Page:Experimental researches in chemistry and.djvu/423

408 pure nitric, or hydrochloric, or sulphuric acids, or solutions of potassa or brine. They dissolved in damp chlorine gas, not changing in colour during the solution. I believe them to consist of pure gold.

When these gold films were heated to dull redness they changed. The reflexion, though not much altered, was a little more metallic and golden than before; more light was transmitted after the heating and the colour had altered from greenish to violet, or from grey-green to ruby or amethyst; and now two or three films superposed often gave a very ruby colour. This action is like that of heat on the particles separated by electric explosions. If not overheated, the particles were not fused to the glass, but could be easily wiped off Whenever these heated particles were pressed by the convex agate, they changed in character and transmitted green light. Heat took away this character of the gold, the heat of boiling oil, if continued, being sufficient; but on applying pressure at the same spot, the power of transmitting green light was restored to the particles. In many cases, where the gold adhered sufficiently to the glass to bear a light drawing touch from the finger or a card, such touch altered the light transmitted from amethystine to green; so small is the pressure required when the particles are most favourably disposed.

Heating injured the conducting power for electricity of these films, no doubt by retraction of the particles, though there was no such evident appearance in these cases, as in the unattached gold-leaf of the particles running up into globules.

A given film, examined very carefully in the microscope by transmitted lamp-light, with an aperture of 90° and power of 700 linear, presented the following appearances. The unheated part was of a grey colour, and by careful observation was seen to be slightly granular. By very close observation this grey part was often resolvable into a mixture of green and amethystine striæ, it being the compound effect of these which in general produce the grey sensation in the eye. When a part of such a film was heated, the transmitted colour was changed from grey to purple, as before described, and the part thus heated was evidently more granular than before. This difference was confirmed in other cases. That the heated part should thus run up, seems to show that many of the particles