New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-07-18

The New Metal Indium. and Recent Researches in
Spectral Anayss" After relating thoyery few par
acIars at present asceiained respecting The very rare
metal-ths latest discovered and yet least known
of oil the elemenis-which thus formed the primary
subject of his DISCOURSE and then exhibiting It's beac'
tul spectrum and also the Epeora Of tho three offer
recently discovered metals. casinm. rubidnm and
thaium-for oar knowledge Of the existence OF Whiea
we indebted 70 spectral analysis the lecturer d.
Teccd the attention Of bis audience 10 tie metal mag
nesun Of which magaifcen. specimens were on
the table before him, Of them weighing not ess man
two pounds and half BY way Of browning ilnstra-
ton Of the remarkable properties cf the beauta hSht
produced by the combustion Of metallic magnesium 10
wound mp series o. most brilliant eIpeiinsns ~ aa,
ing by It's within couple OF hours OF mdnlght
In face Of the whole audience Photographic portrait
Of Professor Faraday This portrait was then thrown
on the screen that AL might gee It and certainty no
sun picture Was ever more perfect
II twas in the very building IN which this remarkable
experiment was performed last Friday evening week
that magnesium first by human eyes, little
more than ordinary lifetime ago. lie who lrst saw
1t was Mr. Faradays great predecessor. Sir Humphry
Davy Until the year 1851 no one had suspected ths
either the akaes the earths were other than sim
pie" elementary" GnGecOn possible substances; but
In that year Sir Humphry Davy TOOK tho first step into
new world teeming with materials for now arts, by
the discovery OF tho true constitution Of soda and pot
ash Having found that those olkaies really oxides
Of metallic bases compounds Of oxygen with the metals
sodium and potassium he Was led 10 conceive that the
sarths lime magnesia, beryta strcnta, ana auinna.
and also silica which be Chased with the oIths were
probably similarly constituted. He soon essabnshed
that they are So In the following year. 1870, no sue.
coeded In eliminating from lime, Eagrcsia. barya, and
stronta their metallic bases. calcium magnesium,
barium and strontum; and although he was not quite
20 successful regards aumna and silica. he yet dem
onstra,ed ccnclusively that they also are oxides:
OF the oxides above enumerated: four-namoly. lime,
aumina, magrtsa. and silca-mate up at least four
ffths fpr0bably more) Of the earths crust Sir Ham,
pbry Dayy regarded the base Of silica as metallic, and
accordingly named it sicium; but modern chemists
consider resembling carbon and boron rather than
tie metals and therefore prefer 10 call 1t silicon
The bases OF lime, aluminn, ard magnesa. however
are undoubtedly metallic and it Is to their bases. the
metals calcium. aluminium and magnesium thst we
venture 10 apply the Designation. The Metals OF the
Future" Each Of these metals exists in imInensey
greater abundance than either gold silver copper.
Iron cal tin zinc. or indeed than all the fnihary
known metals put together ard as it seems TO be law
Of the universe that in proportion to the abundance In
which things exist, so have they great and important
ues in every form Ia which they capable Of remain
Ing permanently cannot doubt that tAe extraction
Of these metals and their preparation for purposes OF
manufacture destined yet TO become, aud perhaps
before very long among the most widely daeticod OF
metallurgical processes
TIE first Of these metals TO be brought into commerce
was aluminium. Proved 10 exist by Dayy in is,S bnt
first actually obtained by Wohler in 1921 down ~ le5l
aluminium had been obtained only IN exceedingly
minute quantity, and only in the form Of gray
powder" The first compact piece. weighing more than
o few grains. ever produced. was exhibited m the
French Department Of the Hyde Park international
Exhibition. By 1854 Saintc-caire Dcville had shown
how il could be produced in almost any quantity and
soon the production Of aluminium, which had hitherto
been confined 10 the laboratories OF the most expert OF
tie brotherhood Of chemists began 10 take rank among
the industrial arts At the end Of 1854 tho selling price
OF aluminium still ut the rate OF 95 per pound out
an las its price was reduced to IS per pound In 1860
the manufacture OF this metal under Deyiles patents
was undertaken In this country by Messrs Bell Bros
OF Newcastle onTyne, who now produce 1t In consider.
able quantity and at present selling IL at about
SO per pound AS yet it has been applied to scarcely
any but ornamental purposes and to these chiefly IN Its
allows with copper. known as " Aluminium Bronze.
