i52 ~%rotes and Comments. [J.F.I.

its inhabitants in a clean new one and they will astonish

the world with their prosperity and progress, moral,
religious and industrial.

M E T A J , L U R G Y OF AIA;MINUB'I.
The following item, gleaned from the " Digest " d e p a r t m e n t of the ~Eec-
tri~'al World, may be classed as " highly important, if t r u e , " viz. :
Metallurgical processes which involve t h e use of calcium carbide as t h e
reducing agent, possess an especial interest due to t h e fact t h a t they are, in a n
indirect manner, electro-chemical, for tile energy used for t h e reduction is a s
truly electrical as t h o u g h the effect was produced directly by e l e c t r o l y s i s
instead of indirectly t h r o u g h the m e d i u m of the carbide furnace. H e n c e a
discussion of such processes always involves the question of relative effieien-
ties as between fused bath electrolysis and electric furnace r e d u c t i o n - - a q u e s -
tion which generally solves in favor of t h e furnace. This question is r a i s e d
b u t not answered by a p a t e n t recently issued (May 28) to Mr. Henry S p e r t c e r
Blaekmore, of M o u n t Vernon, N. ¥ . , for t h e reduction of a l u m i n u m c o m .
pounds by the reaction therewith of a carbide. Mr. Blaekmore finds t l a ~ t
a l u m i n u m oxide is reducible by a l u m i n u m carbide with liberation of t h e
metal of both reacting bodies and in accordance w i t h the equation A]203 2r-
AI4C3 - - 6A1 + 3CO, the reaction b e i n g strictly analogous to t h a t employed b y
M. B'][oissan some years ago for t h e preparation of metallic chromium. If,
however, t h e oxide and carbide of a l u m i n u m be employed in the solid s t a t e i t
is found t h a t the a l u m i n u m is either volatilized or so distributed through t h e
residual charge as to render its collection impracticable, a n d accordingly i t i s
proposed to suspend or dissolve the oxide a n d carbide in a m o l t e n bath, w h i e k
remains inert with respect thereto, and which so reduces t h e t e m p e r k t u r e o f
the reaction and so alters the character of t h e m e d i u m as to permit t h e l i q u i d
metal to be tapped off. Two procedures are described : In t h e first, a m i x t u r e
of cryolite and l i t h i u m fluoride is fused, a n d the oxide and carbide of a l u m i -
n u m are alternately added, the reaction occurring readily, it is said, a n d t h e
a l u m i n u m separating freely. I n t h e second, oxide of a l u m i n u m is a d d e d t o
the b a t h and calcium carbide t h e n introduced, t h e effect b e i n g to p r o d u c e
a l u m i n u m carbide within t h e bath by reaction between t h e cryolite and t h e
carbide of calcium, this a l u m i n u m carbide t h e n reacting w i t h the oxide p r e s -
e n t t o yield the metal. T h e calcium fluoride formed interferes to no m a r k e d
degree with the operation, and in t h e early stages serves to promote the f l u i d i t y
of the metal. Eventually, however, the b a t h must be regenerated or r e n e w e d .
Mr. Blackmore is authority for t h e s t a t e m e n t t h a t h e has succeeded in p r o -
ducing a l u m i n u m by reduction b y calcium carbide, on an e x p e r i m e n t a l s c a l e ,
at an expense n o t exceeding 7 cents per pound. W.