il Ziz eraiogical
a ?id Geolog-ical Chemistry.
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pound. All the above CsZnAg salts are too insoluble to be recrystallized from water without decomposition. K,BaAg,( SCN),. H,O (H. L. Wells) : truncated rectangular pyramidal crystals, brilliant and transparent, stable in the air, very soluble in small amounts of water, but deconiposed by much of it with precipitation of silver thiocyanate. Most of the con~pounds described above were obtained by mixing the different thiocyanates in varying proportions and under different conditions, and then evaporating to crystals. M. T. BOGERT.
MINERALOGICAL AND GEOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY. A Quantitative Chemico-nineralogical Classification and Nomenclature of Igneous Rocks. BY WHITMAN CROSS, JOSEPH P. IDDINGS, LOUISV. PIRSSONA N D HENR+S. WASHINGTON. JOUY. of Geol., IO, 555-6go.-This most elaborate paper represents the combined labor of the authors, with whom the late Professor George H. Williams was originally associated, for quite a number of years. All attempts to make any of the existing systems meet the demands of modern petrology having failed. an entirely new one has been evolved which has been tested by the calculation of thousands of analyses. ‘ I Its concepts of rocks are in a large measure new, and hence, except in a very small degree, it demands a new nomenclature. . . . All igneous rocks are classified on a basis of their chemical composition ; all rocks having like chemical coniposition are grouped together. T h e definition of the chemical composition of a rock and of a unit of classification is expressed in terms of certain minerals capable of crystallizing from a magma of a given chemical composition, and the expression is quantitative.” It is quite impossible to give, in the limits of an abstract, an adequate idea of the nature of the proposed system and of the arguments offered in its behalf, therefore the reader must be referred to the original, which will later be reprinted in book form by the University of Chicago Press, together with a glossary of new words and their definitions and tables to aid in calculations. Such a revolutionary step will doubtless meet with strenuous opposition, especially from the more conservative, but it is to be hoped that the spectacle of several leading petrologists united in harmonious advocacy of this radical change may have its effect in securing for the system not only approval but its gradual adoption, and thus end a most vexatious situation, quite as troublesome as that confronting chemistry. W. F. HILLEBRAND.
Review o f Americaii Chemical Research
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The Action of Ammonium Chloride upon Silicates. nu FRANK WIGGLESWORTH CLARKE A N D GEORGESTEIGER.LL S. Geol. Szwvey, Bull. No. 207. 57 pp.-In this Bulletin the authors bring together and discuss the results of their earlier work (Abstr., this Journal, 2 2 , 1 2 1 ; 23, 7 3 ; 24, 118)and of much that is new. T h e hitherto unpublished experimental data relate to the action of ammonium chloride on pollucite, datolite, *elaeolite, cancrinite sodalite, the feldspars, serpentine, phlogopite, leuchtenbergite, and rocks. There is also a discussion of the trisilicic acids. T h e following is the authors’ summary : I n the foregoing pages we have considered the action of ammonium chloride, at its temperature of disrociation, upon 3 I mineral species. TI7ehave shown that its influence upon various silicates differs very widely, but that in general it is a much more powerful reagent than has been generally supposed. T h e results, in brief, are as follows : First. Analcite, leucite, natrolite, and scolecite, heated with dry ammonium chloride to 3 j o o i n a sealed tube. yield alkaline chlorides and an ammonium aluminum silicate, which is stable at 300’. T h e reaction is simply one of double decomposition. the sodium or potassium of the original silicate being completely replaced by ammonium. Analcite and leucite give the same product, NH,AISiJO,. Xatrolite and scolecite yield the salt (NH4)2A12Si3010. T h e latter compound is a derivative of orthotrisilicic acid, H,Si,O,, ; and in a separate section of the memoir its constitution and its relations to other trisilicic acids are considered. Second. A similar reaction, a double decoinpositioii, takes place incompletely with stilbite, heulandite, chabazite, thonisonite, laumontite, and pollucite. Part of the monoxide base is removed and replaced by ammonium, without change of atomic ratios. Cancrinite is also vigorously attacked, and partially transformed into a zeolitic body.” Third. Pectolite. wollastonite, apophyllite, datolite, ilvaite, and calamine are violently acted upon by ammonium chloride, and their molecules seem to be almost completely broken down. T h e products of the reactions are mixtures, and no ammonium silicates are formed.” ‘‘ Fourth. Elaeolite, sodalite, riebeckite, olivine, serpentine, phlogopite, prehnite, orthoclase, albite, oligoclase, aegirite, pyrophyllite, leuchtenbergite, and xanthophyllite are but slightly attacked by dissociating ammonium chloride. ’’ “ I n the closing section of the work we have shown that the ammonium chloride reaction may be appled to an approximate quantitative determination of analcite and leucite in rocks, thereby aiding somewhat in the estimation of their mineralogical comW.F. HILLEBRAND. position.” ‘ I
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Mineralogical and Geological Chemistry.
