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By William Fink

THE investigation of the phase relations of high-purity aluminum-base alloys is a part of the fundamental research program of the laboratories of the Aluminum Company of America. The results of a number of binary and ternary systems have previously been published in the transactions of this society. The aluminum end of the binary aluminum-titanium system has been studied. This system has received relatively little attention. To the authors' knowledge, there are two previous papers on this subject. E. van Erckelens1 determined the constitutional diagram reproduced in Fig. 1. .According, to this diagram, the liquids represents the separation of TiAl4 (Ti = 30.7 per cent.). He concluded that this is the composition of the compound, because in his work the eutectic horizontal terminated at 30.7 per cent. titanium and the metallographic examination of a sample of this composition revealed only one phase. According to the constitutional diagram developed by W. Manchot and A. Leber,2 reproduced in Fig. 2 from data given in their article, the liquidus represents the separation of the compound TiAl3 (Ti = 37.2 per cent. ). The composition of the compound was derived in a manner similar to that utilized by van Erckelens. Moreover, Manchot and Leber confirmed the composition of the compound by analysis of the constituent left as a residue after dissolving the alloys in weak sodium hydroxide solution. Although these are the only publications describing the constitution of the system, other investigators have studied the composition of the titanium compound. L. Wöhler3 says that there is a compound TiAl3 which was later confirmed by W. Manchot and P. Richter4 and by

Jan 1, 1931

By John Croston

IN the closing months of 1936 the copper industry gave every evidence that it was at last on the threshold of an improved era. At the beginning of the year prices stood at 9 1/4¢, which in itself was a great improvement over prices prevailing for the three previous years. Industry generally was showing signs of moving forward in this country, and business was definitely good in certain foreign quarters. The threat of war and prep-arations for rearmament in Europe and Asia acted as a further stimulus purchasing. By midsummer the situation had so improved and stocks to been so reduced that the cartel of foreign producers (including American producers with foreign mines) decided to increase the produc-tion quota to 75 per cent on Aug. 1. Large-scale buying gave continued strength to the price and by Oct. 1 the quota was increased to 80 per cent, and again on Oct. 15, to 85 per cent. Notwithstanding this the price of copper continued its advance and on Nov. 1, with stocks declining con-tinuously, the cartel increased operations to 95 per cent, then to 105 per cent on Nov. 5. In the meantime the domestic producers, because of the great increase in home consumption, had increased their production by nearly one-half. At the close of the year copper sold at 120 per pound, and since the turn of the present year has reached 170. This rapid increase has not been wholly justified. Much of the increase was due to the legitimate demands of recovering industry, but rearmament orders plus accumulation of reserve stocks in case of war, purchases in anticipation of labor strikes and purely speculative activities on the London Metal Exchange accounted for the balance. Certainly in view of the state of industry and the general world price level, it appears unnecessarily high. Talk of a copper shortage is sheer nonsense, the recent condition in the market being created by overbuying, leaving but a small volume for speculative supplies. It takes some months for an increase in mine output to reach the market, but production is again overtaking apparent consumption, stocks have begun to increase, and this, together with the reopening of many small

Jan 1, 1937

By G. M. Ritcey

Sulphuric acid leaching has been up to the present, the most popular of the leaching routes. Oxide ores are usually leached with sulphuric acid directly by dump leaching, as practiced at the Bagdad or Bluebird Mines in Arizona, or by vat leaching as done at Inspiration Mining in Arizona. Upgrading of the low-grade oxide ores by dump leaching followed by cementation of the copper from solution by scrap iron has been replaced by the leaching-solvent extraction-electrowinning route which results in a high purity product at the mill site at reduced production costs compared to previous practice. High-grade oxide ores, vat leached with H2SO4, can contain, for example, 25 g Cu/l and 25 g H2S04/,l, or higher concentrations of both, and are presently fed directly to electrorefining plants. Advantages of coupling solvent extraction-electrowinning with the low cost dump leaching instead of using cementation, are as follows (1): a) the production of high purity electrolytic copper rather than cement copper;

