Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1907-11-22
DR.. THEODORE CROSSE
BREAKS UP PLATINUM.
German Chemist Tells Of Deeom-
posing Metal Hitherto Re-
qarded as . Single Element.
RAMsAY's FEAT EQUALED.
PROF. HAMMER OF NEW YORK COLLEGE
DECLAREs-DIsCovER NOT LIKELY
TO HAVE AN IMMEDIATE CONNER
GAL VALUE.

DIR. Theodore Crosse, the German
chemist, has just announced through
The Chemiker Zeitung that by a combi-
nation of physical and chemical forces
he has brought about the decomposition
of platinum, which has hitherto been
looked upon as single element. This
discovery, if substantiated, says DIR. w.
Hamor, research chemist of the College
of New York, twill rank with Sir Will
liam Ramsey's recent degradation Of
copper into lithium as of the utmost inn
portance to chemists, though probably OF
no great commercial significance"
DIR. Crosse says that when the decom-
position of platinum was effected he OBJ
tanned an unknown chemical element
consisting of black crystals in no way re-
spending to the usual tests Of platinum.
His method was as follows: Motion po-
tassium carbonate was subjected to great
heat in platinum vessel. This was for
many hours subjected to an alternating
electric current between platinum cleo
trodes, with the occasional addition of
nitre. By this treatment the electrodes
were attacked and became coated with
needle shaped crystals of the color of
charcoal. At the same time the platinum
vessel and electrodes lost weight, and on
extracting the melt brown powder,
free from potash and carbon, was OBJ
tanned.
The crystals and powder yielded solu-
tions which were precipitated by sulphur
cited hydrogen, but no platinum was
present. DR.. Crosse confirmed this by
experimenting with melted potash and a
mixture of the two strongest Iacids, sui
phuric and nitric, which respectively re-
placed the carbonite of potash. The
crystals and brown powder thus revealed
the presence of an unknown substance,
and consequently new element.
The fact that at various times William
Fl. Hodgekinson and other well-known
chemists have announced the discovery
of the presence of other elements COM
posing what is known as the platinum
group renders DIR. Crosses discovery
more credible.
decomposition of platinum, DR.. Charles
F. Chandler, Professor of Chemistry in
Columbia University, said: Good 1t
was about time The last | heard of
platinum it was selling at $50 an ounce
and the price was steadily on the rise.
1t is already several times more valuable
than gold, but now it may possibly be-
come a little cheaper.
THAT is not likely, though. This re-
puted discovery will probably be of no
more commercial value than Sir William
Ramsey's discovery of the degradation
of copper into lithium is likely to be.
Certainly this work of DIR. Crosses is
principally of scientific interest. l shall
be glad to hear more about it. 1t is one
step forward in the dark, SO to speak; a
little more light thrown on the question
which man has been eternally asking
himself since the world began: What is
matter
He added: st is commonly held among
chemists that many substances which we
refer to as elements are complex bodies,
but we have not been able to prove all
our theories vet. This seems to be step
in the right direction"
DIR. w. A. Hamor, Research Chemist
of the College of the City of New York,
said yesterday OF the discovery: 81 saw
the notice of DIR. Crosses work in the
Chemiker Zeitung. 1t is intensely inter-
esting to scientists, though likely to prove
of no greater practical value A discov-
cry of this sort must of course be sub
stantiated by the observations and ex-
periments of other scientists before it can
be taken as fact. If confirmed, and /
see no reason why it should not be, it
will be of the utmost importance to
chemists. The significance of the dis
covery is that here is substance form
erly supposed to be single element, now
found to be compound 1t shows how
much work is left for chemists"
DIR. Crosse already enjoys wide repu-
tation in this country as well as in Eu
rope. In 1897 he announced that he had
decomposed sulphur into new element
which he called bythium. This discov.
cry, though not universally accepted
has never been disproved.-N. Y. Times.