<*gR%T}  Chemical  Notes.  447 
inert  toward  the  same.  The  test  is  a  very  simple  one  :  about  4  cc.  of 
alcohol  are  placed  in  a  test-tube  and  a  crystal  of  permanganate, 
KMn04,  is  added,  when — in  case  of  the  presence  of  water — the  color- 
ation will  show  at  once.  For  observation  the  test-glass  is  held  on  a 
white  sheet  of  paper.  A  chemical  reaction — oxidation  of  the  alcohol, 
probably  accompanied  by  the  formation  of  an  ether — ensues,  but  is  much 
slower  in  the  dark  than  when  exposed  to  light. 
CHEMICAL  NOTES. 
By  Prof.  Samuel  P.  Sadtler. 
Inorganic  Chemistry. — Norwegium,  a  newly-discovered  metal. — Fol- 
lowing closely  upon  the  announcement  of  Scandium  comes  the  claim 
of  a  Norwegian  chemist  to  have  discovered  a  new  metal,  which  he 
wishes  from  patriotic  motives  to  name  Norwegium,  thus  following  again 
the  rather  questionable  example  set  by  the  discoverer  of  gallium. 
This  metal  has  been  detected  and  isolated  by  Dr.  Tellef  Dahll  in  a 
sample  of  copper-nickel  from  Kragero  in  Skjergaarden.  The  color  of 
the  pure  metal  is  white,  with  a  slight  brownish  cast.  When  polished 
it  has  a  perfectly  metallic  lustre,  but  after  a  time  it  becomes  covered 
with  a  thin  film  of  oxide.  It  can  be  flattened  out  in  an  agate  mortar, 
and  in  hardness  it  resembles  copper.  The  melting  point  is  350°C, 
and  the  specific  gravity  9  441.  Its  equivalent  appears  to  be  145*9. 
Only  one  oxide,  NgO,  has  been  obtained.  With  sulphuretted  hydrogen 
it  gives  a  brown  sulphide,  even  in  strongly  acid  hydrochloric  solutions 
which  redissolves  in  ammonium  sulphide.  With  a  slight  addition  of 
potassium  ferrocyanide  it  gives  a  brown,  but  with  larger  proportions,  a 
green  precipitate.  The  sulphuric  solution  is  turned  brown  on  the 
addition  of  zinc,  and  the  metal  is  deposited  in  a  pulverulent  state.  The 
solutions  of  this  metal  are  blue,  but  become  greenish  on  dilution. — 
Chem  News,  xl,  p.  25. 
On  Uralium,  a  new  metal  of  the  Platinum  Group.  By  A.  Guyard. — 
As  far  back  as  1869  the  author  discovered  this  metal  in  commercial 
platinum  obtained  from  Russian  ores.  Next  to  silver,  it  is  the  whitest 
metal  known.  Its  malleability  is  as  great  as  that  of  the  purest  plati- 
num, but  its  ductility  is  much  greater,  and  it  is  almost  as  soft  as  lead. 
Its  melting  point  lies  near  to  that  of  platinum,  and  it  is  not  volatile.  Its 
specific  gravity  =20*25,  and  lts  molecular  volume,  like  those  of  osmium, 