Jan 1, 1978

By K. A. Natarajan, I. Iwasaki

Platinum electrodes are not inert as often thought to be. The reactivity of platinum electrodes can explain their erratic behavior in many electrochemical measurements of metallurgical interest, e.g, in flotation systems, streaming potential measurements, contact-angle measurements, and in leaching systems. The anomalous behavior of platinum electrodes in redox potential measurements in aqueous systems was studied through Eh and pH measure ments in water-oxygen, iron-water-oxygen, and manganese-water-oxygen systems. Stability relations between Fe++ and Fe (OH), and between Fe (OH), and Fe (OH), were studied to judge the correspondence between experimental and theoretical equilibrium lines. The practicality of redox potential measurements in estimating ferric-ferrous ratios in aqueous systems was investigated along with their suitability as indicators in leaching operations, e.g., the removal of iron by aeration from manganese leach solutions. Platinum electrodes have often been used in the measurement of dissolved oxygen concentrations and of redox potentials (Eh) in a variety of fields, e.g., analytical chemistry,' corrosion," geology and mineralogy,,'' biology,"' sewage treatment,' * hydrometallurgy,"I" and flotation."la The effectiveness of Eh-pH diagrams, first reported by Pourbaix' in 1949, has contributed much towards the theoretical understanding of numerous problems encountered in the metallurgical industry. Not many references are available in the literature, however, wherein attempts have been made to confirm Eh-pH diagrams from experimental measurements. One reason might be that, in spite of the apparent simplicity of the electrochemical technique, the direct measurement of Eh involves complex practical problems.' Factors such as the purity of the solution, the type of electrodes used, the history of the indicator electrode, and the type of atmosphere (namely, oxidizing, reducing, or inert) do have effects on the measured Eh values. The influence of mixed potentials cannot be underestimated. The poisoning of platinum electrodes by organic and inorganic impurities present in the solution may lead to erratic results. Platinum, commonly thought to be an inert electrode material, is not really so, as attested by a number of previous investigators who advised caution concerning the anomalous behavior of platinum electrodes in various electrochemical measurements.'" In the present article, a few pertinent experiments related to Eh-pH measurements in systems of interest in the metallurgical and water pollution fields are described in an attempt to correlate such information with what is already known, especially in the electrochemical literature. Iron-water and manganese-water systems were selected with a view of studying the correspondence between experimentally observed and theoretically established equilibrium lines. The work included an investigation of the behavior of platinum electrodes with respect to pretreatment and adsorption characteristics, the measurement of dissolved oxygen concentrations and their relation to Eh, the determination of the electrode potential of the ferric-ferrous couple at different pH, and the measurement of oxidation potentials in iron-manganese leaching systems. Experimental Procedure A rotating platinum electrode was used in many of the measurements to study the effect of rotation on measured Eh values. The electrode made by the Pine Instrument Co. consisted of a stainless steel rod with a platinum disk soldered to the end. It was covered with a Teflon insulation along the sides, so that only the circular tip of the electrode was exposed to the solution. Prior to its use, the platinum surface was brightened on a metallurgical polishing wheel with alumina as an abrasive, unless specified otherwise. The electrode was rotated with a Sargent cone-drive motor at 350 rpm. The contact of the electrode with the external circuit was made by filling a notch at the top of the stainless steel shaft with mercury and by dipping a copper wire into the mercury pool. The performance of the rotating platinum electrode was compared with the performances of a Beckman platinum button electrode and a platinum wire electrode. All the potentials were measured with respect to a saturated calomel electrode. A saturated KC1-agar bridge was used to minimize the liquid junction potential. A Beckman Zeromatic pH meter together with a Beck-man electrode switch was used to measure both the Eh and pH. A double-walled, all-Pyrex jar with a capacity of about 1 liter and themostated by circulating water of constant temperature was used for a reaction cell. Four equally spaced ports in the cover provided access for a glass electrode, a salt bridge connecting the saturated calomel electrode, a dispersion tube for bubbling gases into the cell solution, inlet and outlet tubes for passing the desired gases over the solution, and a graduated burette for introducing reagents from outside. The rotating platinum electrode was inserted through an opening in the top-center of the cover, and a positive gas pressure was maintained inside the cell to prevent air from entering into the cell compartment. A magnetic stirrer was used to mix the solution inside. For the determination of dissolved oxygen in the test solutions, the polarographic techniquex was used.