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The Crystallography of the Calcites of the New Jersey Trap Region. BY AUSTINFLINT ROGERS. School of Mines Quart., 23, 336-347. -The concluding remarks of this crystallographic paper have a bearing on chemistry by showing the paragenesis of the various minerals produced by contact metamorphism of the trap with the sandstones and shales. T h e approximate order of formation seems to have been : Datolite, prehnite, calcite, heulandite, apophyllite, analcite, natrolite, stilbite. Calcite occurs in several generations ; for instance, a t Great Notch, a specimen of drusy calcite is distributed over minerals enclosing calcite. W. F. HILLEBRAND. The Concentration of Barium in Limestone. BY C. W. DICKSON. School of Mines Quart., 23, 366-370. -The particular case studied was an exposure of Trenton limestone in a quarry at Kingston, Ontario. T h e composition of the limestone, as ascertained by J. C. Murray, is shown by numerous analyses. Running from top to bottom of the exposure is a vein, 2 to 3 inches wide, of crystallized calcite and barite with disseminated pyrite. T h e source of the barium was sought by making many tests of the limestone for it and total sulphur. These showed that the soil layers of decomposed limestone and glacial debris and the upper, more open and weathered, layers of the limestone carried appreciably more barium than the compact lower half, which yielded usually traces to a maximum, in the upper portion, of 0 . 2 5 per cent. BaO. T h e sulphur bore no relation to the latter and is mainly derived from sulphides. An undecomposed glacial boulder of anorthosite yielded o. I L per cent. of BaO and others of augite syenite from 0 . 2 5 to 0.30 per cent. These are looked upon as the probable source of the barium in the limestone, since otherwise the compact layers of the latter should carry more than the upper, more permeable, ones. T h e possibility of the existence of barite as an original constituent of the limestone is not overlooked. " Most likely some of the calcite has been altered in situ to sulphate by the action of the oxidizing pyrite. This reacting with the barium bicarbonate in solutioo in the infiltrating waters, would cause its deposition as W. F. HILLEBRAND. sulphate in its present position."
On Bacubirito or the Great Meteorite of Sinaloa. BY HENRY H. WARD. Proc. Rochester Acad. Sci., 4; 67-74 ; A m . Geologist, 30, 203-211 ; Science, 16, 267 (Abst.).-The author has uncovered and described this hitherto little known, enormous, irregularly shaped mass of iron, estimated to weigh approximately 50 tons. Its dimensions are : length, 13 feet I inch ; width, 6 feet 2 inches ; thickness, 5 feet 4 inches. Its octahedral character is most marked. Acid produces beautiful Widmanstatten figures
IO
Review of .4mericaii Chemical Reseaid
of small pattern. Troilites are very scarce; sp. g r . 7.69. Xnalysis by J. E. Whitfield showed the followitig coinpositiou : Fe, 88.944; X , 6 . 9 7 9 ; C 0 ~ 0 . 2 1 1 ;S , o . o o j ; P , o . I ~Si. ~ :trace. IV. F. HILLEBRASD. Occurrence of Corundum. JOSEPH HYDEPUTT i l l The PYOdwtioit of Abvasive Materials, advance extra (p. 4j) from Mize r d Resowces of fhc Uzited States. C a l e d a v Y e w I yor.--Iu describing the various modes of occurreiices of corundum a new one is noted, in a granitic rock in Freiiiont County, Colorado, about seven miles from Canyon. T h e accompanying feldspar is plagioclase instead of orthoclase as in the corunduin-bearing syenites of Montana and Ontario. T h e artificial production of corundum frotn bauxite by heat atid pressure i n an electric furnace, as tiow carried out at Siagara Falls, is regarded i p . j 6 j as confirmatory of the author's previously expressed viens regarding the origin of corundum in quartz schist i n North Carolina. V7.F. HIJ.I,EHRAND. On Some nodes of Occurrence of the irineral Albertite. liu L. W. BAILEY. T7~nas.Royal Sor. Cmiada, 1'1L .YCY. ZV, pp. 77-83.-Several facts bearing on source, age, and method of accumulation of the deposits of albertite in Albert County. Xew Brunswick, have beeu gathered during late years and are fully discussed. They show that the iniiieral must be n T-eiii depo.sit and have originated from a fluid conditioii. TI'. F. H I L I , E B R . ~ N D . Mineral Resources of Kansas, 1901 and 1902. B V E R A S ~ I U S HAWORTH.Bull. Uziv.Geol. S U Y L V(r/I A'a?isns. ~ pp. ;Y. -The analytical matter of this report is confined to analyses of coal from the Atchison Prospect \Vel1 (see this Review, 24, 7 2 ) . I\', F. HILLEBRASD. Observations on the Eruptions of 1902 of La Soufriere, St. Vincent, and nt. Pelee, Martinique. BY EDRIUSD OTIS HOVEY. Bull. A m . Mzis. N a t . Hist. 16, 333-372, arid A?)).f. SCZ'.> 14, 3 19-3 j8.-The author's views as to the causes of death and destruction resultiiig from the repeated outbreaks of these volcanoes are essentially the same as those put forth by Jaggar (see this Review, 24, 4491, and, based as they are on loiig aud thorough examination of the ground, are entitled to the most respectful consideration. An analysis, by the reviewer, of dust from the first eruption of the Soufri2re, should be examined in coiinection with those in the N a f . Geog. Mag., 13. 296-299 (see this Review, 24, 448). I t illustrates in a marked degree the greater amount of sulphur in the ejecta from the Soufriere as compared with those from Pelee, and "the absence of chlorine is interesting as ~
Min era Zogica Z and GeologicaC Chemistry.
