THE DETECTION AND WIDE DISTRIBUTION OF YTTRIUM. 
897 
magnesic sulphate, commercial potassic sulphate, Wagnerite (magnesic phosphate and 
fluoride), zircon, cerite, and commercial ceric oxalate. 
Examination of zircon for the citron hand. 
17. Some specimens of zircon treated in the above manner appeared sufficiently rich 
to make it probable that here might be found an available source of the citron-band- 
yielding body. I found it in crystals from Green River, North Carolina, from Ceylon, 
from Expailly, from Miask (Oural), and from Brevig, and having a good supply of 
North Carolina zircons I started working up these in the following manner:— 
The finely-powdered zircons were fused with sodic fluoride, and the melted mass 
powdered, boiled with sulphuric acid, and filtered. The solution was precipitated 
with excess of ammonia, the precipitate well washed and dissolved in hydrochloric 
acid, and the solution made nearly neutral. A little zirconic oxychloride sometimes 
separated on evaporation; this was filtered off. An excess of sodic thiosulphate was 
now added, and the whole boiled for some time until a portion of the filtrate gave no 
further precipitate on boiling again with sodic thiosulphate. The precipitated zirconic 
thiosulphate was worked up for zirconia ; it was found to be quite free from the 
substance giving the citron band. The solution filtered from the zirconic thiosulphate 
was precipitated with ammonia, and the brown gelatinous precipitate was well washed. 
The filtrate was precipitated with amnionic oxalate, which brought down much calcic 
oxalate. This showed the citron band, but not strongly. The brown gelatinous 
precipitate was dissolved in nitric acid. Argentic nitrate was added to separate 
chlorine, and the filtrate from the argentic chloride was boiled down with nitric acid 
and excess of metallic tin to separate phosphoric acid. The clear solution, separated 
from the stannic oxide, phosphate, &c., was boiled down with hydrochloric acid to 
remove nitric acid, and then saturated with hydric sulphide to separate silver and 
tin. 
18. The filtrate from the sulphides was freed from hydric sulphide by boiling, and 
was then mixed with tartaric acid and excess of ammonia, to precipitate any yttria 
that might be present, together with Forbes’s zirconia 8* (jargonia?). On standing 
for some hours this gave a small quantity of a precipitate, which was separated by 
filtration; it was tested in the radiant matter tube, and found not to give the citron- 
band spectrum (44). To the filtrate ammonic sulphide was added to precipitate the 
iron. The black precipitate was filtered off, and the filtrate evaporated to dryness, 
and ignited to destroy the organic matter. The residue, heated with sulphuric acid 
and ignited, gave the citron spectrum very brightly. This would probably be the 
earth which Forbes calls zirconia y.t 
* ‘ Chem. News,’ vol. 19, p. 277. 
t Loc. cit. 
