While assaying some copper carbonate ore from the Frazer claims, Similakameen, B. C., I noticed that on parting the gold button a deep orange solution was formed. The button gave off pink bands in the nitric acid, which became deep orange at a short distance from it; and as it traveled over the surface of the porcelain dish, it left a deep orange track behind. As the button brightened in the cupel, it appeared to have a bronze color; but I have since found that when amarillium is in large excess of the gold, the button is a very dark gray. The button parted easily. To the orange solution I added a salt (NaCl) solution, shook in a silver test-bottle, and filtered. With H2S I obtained a precipitate, which I supposed due to platinum. However, on further tests, it did not act like a platinum-precipitate, but fused and united somewhat with the surface of the porcelain cup. On testing it further with soda I obtained a button of metal (amarillium). This strange result led me to a careful examination of the ore and a repetition of the assays, remembering the highly emphatic instructions of my talented instructor in assaying, the late Professor Fritzsche, of the Koyal School of Mines, Saxony.
The ore is a friable copper carbonate, containing quite a large quantity of magnetic iron. It is probably an altered, micaceous, igneous rock, impregnated with decomposed chalcopyrite. This ore carries 1.4 ozs. of gold, 2 ozs. of silver and 3 ozs. of amarillium to the ton; so that at first, as I had only 1 oz. of the ore to work with, I had but 3 milligrams of amarillium with which to make all my determinations. I then secured 3 lbs. of the ore, from which I obtained about 160 milligrams of amarillium; but through an accident this was all lost except 14 milligrams, on which the following tests have been made.
I prepared the ore by dissolving out the copper in strong nitric acid, and, after the first action was over, boiled the solution low, diluted with a large amount of hot water, and filtered. I added salt (BaCl) solution to the filtrate and filtered a second time. I then burnt the two filter papers together and smelted the residue in crucibles, as I would any oxidized ore. The metal in this ore was reported by eastern assayers as platinum and palladium; but, as can be seen from the tests, it shows, also, many characteristics of cobalt and nickel, and appears like a link between these two groups.
My tests gave results as follows: At times the button appeared malleable, at others very brittle, so that I thought it might have taken up, in the course of the work, some impurity like sulphur or carbon. In the brittle state it cuts steel. It is magnetic, and, as near as I could tell from a 10- milligram button, considering the plus and minus errors, its specific gravity is 8.2. It cupels out with the precious metals, but, when alone, goes into the cupel. Also, when alone, it goes into the slag in a crucible assay. It is easily reduced with soda by the blow-pipe; it melts into a button, but not readily, and much of it is in the form of spangles, which, however, can be collected in a button by continuing the blowing. This button gives off a white coating on the charcoal, which burns away with a bluish flame. In a borax bead, in the oxidizing flame, a small bit of the metal gives off brown streaks as it oxidizes, and finally makes the bead enamel white and opaque. In the reducing flame the bead becomes clear and has a deep cobalt blue color, but when held in the gas-light the shade of blue looks somewhat different from that of cobalt. The borax bead, reduced by tin, gives a black or dark blue color. In salt of phosphorus, in the oxidizing flame, the bead is blue, lighter than the borax bead, and in the reducing flame is crimson-lake. Of course it is possible that my button was not pure, but was alloyed with other metals, traces of copper, silver and lead being probable. In the main, these reactions are manifested in all my testing.
On examination of the ore, I found that the mineral from which this metal came occurred in arrow-head points, probably as sulphide. It is insoluble in boiling nitric acid, but soluble in Aqua Regia, and on heating the concentrates, sulphur is given off. As nearly as I could determine from the quantity I had, the ore appeared like sperrylite. I called it courtisite. I then carried the solution from the button through all the usual tests of qualitative analysis. I could not determine the valence of the metal, as the button seemed to have taken up carbon and left a black skeleton, which was not gold. The chemical examination shows that the metal is thrown down by H2S in an acid solution, and that the sulphide so obtained is soluble in sodium or ammonium sulphide, from which it is precipitated by boiling, or by making the solution acid. The ammonium-sulphide solution looks like a solution of nickel. Ammonia gave a cloudy precipitate (not examined). In its other reactions the metal seems to follow platinum, precipitating on zinc, and starting a strong ebullition in a weak acid solution with zinc. There is no cobalt in it, for on dissolving in nitric acid, evaporating to dryness and taking up with hydrochloric acid, the solution still remains deep yellow.
I had not intended to publish these results at present, as I have sent to the mine for 500 lbs. of the ore on which to make more thorough tests, but the recent discovery of what is called “josephinite,” from Josephine county, Oregon, led me to believe that amarillium had been found in quantity, as the account I read described the metal as lying between platinum and nickel. I, therefore, decided to give these results as an aid to anyone in making their determinations, and establish, if I could, the fact that I had really first discovered this metal, should that reported by others prove to be identical with mine. So far this summer I have had only 9 lbs. of ore from the mine. It was a hard ore, and seemed to carry only small traces of amarillium or gold, not being the same kind as that sent before.
I expect to receive a large amount of the ore, and to furnish later results in a more carefully prepared paper.