The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1895-07-16
M. Henri Moissan And His Won
derful Electrical Furnace

gress of Learned Societies held IN
Paris. The results he has obtained
from working on minerals at very
high temperatures are remarkable.
Chemical substances like chromium,
tungsten and tiIaniuin have been pro-
duced by means OF the electric furnace
a. pure meials, for the first time in
large quantities. His researches.haye
been directed 10 the effects Of electric
heat rather than TO electrolysis, which
is the chemical action of the ell ctric
current, so that he leaves out of ac-
count one of the most important pro-
ducts of the electric furnace, alumni
ium. M. Moissan's electric furnace l.
extremely simple; ii consists of two
bricks OF quicklime or ordinary lime
stone, with a hollow space that ron-
tains the crucible and two horizontal
grooves in the lower brick to hold the
electrodes. The apparatus is true
reverberatory furnace-an electric re-
verberatory furnace, with movable
electrodes. The last point is impnr-
portant, inasmuch as the ability to
move the electrodes makes it easy 10
establish the arc, to extend or to
shorten it at will, and has made IL
possible to grapple with question thai
could MOI be solved before. By means
OF this apparatus and the use Of high
temperature, he was able to reproduce
diamonds, to crystalize metallic oxides,
to reduce oxides, until now thought
impossible of reduction, to fuse re-
factory metals, to distill lime, silica,
zircon and carbon, to volatilize in
quantities metals like platinum, cop
per, gold, iron. manganese and ura-
mum. Some of these bodies which
could not be even liquified, such as
magnesium, uranium, tugsten and
molly bdenum, can be turned into gases
by the electric furnace; he has ham
died in his investigations the gas
vaporized from lime and that from
silica. The operation of the apparatus
is very simple. The current is brought
by two plisble wires to the carbon
electrodes, whose diameter varies ac-
cording To the power OF the dynamo.
The contact is established, the arc
fl lshcs, and by advancing or with
drawing the electrodes a powerful
spark of constant length is given Out
depending on the amount of electric
power and the ,conductivity OF the
metallic vapors that fill the furnace
From the outset there is a strong odoi
of ty Irocyanic1acid arising from The
combination of the nitrogen in the
furnace wi Ii the ace,ylene, which
forms at once. The purple flame OF
cyanogen at first lights up the electric
arc, then tie color disappears and
light becomes dazzling. The quick
lime OF the oven soon melts and flows
like wax, and then boilo; the cleo
trodes become red hot in few mo-
menrs, torrents of vapor break out on
all sides in constantly increasing vol.
ume. The lime distils plentitully and
covers the supports of electrodes will
white scale. SO with the use of cur.
rents of three or four hundred horse
power, we have in the middle TIA,
enormous heat produced by the cleo
trio arc, lew centimeres lower dowl
the crucible containing the material L
be reduced, and below that a layer o
seething quicklime. The fact that TIT
lime is poor conductor is fortunate
for il shutsup in the smallest possibl'
8 ace the greatest heat that the cleo
trio arc can give. In single expert
ment twenty Kilograms of nlolte;
metallic chromium were turned out
Whenever it shall be needed, therefore
this process can be used Commercial
ly. It's alloys with aluminium o
copper are interesting; five per cent
of chromium added to pure cope
gives it almost double resistance ant
makes it more impervious TO the &C
tion of moist air. Molybdenun
which had never been melted, can ais
he Obtained in large quantities. Tn
metal has a very fine grain and
brilliant surface it can be filed, and
at red heat, can be forged on the anvil
Tungsten was only known 10 chemist
as a powder. III the electric furnac
its preparation is very simple;
mixture of tungsten oxide aud carbo
/ ieds in few moments slugs of well
melted metal covered with beaulifu
i l,var ~ lime axida of uIUstpu Ii