Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
August,  1889.  J 
Cobalt  and  Nickel. 
431 
merits  have  proved  fruitless,  he  suspects  that  "gnomium"  exists 
merely  in  the  imagination  of  its  discoverers.  He  expects,  therefore, 
from  HH.  Kriiss  and  Schmidt  either  a  confirmation  or  a  withdrawal 
of  their  communications. 
According  to  Dr.  Fleitmann's  experiments  he  concludes:  (1).  That  if 
cobalt  and  nickel  are  regularly  accompanied  by  a  hitherto  unknown 
metal  this  can  exist  only  in  extreme  traces,  and  not  in  quantities  up  to 
two  per  cent.  (2).  That  these  traces  have  no  essential  influence  on  the 
ductility  of  the  nickel,  which,  in  its  present  state  of  purity,  is  as  flex- 
ible and  ductile  as  the  softest  iron.  (3).  That  the  methods  of  purify- 
ing nickel,  patented  by  Dr.  Kriiss,  are  devoid  of  practical  value  since 
they  are  in  part  not  novel  and  in  part  not  feasible. 
If  the  nickel  and  cobalt  of  trade  in  the  state  of  hydroxide  are 
treated,  as  according  to  Kriiss  and  Schmidt,  with  excess  of  sodium 
hydroxide,  we  certainly  obtain,  according  to  the  purity  of  the  mate- 
rials, varying  quantities  of  the  different  impurities  present  in  these  ox- 
ides along  with  small  quantities  of  nickelous  and  cobaltous  oxides.  Ac- 
cording to  the  origin  of  the  sample  the  impurities  consist  of  small 
quantities  of  lead  and  zinc  oxides,  arsenic,  manganic,  molybdic,  and 
silicic  acids,  alumina,  cerium  oxides,  and  chromic  acid.  The  nickelous 
or  cobaltous  oxide  dissolved  does  not  in  general  exceed  ~iis  per  cent,  of 
the  oxide  used.  If  it  is  separated  from  the  other  impurities  which 
exist  in  solution  in  the  alkaline  liquid  and  converted  into  nickelous 
or  cobaltous  oxide,  it  is  afterwards  insoluble  in  soda-lye,  whence 
its  solubility  appears  to  depend  on  the  presence  of  those  impur- 
ities, especially  arsenic  acid,  silica,  and  alumina.  If  the  alkaline 
extract  of  the  above  impurities  is  mixed  with  hydrochloric  acid  until 
the  precipitate  formed  at  first  is  re-dissolved  and  ammonium  carbo- 
nate is  then  added,  there  is  obtained  a  wonderful  mixture  of  oxides 
and  acids  well  calculated  to  serve  as  a  puzzle.  It  seems  to  the 
author  not  unlikely  that  HH.  Kriiss  and  Schmidt  have  met  with  such 
mixtures.  Their  precaution  to  form  the  alkaline  extract  at  a  low 
temperature  (10°)  confirms  him  in  his  conjectures,  as  precipitates  often 
appear  on  applying  heat.  Manganic  acid  and  dissolved  lead  oxide 
are  sometimes  converted  into  manganic  oxide  and  lead  peroxide.  Still 
this  is  merely  conjecture,  and  he  is  ready  to  be  convinced  to  the  con- 
trary by  more  decisive  proofs  than  the  discoverers  have  as  yet  ad- 
vanced for  the  existence  of  the  new  element. —  Chemiker  Zeitung,  June 
12,  1889.— Chem.  News,  July  5,  p.  9. 
