Wollaston
of platina precipitated by sal ammoniac; but it was observable that the precipitate now obtained was not of so pale a yellow as the preceding. Nevertheless the impurity was in so small quantity, that the platina reduced from it by heat did not differ discernibly from that obtained from the purest yellow precipitate.
At this time I found it advantageous to neutralize the solution with soda, and to employ a solution of green sulphate of iron for the precipitation of the gold, of which, I believe, a portion may always be obtained from the mixed ore; but I have observed in experiments upon any quantities of mere grains of crude platina carefully selected, that the smallest portion of gold could not be detected as a constituent part of the ore itself.
Bars of iron were subsequently employed as before for recovering the platina that remained dissolved, together with those substances which I have since found to accompany it.
The precipitate thus obtained, which I distinguish by the name of the second metallic precipitate, was to appearance of a blacker colour than the former, and was a finer powder.
As I was not at first prepared to expect any new bodies, I proceeded to treat the second precipitate, as the former, by solution and precipitation. But I soon observed appearances which I could not explain by supposition of the presence of any known bodies, and was led to form conjectures of future discoveries, which subsequent inquiry has fully confirmed.
When I attempted to dissolve this second metallic precipitate in nitro-muriatic acid, I was surprised to find that a part of it resisted the action of that solvent, notwithstanding any variations in the relative proportions or strength of the acids
