632 
MR. EDWARD MATTHEY ON THE LIQUATION 
Having obtained these castings by melting in a crucible in a wind-oil furnace, 
I now re-fused this metal (B, BB) by means of the oxyhydrogen flame in a lime 
furnace at the most intense white heat. 
The metal was cast into a spherical mould and divided by cutting into two 
hemispheres in the usual way. The relative distribution of the gold is shown in 
diagram C. 
C. Gold.900 parts. 
Platinum.100 „ 
Parts of gold in 1000 :— 
Outside. 
Intermediate. 
Centre. 
902-9 
897 
875 
902 
894-7 
901 
903 
Average . 902'2 
Maximum difference in tlie gold between centre and mean of outside, 27‘2 per thousand. 
C. 
It is evident that the temperature at which the metal is cast, materially affects the 
extent to which the platinum liquates towards the centre. 
In the next experiment, an alloy consisting of pure gold ten parts, and pure 
platinum ninety parts, was fused together. 
This was conducted by melting the two metals in a lime furnace, by means of the 
oxyhydrogen flame. When the alloy was thoroughly liquid, it was poured into a 
mould and again melted and cast, to ensure a thorough mixture of the two metals. 
The alloy was melted for a third time, and then poured into a spherical mould 
made of lime. The quantity operated upon was about 5^ kilogs. The sphere showed, 
when cut into two halves, a brilliant white crystalline structure (D). The gold in 
the portions of metal removed for examination was very carefully determined by the 