OF these alloys Of aluminium and copper there are three
In reaDectiyelV 3 y
Of aluminium. and selling at 40, $40, and OF per pound
These alloys so like gold as scarcely TO be distn-
erty Of being hard iron, and they ere being very
largely used instead Of gold. for watchchaBs watch
cases aa ,hn ,sb %nmin" nv itsef
has as vet been used only IN the construction OF mahe-
patca instruments and AZ material for the delicate
weights Of chemists balances and also Tor statncstes ana
other small works of art produced by casting Except
for It's duh color and inferior luster-whoh, however
are probably due in part TO impurities contained IN tue
metal as at present produced, that we may expect
that metal much richer in color ard luster wih be
obtained when the metalurgy OF aluminium shall have
arrived at greater peTfectton-aiunlnium would DC
especially suited for applications OF the latter KIND,
since III requires much less intense heat than silver
TOR melting and when melted. solidites much more
slowly, and is therefore particularly. well adapt,
with great delicacy" Considering how short
. time has elapsed since the art OF elm
mating aluminium nom MS compounds had Its birth,
tho present selling price Of the metal Is marveionsy
low but at the same time doubt greatly restricts
the use of the metal While its present price continues
aluminium will probably be confined to such
tie reduced cost which Is sure to DO re
result OF improved processes Of production the
area ~ its applications viii doubtless be very widely ex-
tended It's lightEess OTIS specific gravity being only
aJ6 or about onefOurth of that OF SILVER and aoout
enehird u that OF ron) its greater freedom as com
pared with the metals from liability TO dis
color or oxdise by exposure the atmo phere its
oororcss greaty exceeding that Of silver as regards
clearpcss" its nOrlabity 10 be acted upon by any OF
the elements OF ordinary foods and the nonposoDous
nature Of its salis-negatiye qualities emnenty hitting
a fur u.e as material for vessels and utensils 10 be
ssed for culinary purposes and finally the great tenac
ty. and maeabihty OF many of It's alloys and the ex
ceedug hardness Of othcFsthese are properties winch
are rau TO secure for aluminium whenever ts price
ahall permit applications quite numerous and es ex
tensve as those any metal at present in ordinary se
Another of these metals magnesium the base OF tne
earth nagnesia is now being drought nom tho labora
tory into the workshop of the artisan Three years
ago all the chemists who had ever obtained magnesium
at oil had probably not obtained an ounce anong them
md only one year ago tbe selling price OF the metal was
atil a, the raie of liz guneas pound. Prof Roscoe
however on Friday week exhibited some pounds OF
magnesium (of very much puSer quality than had ever
been seen while the metal produced only by me
GRAIN which he had himself produced the day but
one before during bah hours visit to the magnesium
works which Mr. SOftadt has recently established az
saord and OF the FIVE cardinal facts In the history
OF maaeaium which the better TO impress them on the
minds OF his audience he had caused 10 he stated on
painted plaosrd hung above the platform. Is that MY
Sonstadt is selling magnesium ware az thfee pence
foot =,
Magnesium Is o lighter metal than slumini1m, It's
specific gravity being about LA IL Is thus rather
more than sax times-whereas aluminium II onN Iour
times-hQher than silver. Its color and lnster are u
those of aluminium those OF silver 10 those o ZINC
indeed II either Of the svo metals magnesium ana s-
YER has any superiority over the othor IS regards oes
and richness OF color and appearance the acIaiae Is
probably on the side Of magnesium In ore lmp"ftan.
particular magnesium has certainly The advantage OF
silver while II does nos oxdise N m9dcsas. eiy