Am.  Jour.  Pharm.) 
February,  1920. j 
Platinum  Production. 
"5 
the  yield  varying  from  a  fraction  of  a  dram  up  to  one-half  ounce  of 
crude  platinum  for  each  ton  of  sand.  Such  platinum  has  the  ap- 
pearance of  irregularly  formed  diminutive  grains  of  a  steel-gray 
color.  Because  of  its  highly  magnetic  properties  this  form  of  the 
mineral  is  often  termed  magnetic  platinum.  Large  nuggets  of  crude 
platinum  are  rare,  but  they  have  been  discovered  in  weights  varying 
up  to  1 8  pounds. 
Crude  platinum  known  as  Issovka  in  the  regions  named  is  ex- 
tracted from  the  bed  of  the  River  Isse  and  its  branches  and  in  the 
neighboring  ravines.  Such  platinum  has  the  appearance  of  fine 
scales  of  a  clear  silver  color. 
Platinum  was  discovered  in  the  Urals  in  1819  but  was  not  util- 
ized until  1825,  when  the  Russian  Government  began  to  employ 
this  metal  for  the  coinage  of  3-ruble  pieces.  Up  to  the  year  1845, 
Russian  currency  was  coined  approximately  equivalent  to  $2,125,- 
000.  During  the  period  from  1846  to  1850,  the  average  annual 
production  of  platinum  did  not  exceed  180  pounds  troy;  but  from 
1880  to  1890,  the  average  annual  production  was  8,800  pounds. 
The  production  for  the  year  1901  was  17,072  pounds.  Refined 
platinum  is  usually  sold  in  the  form  of  leaves  or  wire. 
Government  Control  of  Sale  of  Platinum. — Since  March,  19 19,  the 
Omsk  government  has  controlled  the  sale  of  platinum  in  the  terri- 
tory under  its  jurisdiction.  This  control  requires  that  producers 
of  platinum  sell  the  crude  metal  to  the  government  refining  assay 
office,  which  paid  the  producers  half  of  the  value  of  the  metal  in 
Russian  paper  curr^cy,  the  balance  being  paid  in  currency  after 
the  sale  of  the  metal  by  the  State  Bank.  The  occupation  of  the 
Ural  districts  by  the  Soviet  government's  authorities  in  July  and 
August,  however,  limits  the  Omsk  government's  control  to  such 
supplies  of  crude  platinum  as  may  have  been  brought  within  its 
jurisdiction. 
According  to  estimates  made  by  the  government  refining  assay 
office  at  Ekaterinburg  last  May,  the  time  required  to  refine  a  con- 
signment of  440  troy  pounds  of  crude  platinum  was  six  weeks,  and 
the  cost  of  the  labor  in  connection  therewith  was  150,000  rubles.  At 
that  time  the  actual  cost  of  such  quantity  of  crude  platinum  was 
5,000,000  rubles.  From  such  quantity  of  crude  platinum,  the 
^average  yield  of  refined  platinum  was  352  troy  pounds,  which, 
valued  at  the  combined  cost  of  the  labor  of  refining  and  the  price 
