but if the powder is from an alloy the metal of which is not soluble in nitric acid, then a black residuum is left not touched by the acid; and which, when washed and carefully dried, is found, when heated, to be deilagrating; and with some of the metals, when carefully prepared, strongly explosive.
The fulminating preparation obtained from the platinum alloy, when dissolved in nitromuriatic acid, gave a solution containing much platinum and very little iron. When a little of it was wrapped in foil and heated, it exploded with much force, tearing open the foil, and evolving a faint light. When dropped on the surface of heated mercury, it exploded readily at 400° of Fahrenheit, but with difficulty at 37O°. When its temperature was raised slowly, it did not explode, but was decomposed quietly. When detonated in the bottom of a hot glass tube, much water and fume were given off; and the residuum collected was metallic platinum with a very little iron and charcoal. We are uncertain how far this preparation resembles the fulminating platinum of Mr. Edmund Davy.
In these alloys of steel the differences of specific gravity are not great, and may probably be in part referred to the denser state of the metals from more or less hammering: at the same time it may be observed, that they are nearly in the order of the specific gravities of the respective alloying metals.
The alloys of steel with gold, tin, copper, and chromium, we have not attempted in the large way. In the laboratory, steel and gold were combined in various proportions;—none of the results were so promising as the alloys already named, nor did either tin or copper, as far as we could judge, at all improve steel. With titanium we failed, owing to the imperfection of crucibles. In one instance, in which the fused button gave a fine damask surface, we were disposed to attribute the appearance to the presence of titanium; but in this we were mistaken;—-the fact was, we had unintentionally made wootz. The button, by analysis, gave a little silex and alumina, but not an atom of titanium; menachanite, in a particular state of preparation, was used: this might possibly contain the earths or their basis, or they may have formed a part of the crucible.
M. Berthier, who Brat made the alloy of steel and chromium[1],
- ↑ Annales do Chimis, xvii. 56.