Jan 1, 1971

By T. D. Yensen

IN the investigation of the magnetic properties of iron-nickel alloys,1 it was found necessary in order to make the alloys forgeable, or malleable, to add small quantities of some other element. Iron-nickel alloys have been known for nearly a century, but have been made in commercial quantities only since 1885. Their remarkable mechanical properties were disclosed by Riley in 1889 and from that time on a large amount of research work has been done both to discover new properties and to correlate the results obtained.2 Lately the Bureau of Standards has collected the published data in a special circular3 giving in compact form an account of the properties of the iron-nickel alloys. It also contains a clear historical sketch of the development as well as a selected bibliography. The chief difficulty with the development of iron-nickel alloys was that the "pure" alloys do not forge readily. The addition of small amounts of manganese, however, made the alloys forgeable, and manganese has therefore come to be regarded as a necessary constituent of nickel steels. The present paper shows to what extent manganese is needed for various nickel contents and also what is the effect of other alloying elements on the forgeability. It also touches upon the cause of forgeability but refers to other sources for more exhaustive treatises, on the subject. The alloys were prepared by melting electrolytic iron and electrolytic nickel with of without other alloying elements in the desired proportions in a magnesia crucible in a vacuum furnace under a. pressure of 1 mm. mercury. The ingots weighing about 2 kg. were allowed to cool in vacuo. If pipes or blowholes were present, the ingots were cut in such

Jan 1, 1920

Abramovits, Charles, Student. Case School of Applied Science Cleveland, Ohio. '37 Adams, Benjamin C., Jr Address Wanted. '36 Adams, Ernest C., Student, Univ. of Illinois 908 W. Green St., Urbana, Ill. '35 Adams, George H. 4021 Walnut St., Riverside, Calif. '36 Afshar, Hodji Khan ?A. Box 2072, Norman, Okla. '35 Ahlen, Louis S., Student, Univ. of North Dakota Univ. Sta., Grand Forks, N. D. '37 Ahrenholz, Herman William, Jr., Student, Lehigh Univ Bethlehem, Pa. '35 Alger, Robert P., Student, Missouri School of Mines & Met Rolla, Mo. '36 Alkire, Robert L., Student, Univ. of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, Pa. '37 Alleman, Virgil C., Student, South Dakota School of Mines Rapid City, S.-D. '37 Allen, C. G., Student, Case School of Applied Science Cleveland, Ohio. '37 Allen, Eugene S., Student, Univ. of California Berkeley, Calif. '37 Allen, George W., Student, Michigan College of Min. & Tech Houghton, Mich. '37 Allen, Harry Berkley, Student, Univ. of California Los Angeles, Calif. '37 Allen, Henry, Jr., Student. Univ. of Arizona Sigma Chi House, Tucson. Ariz. '37 Allen, Paul W., Student, Mass. Inst. of Tech Cambridge, Mass. '35 Allen. R. M.. Jr.. Student. Virginia Polytechnic Inst., "G" Co Blacksburg, Va. '35

Jan 1, 1937

By Arthur F. Wendt

Introduction.—In the year 1885, the writer signed a contract to take charge of the reopening and developing of the celebrated old mines of " El Cerro Rico de Potosi." Two years earlier, an Eng- . lish firm of engineers had made a very glowing report on the property. In the summer of 1885, telegrams arrived from the parties in charge of operations at the mountain, claiming the finding of one of the old veins, with an average richness of over 200 ounces to the ton. In the fall of 1886, the author first personally visited Potosi, but found neither the English report nor the telegram borne out by the facts. After an expenditure of over half a million of dollars and more than three years of continuons hard work, the writer succeeded in unwatering and developing one of the principal old veins of the mountain. This vein, called "Cotamitos," now yields ores of about 75 ounces to the ton, and the old historic mountains of Potosi may be said to have again fairly entered the list of silver-producers. The experience of the author, during his residence in Bolivia, and data obtained from Sr. Don F. Avelino Aramayo, form the basis of this description. POTOSI. Etymology of the Name.—The Quichuá (pronounced Keechna) Indians, known to North American students as the " Incas," although the word "inca" merely signifies ''king," or "chief," of the Quichuás, called the mountain "Sumac-orcko," or the beautiful mountain." Eighty-three years before the discovery of the mountain by the Spaniards, the inca, or king, Huaina Ccapac, travelling from Cantumarca to Calque-Porco, saw the mountain of Potosf and, admiring its grandeur and beauty, said that within its bowels there was, no doubt, much silver. He ordered his vassal* to work the mines. They, having carried their mining implements to the mountain, ascended it and were on the point of commencing work, when they heard a voice of thunder, which said: " Do not take