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indicating fresh waters a s the source of the steam of the eruptions. W. F. HILLEBRAND. Note on a New Occurrence of Native Arsenic. BY NEVIL NORTONEVANS. A m . 1. Sci., 14 3g7.--This is a vein of calcite, cutting nepheline syenite a t Montreal, carrying apparently very pure arsenic, of which the yield has, thus far, been about fifty pounds. W. F. HILLEBRAND. Washington Geological Survey. VoZ. I. A n n u a l Report for 19or. 344 pp. I n the preparation of this, the first volume of its kind issued by the State of Washington, the State Geologist, Henry Landes, has been assisted by Professors Solon Shedd, UT. S. Thyng, and D. A. Lyon, of the Survey staff. T h e volume is divided into six parts, covering the following subjects : Outline of Geology of Washington ; T h e Metalliferous Resources except Iron ; T h e Non-metalliferous Resources except Coal ; The Iron Ores ; T h e Water Resources ; Bibliography of Literature Referring to the Geology of Washington. There are a good many analyses of iron ores, limestones, and waters. W. F. HILLEBRAND. Mineral Resources of the U. S., 1901. 996 pp. BY DAVIDT. DAy.-From this bound volume three of the reports issued during the past year as advance extras are missing. They are : I ‘ Peat,” ‘ ’ Occurrence of Glass-Pot Clays,” and Utilization of Iron and Steel Slags,” the second and third of which contained a number of selected analyses. T h e usual condensation and omission is to be found in several of the other papers. Attention may be called to the following points of interest not already noted in these abstracts. The Production of Iron Ores, by John Birkinbine, contains the usual long list of cargo analyses of ores from the Lake Superior regions. Greensand Marl, by Arthur I,. Parsons, contains fifteen selected analyses of marls from New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia. FulZer’s Earth contains analyses, by Heinrich Ries, of earth from Georgia and Florida with results of physical tests having regard to its adaptability for bleaching oils, and closes with a tabulated list of analyses of Fuller’s earth from various domestic W. F. HILLEBRAND. and a few foreign localities. I‘
Ilineral Waters [Kansas]. BY E. H. S. BAILEY. The UniI is deversity GeoZ. Survey of Kansas, VoZ. VII,343 pp.-Part voted to a general discussion of mineral waters : Their sources, uses, therapeutics ; brines ; theory of solutions (by H. P. Cady); outline of methods of analysis, etc. ; classification ; prospecting
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Rezliew of America12 Chemical Research.
and boring (by H. P. Cady); artificial and carbonated waters. I n Part I1 the waters are arranged and classified in groups according to composition, and the report closes with a short chapter by W.R. Crane on the geological distribution of mineral springs and wells. The analyses are numerous and are compared frequently with those of well-known waters in other states and abroad. I t is gratifying to note that preference is given to the ionic method of stating the results of analysis, though the amounts are given in grams per liter. To meet popular demand the results are repeated in the old form of statement, followed by the hypothetical W.F. HILLEBRAND. combinations. ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY. The Detection of Hydrocyanic Acid in the Presence of Sulphocyanic, Hydroferrocyanic and Hydroferricyanic Acids and Their Salts. BY LOUIS E. PREISS. A m . Chew. 28, 240-241. -Heavy metals and alkaline earths are first removed by boiling with sodium carbonate. Caustic potash and aluminum filings are then added, whereby ferricyanides are reduced to ferrocyanides. When the reduction is complete, as shown by testing with ferrous sulphate, the solution is acidified with hydrochloric acid and the hydroferrocyanic acid present precipitated with an excess of mercuric chloride in the cold. T h e precipitate is separated by filtration. T h e filtrate is made alkaline with caustic potash and is again filtered to remove the mercury. To the alkaline filtrate ferrous sulphate is added and the solution is boiled. Any cyanides present are thus converted into ferrocyanides. T h e solution is again filtered, the filtrate acidified with hydrochloric acid, and ferric chloride added. By carefully decolorizing by mercuric chloride any sulphocyanate formed, the precipitate of Prussian blue becomes apparent, If acidification is too strong, or if there is only a small amount of hydrocyanic acid present, the solution appears green and the precipitate of Prussian blue appears only on standing. E. hl. CHARIOT.
I.,
An Electric Lamp for Microscope Illumination. BY DR. If. M. METCALF. Science, 15,June 13, 1902, 937-938.--" T h e essential features of this plan of illumination are the diffusion of the light. and having bulbs adapted for a voltage of from five to ten volts less than the current in use." T h e author obtains nearly pure white light by using forty-volt incandescent lamps on a fifty-volt circuit. T h e bulbs are ground glass and are mounted in an ordinary mirror-backed reading shade which is E. M. CHAMOT. covered with a ground-glass front.
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