happens to fall. We have seen the 
experiment performed repeatedly in the manner now described. 
Mr Fox has given an account of his experiments in the Ann. 
qfFhil. for June 1819. 
12. New Metal called Wodanium, discovered hy Lampadius. 
— In examining a metalhc mineral from the mine of Topschau 
in Hungary, which is considered to be an ore of cobalt, M. 
Lampadius discovered a new metal amounting to 20 per cent, 
united with sulphur, arsenic, iron and nickel. Wodanium, (so 
called from an ancient German god,) has a pale bronze colour, 
similar to that of arsenical cobalt. The specific gravity is 
11.470. It is malleable, as hard as fluor-spar, and greatly at- 
tracted by the magnet. It preserves its lustre in air, but with 
heat it is changed into a black oxide. Its solutions in acids are 
white, bordering, upon wine-yellow. Its hydrated carbonates 
are equally white. The precipitate obtained by caustic ammo- 
nia is of a pale blue colour. The alkaline phosphates and 
arseniates do not produce any precipitate in its saturated solu- 
tions. The same is the case with an infusion of nut-galls. 
Zinc precipitates from its muriatic solution a black metallic 
powder. The precipitate produced hy the triple prussiate of 
potash is of a pearl grey colour. 
M. Breithaupt considers the mineral which contains this new 
metal as a pyrites, and calls it Wodanium Pyrites. It is harder 
than fluor-spar, but softer than apatite, easily broken, and has 
a specific gravity of 5.192. Its colour is a deep tin white, be- 
coming grey and brown v/hen tarnished. The fracture is un- 