Jan 1, 1891

By AIME AIME

ON Thursday, Oct. 9, oil men from far and wide gathered at Beaumont, Texas to participate in a three-day celebration of the fortieth anniversary of the completion of the famous Lucas gusher well at Spindletop field just south of Beaumont, and to pay tribute to Anthony F. Lucas, for whom the Lucas Medal of the A.I.M.E. is named. In the afternoon the gathered host drove to the site of the discovery well to dedicate a 58-ft. granite monu¬ment erected on the spot where the original derrick stood. Representatives of the A.I.M.E. took a prominent part in the dedication ceremonies, giving the two principal addresses of the afternoon's program. Everette DeGolyer, past President, paid a personal tribute to Capt. Lucas, as a pioneer producer, an engineer, and a friend and well wisher of all young engineers. He gave a splendid picture of the useful and full life of Capt. Lucas who always took a great interest in the activities of the Petroleum Division of the Institute, from its inception to the time of his death.

Jan 1, 1941

By Clyde Williams

IF you would allow me some liberties, I would restate the title of this talk as "Scientific Research, Our Greatest Resource," because that title would represent more clearly a present-day conception of the metals and minerals situation. It is a subject worthy of careful consideration. Canada and the United States are so similar and interdependent in their national economies that, in the following discussion, examples of conditions in the United States may be interpreted to apply to Canada as well. Moreover, it is a striking fact that the per capita value of mineral production in Canada and the United States in 1940 was almost the same. Therefore, in the consideration of this subject, I have made no attempt to differentiate between the two countries. Consumption of the world's mineral resources in the last few decades. and particularly during World War II, has been so enormous as to require some form of magic to ensure the continued progress of civilization in the face of a diminishing supply of these resources which are so critically essential. As C. K. Leith pointed out, in 1941, indus-

Jan 1, 1947

By B. K. Larkin, H. R. Bailey

One of the most complicated and potentially one of the most promising secondary recovery methods is that of underground combustion. A number of field tests1,2,3 have been performed recently, apparently indicating that the underground combustion process is technically feasible. Relatively little has been published concerning laboratory or theoretical investigations of the underground combustion process. A few results of laboratory tube runs have been published4,5 and these data are valuable in understanding the process. The tube run data also emphasize the complexity of the thermal recovery process. Under various conditions, problems in heat transfer, multiphase fluid flow and combustion rates arise. For example, at low temperatures the combustion process proceeds so slowly that the front cannot be propagated. It is a problem in heat transfer to predict what injection rate of air is necessary to sustain combustion in a particular reservoir. Certain fluid flow aspects of underground combustion have been studied by Wilson, et a13. In the development of some of the flow equations, assumptions of adiabatic combustion were made. Vogel and Krueger1 have devised an analog model of the heat conduction process for a constant temperature cylindrical source moving radially outward in a homogeneous conducting medium. Jenkins and Ramey7, in a discussion of the Vogel and Krueger paper, present an analytical solution of a heat conduction problem related to problems considered by Vogel and Krueger. In the present paper an idealized model of the heat conduction problem is considered, which is more general than the model of Vogel and Krueger or Jenkins and Ramey. In particular, initial well heating, vertical heat losses and arbitrary frontal velocities are included. Equations for the temperature are obtained in terms of integrals. These integrals have been evaluated numerically for the case of frontal movement corresponding to a constant air injection rate and the case of constant frontal velocity. These results are presented graphically. From these graphs one may estimate conditions under which nearly adiabatic temperatures are obtained. The application of these results requires some knowledge of reservoir thermal properties, combustion rates and residual fuel content. Assuming no vertical losses it is possible to obtain explicit evaluations of these integrals in the linear con- stant velocity case and in the radial case corresponding to a constant air injection rate. PRESENTATION OF RESULTS The geometry of the radial system is illustrated in Fig. 1 where the reservoir is represented as a slab of thickness h. By making an energy balance for an infinitesimal volume, one obtains the following equation. T= x T+F(z.r).........(1) where F (z,r) =HWv1/pc (r-r1), if z h/2 = 0, if z >h/2 . In Eq. 1, V- represents the Laplacian operator and 8 is the Dirac delta function. Eq. 1 is the well-known diff-sion equation with a source term and may be applied to a linear system. For example, if the source is moving in the direction of the x axis, then the argument of the delta function is x - 1,. In deriving Eq. 1 the following approximations were made concerning the actual combustion process: (1) all heat transfer is by conduction in a homogeneous medium, (2) the formations bounding the reservoir have the same thermal properties as the reservoir, (3) the combustion fuel is consumed instantaneously as the front arrives, (4) there is a constant fuel concentration

