Experiments on a new earth : found near Stronthian in Scotland / [Richard Kirwan].

  • Kirwan, Richard, 1733-1812
Date:
1794
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Experiments on a new earth : found near Stronthian in Scotland / [Richard Kirwan]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    to the more perfect knowledge of fteel and iron ores ; that of the difference between barytic and common lime-ffone led to the knowledge of a fubflance that is now a capital inflrument in chemical analyfis, and evinced the futility of that theory which deduced the origin of all fubftances that burned to lime from fea fhells. The fubflance 1 now announce to the Academy affords a farther proof of the danger of too ftricfl a reliance on general theories, and of the poflibility of detecting many fubftances nearly allied to, but in reality differing from, thofe with which we are already acquainted. It is only after fome years of diligent but fruitlefs refearch after fuch aflimi- lating fubftances that this pojfibility may be deemed an impro- The firft account I received of this fubflance, which I fhall call Stronthianite, was from Doflor Crawford in the year 1790 ; he was fo obliging as to fend me a fpecimen, accompanied with a letter, informing me that from fome experiments he made it appeared to him to contain a new earth; what thefe experiments wrere he did not mention. Shortly after, however, it attracted fome attention; in the Miner’s Journal of February 1791 a good defcription of its external appearance, and fome account of its chemical proper¬ ties, are given from the obfervations of Mr. Sulzer. I had not leifure to examine it until laft October; from the expe¬ riments I fince made, in which I was aflifted by Mr*. Higgins,, fuperintendent of our Apothecaries Hall, whofe chemical abili¬ ties.