THE PRECIOUS METALS.

Otago Witness, Issue 956, 16 May 1889, Page 11

THE PRECIOUS METALS.

Fully 99 persons in every 100, if asked to name the most precious metals, would mention gold aa first, platinum as second, and silver as third. If asked to name others, a few might add nickle, and a very few aluminium to the list. Let ua see how near to the truth they fwould be. Gold is worbh about , 240d01 . per lb, troy ; platinum* 130dol, aud silver about 12dol. Nickle would be quoted at about 60 cents, and pure aluminium Bdol or 9dol tfl the troy pound.

We will now compare these prices with those of ithe rarer and less known of the metate. To take them in alphabetical order, barium sells ifor, 975d0l per lb when, it is sold at all, and calcium' is worth. 1800dol per Ib. Cerium is a shade higher— its cost is 160dol an oz, or 1920doLper lb. v , <, . . ' 1 ■. ' These begin* to ; look like fabulous prices, but they do ,not reach the highest point ;■, chromium ibringai2oodol|.( cobalt falls to about half the price of silver, while, didymium is the same price 'as 'cerium, and erbium lOdol .cheaper on the tqunee thanicalcium^ or,just<l€Bodoiperlb. j< islf ';tbe;wfialtbj&f<the Vanderbilts be not overstated,! it amounts „t o j;nearly*200,000,000dol. tWiihuthis sum they could purchase 312 tons of the gold and have something left over, but they couldn't buy ,twp> ttons oft gallium, ,- that rare metal- being : worth/, 3250d0l ,an oz. With this metal the highest price is reached, and it may well be called the rarest and most precious Tof metals. \ A;3lucinuin { .is worth 250dpl per oz; indium, 158dol ; iridium, 658d0l per lb ; lanthadium, 175dol ; and lithium 160dol per oz. Niodium costs' 128doF'per- oz ; asmium, palladium, platinum, potassium, and rhodium bring respectively 640d01, 400dol, 130dol, 32d01, and 512d0l per \b. Strontium costs I2Bdol an oz ,-tantallum, 144dol ; ■telurium, ddolj; thorium, 272d01; vanadium, 320dol ; yttrium, 144dol ; aud zirconium, 250d0l an ounce. I . Thus we see 1 that l the commonly received ; opinion as to what' are the most precious metals is quite erroneous. < Barium is more than four > times as valuable as gold, and gallium more than !< 162 times as costly,, while many of the metals are twice and thrice as valuable. Aluminium, which now costs Bdol or 9dol per lb,will eventu- | ally be produced as cheaply as steel. When this [ can be done it will -push the latter metal out of a great many of its present uses, as it possesses great strength, toughness, and elasticity, with I extreme lightness of weight.' Its sources of ! supply are simply inexhaustible, and its present I high cost arises from the difficulty of its exI traction in a metallic form. Indium seems to- : be ohiefly used for pointing gold pens, and many 1 of the metals mentioned have but a limited ! sphere of usefulness. — St. Louis Globe-Demo* I crat.