A NEW ELEMENT

Otago Witness, Issue 3596, 13 February 1923, Page 28

A NEW ELEMENT

, DISCOVERY OF HAFNIUM. POSSIBLE COMMERCIAL VALUE. CHRISTCHURCH. February 5. Seen by a Star reporter in reference to the discovery of hafnium, Professor Speight, curator of the Museum, said that as the oxide was quite a new thing to him it was rather early to say much about it. Moreover, the cabled report was somewhat indefinite. The fact that Dr Scott had isolated the element from the Taranaki sand, however, was of great interest to New Zealanders. Black sand in most cases came from volcanic rocks containing a magnetic oxide of iron, the rocks having been degraded by the action of the weather. The Taranaki black sands were deposited from Mount Egmont. On the W est Coast of the South Island deposits of black sand are to be found which contain gold. Similar deposits of black sand are to be found at the beaches round Banks Peninsula. “The occurrence of a new mineral was hitherto entirely unknown,” said Mr Speight. “It may or may not occur in all black sands, and if it does it may prove of very great importance more especially to countries like Japan and Canada, where similar iron sand deposits are to be found.” The banks of the St. Lawrence and places in Newfoundland and British Columbia are especially rich in black sand deposits. Both Japan and Canada have been experimenting very largely with iron sand. Japan is a country to which iron would be of inestimable value. The new discovery may prove of importance to her. The black sands of Norway and Sweden are titanium bearing, and those of Norway are uncommonly rich

in some of these rare minerals. It was quite possible that Danish professors had been experimenting with the Norwegian black sand. “The discovery of the new element will possibly be of commercial value,” concluded Mr Speight, “but as it is a new thing entirely, 1 cannot say a great deal about it.” AN AUCKLAND EXPERIMENT. AUCKLAND, February 6. The announcement from London of the isolation of the new element hafnium recalls the experiments made in New Zealand in 1915 by Mr Leslie Mao Arthur. Exhaustive tests were made by him through the medium of electrical combination to discover if New Zealand black sand was radio active. Observations made on the beach near Hawera led to the deduction that there must be some chemical constituent in ironsand which prevented oxidation when exposed to the sun, weather, and salt water. Ferruginous sand was subjected to extensive tests, the immediate results being such as to justify the treatment of over 16cwt of sand in 101 b sections. Each was treated with a variety of chemically appropriate fluxes, and gleanings from the negative were sent to Madame Curie. In reply a report was received to the effect that the sample was of high value. Mr MacArthui* then made an offer to the New Zealand Government to conduct bulk experiments if electricity could be supplied, but nothing was done. The cinnamoncoloured powder referred to in the cablegram is thought by Mr MacArthui* to be similar to the extract secured by him. FURTHER PARTICULARS. JP'BOM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) AUCKLAND, February 6. The cabled announcement that a now element named hafnium had been isolated in London from black sand sent from New Zealand has been discussed in an interview by Professor F. P. Worley, professor of chemistry at the Auckland University College. He stated that it has been known for a number of years that there was a missjng element of atomic number 72, related to titanium and zirconium. This was firmly established by Moseley’s classical investigation on an X-ray analysis, ’ and his establishment of the theory of atomic numbers ’n 1914. Even prior to this indications of the existence of the new element, associated with ytterbium, had been found by Professor Urbain. The provisional name of celtium has been given to this element.) and Moseley himself put forward the hypothesis that celtium and the element with atomic number 72 were one and the same. E.niv last year a French chemist, M. A. Dairvillier, claimed to have shown conclusively the identity of celtium with the missing element 72. Tire method emplyoed was Moseley’s X-ray analysis, the same as was recently used by Professors Coster and Hevsey, Danish chemists, whose investigations were reported in a cablegram. The Danish investigators have apparently fully confirmed Dauviller’s discovery, declared Professor Worley. The new element is chemically allied to titanium and zirconium, and should have an atomic weight of about 179, titanium being 48 and zirconium 91. Many of its properties, and those of its compounds, can be predicted with considerable certainty as belonging to the same family as titanium. It is not improbable that it should be found associated with titanium, an important constituent of Taranaki ironsand. As there are large deposits of titaniderous ironsand in various parts of the world the new element may eventually be found to be bv no means rare. It is at present impossible to foretell whether it will be commercially valuable. If it can be produced sufficiently cheaply, uses will undoubtedly be found for it. Since its oxide is likely to be extremely refractory, it should, as mentioned in the cablegram, be valuable for making unmeltable crucibles and for other purposes where highly refractory material is required The results of an X-ray analysis, continued Professor Worley, show that there are still three elements to be discovered between hvdrogen of atomic weight. 1, and bismuth of atomic weight 208. One of these belongs to rare earth metals, and two are closely related to manganese. “It has long been mv intention,” he added, “to look for these two elements of atomic numbers, 43 and 75, in manganese ores, which occur close to Auckland. There is little doubt that one or both will be discovered in the near future, and that they will be highly interesting and probably useful elements.