195 
[April, ’89. history society of Wisconsin. 
experimented upon by F. J. Seymour. He claims to use 
100 parts of the Zn ore, 50 parts of kaolin, 125 parts of 
carbonaceous matter, 15 parts of pearl ash and 10 parts 
of NaCl. It is not probable that much A1 would be ob¬ 
tained by this process; certainly not pure Al. Petitjean 
decomposes Sulphide of Al by heating in a crucible, 
through the bottom of which a stream of marsh gas 
passes. He also claims to have affected the reduction by 
mixing sulphide of Al with iron filings and igniting. 
Cumenge ignited sulphide of Al with clay or Al sulphate 
free from water. Corbelli in Florence took 100 parts of 
clay with 600 parts of S O 4 or concentrated H Cl 
and gradually heated to 500 degrees. This mass is mixed 
with 200 parts of K C N, 150 NaCl and heated to a 
white heat. Deville was unable to obtain Al by this pro¬ 
cess. Knowles reduced the chloride by KCN, Fleurx is 
said to have produced Al from clay mixed with gas tar, 
rosin, petroleum or similar substances. This was made 
into a dough and formed into balls, which, after diving, 
were heated in a tube at a cherry red heat with marsh gas 
tinder 20 to 30 pounds pressure. The reduced Al in a fine 
powder was melted with Zn and the Zn afterw ards dis 
tilled. None of these processes except Deville’s sodium 
process have attained any prominence, and it w ould seem 
quite impossible to be able practically to reduce Al from 
its salts or ores by the use of ordinary 1 educing agents m 
eluding the common cheaper metals. Some years a g°. 
commenced a studv r of some of the problems invoke m 
the production of the difficulty reducible metals from 
fused salt by electrolysis. Some results of an inxestiga 
tion of the alkali metals w r ere giv r en, a P a P er e ° 
the physical section of the American Association or ^ . 
Advancement of Science, at its meeting in Ann ° 
1885. The principal points stated and conclusions reac 
in that paper I give in the following summary: a 
•observed, according to J. J. Thomson, that t 
