Page:Experimental researches in chemistry and.djvu/455

440 When the coloured jellies are laid upon glass plates and allowed to dry, the plates introduced obliquely into the sulphide of carbon affect the ray, but not as gold films; the light image becomes visible, but the plane of polarization is not changed; the light is coloured by the ruby or blue tint of the gold present, but a film of jelly without gold makes it visible to the same extent. In this case the gold is not in one plane, but diffused through the dry jelly, and the effect is the same as if it were diffused through water, being negative.

Such are the effects with the various preparations of divided gold. I will hastily notice what occurs with some other metals. Platinum deflagrated in hydrogen: it depolarized the ray, required direct rotation of the analyser to attain a minimum, therefore rotated the plane of polarization; but did not present sensible colour on either side of the minimum of light. Palladium deflagrated in hydrogen: it depolarized, producing a red image; direct rotation of the analyser lessened the light to a minimum, and then brought in a blue image. The films of palladium obtained by phosphorus acted well in the same manner. These films appear to be exceedingly continuous, and it could be observed in them, that though the thickest were not the best, yet films could be obtained so thin as to be distinctly inferior to other parts a little thicker; also that where the brilliancy of reflexion which indicates perfect smoothness passed in any degree into dulness, the action of the film was injured: the perfect condition of the surfaces of the films seems to be essential to their good action. Rhodium films by phosphorus gave good actions, like those produced by gold. Silver deflagrations, either in air or hydrogen, gave depolarizing results like those with gold. Silver films also gave excellent results of the like kind. A thin pale brown film was much better than a thicker one. Copper deflagrated in hydrogen: depolarized, bringing in a red image, which by direct rotation of the analyser was lowered a little, and then converted to blue. The copper films obtained from oil acted in the same manner; the red and blue images appeared in their order; but very little direct rotation of the analyser was required to produce the minimum of light. Tin deflagrated in hydrogen: depolarized and rotated the ray, as with gold; the images were only feeble in colour. Lead deflagrated in