The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-10-31

covered it with the top brick. and turned
on the current.
In three minutes the indicatorSshowed
temperature of $500 degrees Fahrep heit.
The clay was boiling and flaming before
the eyes of the audience when M.
Molssan put his hand on the top brick
and kept it there to show that the heat
did not come through.
At the end of ten minutes the process
was complete Nj. Moissan lifted the top
with his hands. though its under ST. lie was
o white hot mass of flame, and after
holding it up for while dropped it into
some wafer.
II g crucible be took out with tongs
and also dropped into cold water He
explained that the first time he had
COOLED the mass in that way he had TAX
en- every possible precaution, expecting
an explosion, but that alter repeating
the process three hundred times without
an accident he fela that the audience
was safe.
On breaking the cruoible he took out
an lngot tie size of a leaden bullet and
explained the processes by which the iron
would have to be elm mated in order to
get at the rystalized carbon that was
probably within it. The diamond will
have no commercial value, as the largest
he has succeeded in making is only one
millimetre in diameter
The form of the crystals varies accord
ing to the method used in cooling.
When water is used the diamond is often
full of black specks, which jewellers call
orapauds .'pogs,' and which detraot
from the value of stone. M. Moissan
was delighted TO discover these spots,
as they proved to him that he was fol-
lowing in the track of natsre.
Whsn molten lead is used to cool the
crucibie the crystal takes the shape of a
Al.
the sharp edges rounded, but when mer-
curry is used the crystal is regular &C.
tahedron. Some of the last, when ex-
posed TO the air, split, as has happened
to some of the diamonds found at the
Cape. This is an additional proof to nj.
Moissan that the diamond is produced
under strong pressure.
His conclusion Is that at the ordinary
temperature carbon does not liquefy,
bat changes at once from a solid into a
gas, always taking the graphite form,
and that only under pressure does it take
the ''liquid" form, diamond.
The rest of the lecture was taken up
with hurried review of the other pro-
ducts obtained by NJ. Moissan by means
of the electric furnace. metallic chromi-
UNI, molybdenum and tungsten. THESE,
with many of the oxides supposed to be
irreducible which have yielded to the
furnace, bs had on the table in glass
jars. He spoke particularly of the excel
lent qualities of molybdenum steel.
He ran over the properties of the long
list of carbides disco 7ered by him, and
prod uced acetyline gas before the audi
ence by putting some lithium carbide
into high jar of water, which thereupon
dubbed up after which he touched the
gas off with match, producing q
brilliant flame. 1t smoked so much that
after two minutes the jar was removed,
and during the rest of the evening
smoky filaments kept falling upon the
spectators.
The last experiment was the VOLATILE.
ing of silica, one of the latest of M.
Moissan's scientific achievements. This
was done in the electric furnace, glass
globe placed over it catching the beauti-
full violet gas as it escaped.
At the end of the lecture, which was
frequently Interrupted by applause,
Prof. r. Ogden Doremus proposed vote
of thanks to the lecturer. NJ. Moissan.
having carried ont the mission which
brought him to America, attendance at
| the Princeton celebration as the repre-
sentative of the Institute of France, will
sail for homo on Saturday.