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Carburet of Iron

Plumbago, or black-lead, is the native carburet of iron. To purify it for chemical use, heat it to redness with caustic potassa in a covered crucible, dryness, and immediately put the iodide into then wash it well with water, boil it in nitric well-stoppered bottles. A great deal has been acid and in nitro-muriatic acid (aqua regia); written and said about the preparation of again wash it in water, dry it, and expose rodide of iron, but there is in reality very at a white heat to a stream of dry chlorine little difficulty in the process. As soon as gas. Lastly, wash it with water and again iodine and iron are mixed together under wa- heat it to dull redness. (Dumas.) ter, much heat is evolved, and if too much 4165. Chloride of Iron. The muriate water be not used, the combination is soon completed, and the liquor merely requires to be evaporated to dryness, out of contact with the air, at a heat not exceeding 212°. This is most cheaply and easily performed by employing a glass flask, with a thin broad bottom and narrow mouth, by which means the or protochloride of iron is obtained by dissolving iron filings or scales in hydrochloric acid, and crystallizing by evaporation. It forms soluble green crystals, and is sometimes called hydrated chloride of iron. The above is not quite pure, but to obtain a pure white crystalline protochloride, transmit dry hydrochloric acid gas over iron heated to redness. parts of Europe. The manganese of com- This is volatile at a high temperature. (See merce is prepared by washing, to remove the No. 117.) earthy matter, and grinding in mills. The