CONCENTRATION  OF  MINERAL  WATERS. 
39 
The  authors  succeeded  in  isolating  the  conjectural  substance, 
necessarily  in  very  minute  quantity,  partly  in  the  form  of  chlo- 
ride, partly  as  hydrated  oxide,  and  partly  in  the  metallic  state. 
On  submitting  these,  moistened  with  chlorhydric  acid,  to  the 
spectroscope,  the  blue  line  was  seen  so  brilliant,  sharp,  and  per- 
sistent, that  they  did  not  hesitate  to  conclude  that  it  belonged  to 
a  hitherto  unrecognized  metal,  to  which  they  accordingly  gave 
the  name  Indium. 
The  line  mentioned  has  a  perceptibly  greater  refrangibility 
than  the  blue  line  of  strontium,  and  there  appears  besides  a  much 
weaker  line,  of  still  greater  refrangibility,  which  almost,  but  not 
quite,  reaches  the  blue  line  of  calcium. 
The  authors  add  that,  as  far  as  they  have  examined  the  chemi- 
cal properties  of  Indium,  they  may  safely  assert  that  it  is  not 
precipitated  from  an  acid  solution  of  the  chloride  by  sulphuretted 
hydrogen  ;  that  from  the  same  solution  it  is  precipitated  by  am- 
monia as  a  hydrated  oxide  ;  that  the  chloride  is  extremely  deli- 
quescent ;  and  that  the  oxide  heated  on  charcoal  with  soda  gives 
lead-gray  metallic  beads,  which  are  ductile  and  very  soft ;  these 
heated  again  before  the  blowpipe  give  a  yellowish  coating,  which 
on  further  heating  takes  no  characteristic  color  with  cobalt  solu- 
tion.— Chemical  News,  Sept.  12,  1863,  from  Journal  fiir  Prak- 
tische  Chemie,  Ixxxix.,  441. 
NEW  METHOD  FOR  THE  CONCENTRATION  OF  MINERAL 
WATERS. 
Sea-water,  in  freezing,  forms  flakes  of  ice  consisting  of  nearly 
pure  water,  and  an  extremely  saline  liquid  which  in  Northern 
countries  is  utilized  in  the  production  of  marine  salt.  Very  re- 
cently, Dr.  Robinet,  a  physician  of  Paris,  has  discovered  that 
the  same  process  can  be  applied  in  the  purification  of  fresh 
water.  In  freezing  water  from  the  Seine,  from  wells,  and  from 
springs,  he  found  the  ice  produced  to  be  so  entirely  free  from 
the  salts  of  lime  and  magnesia  which  were  contained  in  the 
water,  that,  thus  purified,  it  may  be  considered  as  nearly  equal 
to  distilled  water.  So  it  is  now  proposed  to  procure  water  on 
board  ships,  no  longer  by  distillation  but  by  congelation,  by 
