Analytical Notes. 77
(ON THE GASES CONTAINED IN METEORITES,
THE CHEMICAL NEWS. Seconn Paper.
By ARTHUR W. WRIGHT, Yale College.

CrEMICAL Nowe)
Feb. 23, 1877.

VoL. XXXV. No. goo.

[N a previous article, published in the American Fournal of
Science and Arts, April, 1876, the writer gave the results of
nvestigations upon the nature of the gases evolved from a
wmber of meteorites of both the iron and the stony
:lasses, when exposed to a more or less elevated temperiture.
 The stony meteorites examined were all of the
nore common type, containing a considerable percentage
of nickeliferous iron, without any appreciable quantity of
uncombined carbon. As is well known, however, among
‘hese bodies of the stony kind, the meteorites of Alais,
Xold Bokkeveld, Kaba, and Orgueil, form a distin& class,
liffering from the rest in several particulars, and especially
n containing considerable proportions of amorphous cardon,
 and a bituminous substance consisting of carbon
:ombined with oxygen and hydrogen in such z way as to
simulate organic produds. They are further distinguished
Jy containing only very small quantities of metallic iron.
As it seemed of interest to determine. whether the con-:lusions
 arrived at in the investigations previously described
vere applicable to the bodies of this peculiar class also,
he work was continued, with the results given below.
Several other points of importance, referred to in the
previous paper, were investigated, and are discussed in
subsequent paragraphs.
The material used for the determinations was a frag.
ment of an excellent specimen of the Kold Bokkeveld
meteorite in the cabinet of Yale College. It contains an
considerable proportion of metallic iron, though this is
20t entirely absent, for, on filing away the surface, very
minute particles may occasionally be seen. The analysis
made by Harris* gives for the carbon 1:67 per cent, and
for bituminous matters 0°25 per cent. As has been shown
by Prof. J. L. Smith,} the mineral constituents are not
greatly different from those of the ordinary stony meteorites.
 The method employed for the evolution and collec.
tion of the gases was essentially the same as that described.
mn previous papers, and need not be given in detail here.
(t is sufficient to mention that, as the meteorite gives off
1 large amount of water on being heated, the tube conaining
 the substance was conneded with the pump by a
'ecurved tube, the bend of which was placed ina freezing
nixture during the evolution of the gas, in order to colieét
 the water and prevent it from entering the pump,
This tube was sealed with a gas-flame at the close of the
:xperiment, and the water retained for examination. The
temperatures employed for driving off the gaseous contents
 were nearly the same as those of the previous experiments,
 being however slightly lower, in order to avoid,
1s far as possible, complication of the results by the a&ion
of the heat upon the bituminous matter. The results
were as follows '—

ANALYTICAL NOTES.
3y SERGIUS KERN, St. Petersburg.

t. On the Estimation of Carbon.
THE best method for estimating carbon in pig-iron and
steel is the copper chloride process. The results obtained
by this method are quite satisfactory for metallurgical
purposes. The following remarks from my own pra&ice
may be of some use to analysts.
1. In analysing pig-iron it is quite enough to take
02 to 0'3 grm. of the specimen; in analysing irons and
steels 2 to 3 grms. In preparing copper chloride, the
solutions of copper sulphate and sodium chloride must be
neutral and heated to 35°. For dissolving every o'I grm.
of the specimen 20 c.c. of concentrated copper chloride
solution is used.
2. The glass with specimen and copper chloride solution
is left for two days at the ordinary temperature ; every
three or four hours the solution is carefully stirred with a
glass Tod. When no coarse particles remain on the
bottom of the glass the solution is placed on a sand-bath
and gently heated to 50° to 60° for about three hours, An
2xcess of hydrochloric acid is next added and the analysis
is concluded in the ordinary way.
3. Pig-irons containing manganese in notable quantities
are dissolved entirely in copper chloride in about 6to8
days; ferro-manganese requires not less than zo days.
4. Thefiltration through asbestos filters must be always
sxecuted as quickly as possible; in this case Weil's
apparatus is very handy. The constru&ion of it is
described in Dr. Fresenius’s “ Quantitative Analysis”
sixth edition).
2. Platinum Crucibles.
These crucibles are not so often washed and cleaned in
laboratories as is necessary, Fora month experiments
were made with a crucible, washed and cleaned before
commencing the following experiments every month not
more than four or five times.

October 1, crucible weighed,
5 a
10,
135,

Grammes,
20°64g0
20'6485
206481
206479
206478
206476
20°64y5

JU,

EL]

During this month every day two or three ignitions were
made ; after every ignition the crucible was washed by
not water acidulated by 10 per cent. of nitric acid and
dried on a spirit lamp. "From the above-mentioned table
it is seen that in a month the crucible lost in weight
0'0015 grm. In the same time another crucible weighing
20'6852 grms. every day was carefully washed by melting in
it HNaNH,PO,, and next well polished with silica sand.
This crucible had all the time a smooth bottom, and lost
in weight during a month, in which it was used every day
for ignitions, only 0'0006 grm, -
My opinion is that platinum crucibles with a rough
surface combine more quickly with the carbon of the
dame than do crucibles with smooth surface, I also remarked
 that the sulphur (802,H,S) of the gas has a great
influence on platinum, so that it was found better to
purify the gas by Pb(NO;); in NaHO before allowing it to
pass in the Bunsen burner,
Obouchoff Steel Works, St. Petersburg.

Korb BokkevELp,
CO,. Co. cH, H. N. Volumes,
300°—350° 87°34 5°08 5°93 trace? 165 45
500° 95°55 132 2:14 054? 047 1778
Total .. g3xr 2-42 3'25 038? 084 2523
The volume of the gases obtained is much greater in
his than in the previous determinations ; but it will be
seen that in its composition the gaseous mixture is similar
‘0 that derived from the ordinary stony meteorites, with
he exception of the hydrogen, of which, if any was present,
 the quantity was so small as to make its determinaion
 a matter of some uncertainty, The percentage of
:arbon dioxide is somewhat larger at the higher temperaure
 than in the other cases, but the real difference here
s less than it appears. as the increase in the quartity of
—_—
* C. Rammelsberg, ‘Die chemische Natur der Meteoriten.”
dbhandl. der Kinigl. Akad. au Berlin, 1870.
t Amer. Journ. of Science and Arts, Ser. III, xi., p. 301.