EXPERIMENTAL RESEARCHES IN THE REDUCTION OF THE 
DIFFICULTLY REDUCIBLE METALS. 
A. J. ROGERS. 
Aluminium (Al) was probably first obtained by Woehler 
in 1827 by treating the chloride with the metal potas¬ 
sium (K.) 
Sir Humphrey Davy obtained sodium (Na) and potas¬ 
sium (K) in 1808 bv the electrolysis of the fused hydrox¬ 
ides of those metals. 
He tried to obtain Al. by the same method from alumina 
but was unsuccessful. Bunsen first obtained minute quan¬ 
tities of the metal by the electrolysis of the fused double 
chloride of aluminium *hnd sodium (Al.s Gle ^ NaCl) m 
1854. In the same year Henry St. Claire Deville first pre¬ 
pared the pure metal in sufficient quantit}' to be able 
to study its properties. His process was by the reducing 
action of Na. upon Al^Clo 2 NaCl, using about one 
third of cry r olite as a flux. 
The Deville process has remained with but slight changes 
in detail as the only practical process for the extraction of 
pure Al. Deville first established a small plant at Jave , 
France, but later united with Debray, Morin and Roseau 
Brothers. Still later, Merle and Usiglio in Sahndres gave 
Deville’s process the high perfection that it has to a^ 
By that process the largest item of cost is the so mm 
used. In 1852 Na sold at two hundred dollars a poun , 
but in 1862 by improvements in the process of manu a 
ture it had been reduced to a dollar and a hal a P otl 
Al 2 Cl 6 and Al 2 Chj 2 NaCl are very hygroscopic, an , w en 
heated in presence of air, moisture, hydrochloric aci 
alumina are formed in considerable quantity . a 
