Paper, 'On certain properties of metals considered in relation to the periodic law' by W C [William Chandler] Roberts-Austen

Description

Roberts-Austen writes: 'In a previous paper published in the ‘Philosophical Transactions’ (1888, A, pp. 339—349), the effect of about 0.2 per cent of impurities on the mechanical properties of gold was examined, the results of the experiments showing that metals which diminish its tenacity and extensibility have high atomic volumes, while those which increase these properties have either the same atomic volume as gold or a lower one. The behaviour of aluminium and of lithium appeared to be somewhat exceptional. Gold contaminated with 0.2 per cent, of aluminium should, if the theory set forth in the paper be correct, have a tensile strength of about 7 tons per square inch; but it was found to be capable of sustaining a load of nearly 9 tons per square inch without breaking. It became necessary, therefore, to ascertain whether the cooling of a mass of gold containing aluminium presents any peculiarities, more especially as Osmond’s recent work leads to the conclusion that a pure metal can exist in two distinct molecular forms, and that the passage of the ordinary modification of a metal to the allotropic one may either be hastened or retarded by the presence of impurity.'

Annotations in pencil and ink. Includes one photograph and three diagrams of experimental apparatus and results.

Subject: Metallurgy / Chemistry

Received and read 12 March 1891.

A version of this paper was published in volume 49 of the Proceedings of the Royal Society as 'On certain properties of metals considered in relation to the periodic law'.

Reference number

PP/17/26

Earliest possible date

1891

Physical description

Ink and graphite pencil on paper

Page extent

35 pages

Format

Manuscript
Diagram
Photograph