SELECTED ARTICLES- 
ART. XVII.— ON THE APPLICATION OF PLATINUM UPON 
OTHER METALS. By M. Melly. 
Everyone is aware of the great advantages in chemical ope- 
rations, which vessels of platinum have over those of all other 
metals, without exception. The greatest obstacle to their 
more extensive use, is their high price. Vessels of platinum, 
especially when of large size, as alembics, retorts, evaporating 
dishes, &c, are necessarily thick for the purpose of resisting 
injury, and the quantity of matter is very considerable, so 
that their price is then very high. It would, therefore, be 
useful to discover some means of constructing some instru- 
ments possessing the advantages of those made entirely of 
platinum, and of which the. price should be infinitely less. 
To accomplish this purpose, M. Melly has attempted to 
use platinum with a thinness much greater than ordinary — 
but supporting it by another metal, to which it remains ap- 
plied. All that is to be desired in this respect has not been 
obtained, but the experiments may induce some practical 
chemist to continue the researches, and improve upon them 
so as to obtain complete success. 
Three different processes have been tried to apply the pla- 
tinum upon other metals. 
The first of these modes is by compression. Here it is en- 
deavored to attach the platinum by the processes already in 
use in plating with silver and gold, that is to say, to unite 
platinum upon copper or on brass by means of very strong 
pressure, in the hope of causing an adhesion in a solid manner, 
