The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1897-08-19

4 French Chemists Discovery of q New
Kind of Crystal.

4 French Chemists Discovery of New
Kind of Crystal.
Henri Moissan, the distinguished
French chemist who created a sensation
a few years ago by producing small
white diamonds in his electric furnace,
is now credited with another interest
ing achievement This later piece of
work, while perhaps not quite SO star
Ting as the other, will probably prove
of more practical benefit to mankind,
and hence a source of greater revenue
to M. Moissan.
Hitherto the diamond has been con-
sidered the hardest thing in nature.
The closest approach to it until recent
ly was made by the ruby. Something
half way between them in this respect
was discovered only two or three years
ago by e. @. Acheson of Pittsburg, who
was experimenting with an electric fur
mace for an entirely different purpose.
He, too, was trying to make artificial
jewels and succeeded in getting lot Of
small crystals which were neither dia-
monds nor rubies, but were harder than
the latter. They were composed Of 80
parts Of silica and 81 parts Of carbon.
Technically the substance Is carbide
of silicon" The disooverer, however,
gave to it the name carborundum and
is now manufacturing about two tons
of it daily at Niagara Falls for COM
mercial purposes. 1t Is used for the
same purpose as emery.
Moissan's new product is carbide
of the rare metal titanium. The proper
materials having been deposited in q
small crucible made Of lime, an electric
current of large volume and low voltage
Is turned on, temperature of 1000 OF
a, 800 degrees E. is developed, and then
the stuff is allowed to cool. The result
ing crystals are said to be harder than
diamonds, which now take the second
place. Carborundum comes neAt, and
the ruby drops to the fourth rank.
The carbide of titanium is as much
harder than carborundum as carborun-
dunn is harder than emery. The latter
two are only good for abrasive service
that Is, they are employed only fol
grinding and polishing other very hard
substances. It is probable that carbide
of titanium will have a much more ex.
tensive use. There are many rock cut
ting drills which consist of a tube in
one edge Of which are imbedded brown
or black diamonds. M. Moissan's new
product will be both cheaper and more
efficient than these. 1t may also be sub
stituted for real jewels in watches, del
icate balances and in other mechanism
where small bits of particularly hard
material are needed as bearings. The
disooverer has applied for patents on hii
invention in this country as we'll as Eu
rope, and it is thought probable thai
the French academy will award him {
certain SIC, 900 prize offered some time
ago for satisfactory substitute for blaol
diamonds.
Titanium, when pure, Is white ant
about half as heavy as iron. It is al
most impossible to buy any because
there il no demand and consequently
no production. However, 1t Ia not 81
very scarce. An oxide of titanium, founi
In the form Of small black stones tina
give q red mark, Is picked up in some
newly plowed fields in Pennsylvania
and sells for a a pound The metal il
frequently found in combination witt
IRON. but has hitherto been regarded a
q nuisance because 1t renders an ore 70
frantory. A recent writer says, NIL
liens Of tons OF iron ore I'm Virginia and
New York are made worthless BY tn
pregencs Of or per cent Of titaninm- !
-.Naw Yor1 Tr1hune