Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1906-03-31
= L.
TfiORIUM.

From Its dlScovery I'm 1879 until quite
recently, thQrium belonged to that class
of the rare metals whose occurrence is
of greater Importance to chemical spec
ulation than to industry; but the inven-
ton of the gas-burner mantel and the
experimental determination of the il
luminative quality of its oxide removed
it at once from this class into that of
products that are indispensable. 1t has
been admitted that the salvation of gas
as an illuminant in competition with
other lighting methods lay in the inven-
ton of the gas mantel, which is made
by saturating network of cotton with
a solution of the combined nitrates,
oxides, or bromides of thorium and
other metals of the same serial group.
Incarceration converts the metal into its
oxide, and under these conditions thor
ium has established its superiority over
related elements, not only in virtue of
higher Illuminating power-in increased
by the addition of small amounts of
uranium and cerium oxide-but also by
the preservation of aerviceable mini
mum of stability after ignition. The
metal is of fairly wide range; in thorite
aud orangite it occurs lin Norway the
land of its original discovery and in
the Champlain iron region of northern
New York as urano- thorite. The sin
gularly delicate and prolonged manipu-
lation necessary to the exact determi-
nation of the metal and even in cases
to its recognition, is stumbling block
In the way of the prospector, and not
infrequeptly leads to confusion, as re-
Gently in Ceylon, where supposed de-
post of pitch-blende turned out on an
alysis to be new mineral containing
76. 80 per cent of .thorium oxide. The
best known, and commercially the most
important, occurrence is the monazite
which is abundantly distributed as a
minor constituent of the gneissoid rocks
of Brazil and North Carolina The
high specific gravity of the cerium
group of metals renders them peculiar
ly susceptible to mechanical concentra-
ton after the disintegration of the con-
tanning mineral and monazite sands,
which are due to selective marine &C
ton, and cover large tracts in Brazil,
have hitherto constituted the chief
source of supply. Monazite, which in
its essential character is an anhydrous
phosphate Of the rare earths of the
cerium group, contains varying guam
titles Of thorium, and it is to this that
its commercial value is referable. The
Brazilian production, in correspond
ence with the demand, has shown re.
markable expansion during the past
four years, the figures being as follows
In 1862. 81 metric tons of the value Of
$81, lis; 1903, 1929 tons valued al
1855, 876; and 1904, 1850 metric ton.
valued at S522, 800. It's export t
Europe, where the control of the mar
ket has lately been in the hands of
German syndicate, was originally, it il
believed, in the form of ballast, but tn
recognition Of its value was not lonl
delayed, and prospecting has enlarged
the, bounds of its known occurrence
To the opening up Of those further de
, posts and to those in theporthern hal
/ of the American continent, the con
sunper is at present looking for relic
from the artificial conditions which a
7 present exist in connection with tn
} commercial control of the metal. Du,