The Mysteries of Metals.

Otago Witness, Issue 1555, 27 August 1881, Page 28

The Mysteries of Metals.

Notwithstanding the wonderful progress that has been made during the last half century in regard to the constitution and working of the useful metals, there is yet a vast deal to be learned. The metals when pure are commonly supposed to be simple elements, yet there are some reasons for supposing that it may yet be proven that at least somb of thorn are compounds. Evan the great Faraday gave utterance to the thought thai; the dreams of the alcliejcista might yet be realizort— tbafc goM and other metals might be found to be compounds and that mews might bs devised whereby those

oompounds might be separated, and afterwards so differently re-united that the baser metals might be converted into precious. The changes Which are wrought in iron and steel by converting, annealing and hardening processes are far from being understood by the most advauoed metallurgists of the pre- . sent day. The mysteries of hydrogen gas and its intimate relations with iron are as much a puzzle as they were 50 years ago, and the theory advanced by Graham that hydrogen is a metal is still maintained by many chemists, It is only a few years sinoe that absolutely pure iron became known to , scientists ; and it is now shown to be a metal almost as ' unstable as water,' and still found ' only in the laboratory as a great ouriosity. ' What had previously been known as pure iron, was shown by Jacobl to be a compound of iron and hydrogen. He first separated the two so-called elements. During , the process the iron increased in volume, changed from a dark to a, silver white substance, very ductile and so 'soft as to 'be nearly as readily out as lead, Thia experiment proved that hydrogen played an important part in hardening and tempering steel— as muoh so as oaroon— but how or why none know to this day. ; It is said that, muoh more difficulty is founli in rolling, and otherwise manipulating, gold in a faotory where, much electricity is generated by the action of machinery than in a, room where no machinery is in operation, and where,',consequently, friotlonal electricity is absent. The trouble is manifested in a disposition of the edges.of tbe plates or thin bars to oraok. Many .other peculiarities, .already known, might be mentioned, and there is no doubt that oloßer observation will still largely increase the number of curious and as yet Inexplicable phenomena connected with the working and general characteristics of the metals, both useful and precious.