By H. M. Morse

During the year of 1940, wildcat wells were drilled in 32 counties of Mississippi; 85 wells in all. These were scattered over the state from the most northern county to the southern counties and from the Mississippi River on the west to the Alabama line on the east. Yazoo County, with 19, received the largest number. The average depth of all the wells was 5333 ft. The shallowest well completed as a dry hole was in Yalobusha County, aban-doned at 1392 ft. in the Selma. The deepest well drilled was in Scott County, abandoned at 10,365 ft. in the Lower Cretaceous Paluxy. G. C. Grasty drilled the Kentucky Lumber Company No. I well, sec. 7, T. 10 S., R. 10 E., Itawamba County, to a depth of 3530 ft. and bottomed his hole in the Ordivician. Tinsley Oil Field.—In the Tinsley oil field 104 wells were completed as producers during 1940. Five producing sands have been logged with a total average thickness of I57 ft. of oil sand. One of these sands is in the Selma, three in the Eutaw, and one in the Tuscaloosa. Vaughan-Pickens Field.—The Vaughan-

Jan 1, 1941

By P. H. Mell

Can the auriferous slate deposits of the Southern mining region ever be successfully worked ? is a question that has been often asked me by persons seeking investments in Southern mines. As the subject is one that has given me much thought during the past few years, I have decided to present my conclusions to the members of the Institute for their consideration. Those who have had the opportunity of exploring the region mentioned above, will readily reall to mind numerous localities, to which their attention was directed by would-be miners, as "rich and desirable properties," in which there were but few quartz seams running in every direction through fine-grained talcose slate. Most of the gold in such formations was always found disseminated through the slate, and but a small percentage contained in the quartz. Such are the deposits I propose to discuss in this paper. Of course there are many excellent quartz mines in the South that are paying the owners good profits, and many more to my knowledge, that are not being worked for obvious reasons. But it is out of the question to suppose that these slate deposits can be practically

Jan 1, 1881

By H. M. Morse

During the year of 1940, wildcat wells were drilled in 32 counties of Mississippi; 85 wells in all. These were scattered over the state from the most northern county to the southern counties and from the Mississippi River on the west to the Alabama line on the east. Yazoo County, with 19, received the largest number. The average depth of all the wells was 5333 ft. The shallowest well completed as a dry hole was in Yalobusha County, aban-doned at 1392 ft. in the Selma. The deepest well drilled was in Scott County, abandoned at 10,365 ft. in the Lower Cretaceous Paluxy. G. C. Grasty drilled the Kentucky Lumber Company No. I well, sec. 7, T. 10 S., R. 10 E., Itawamba County, to a depth of 3530 ft. and bottomed his hole in the Ordivician. Tinsley Oil Field.—In the Tinsley oil field 104 wells were completed as producers during 1940. Five producing sands have been logged with a total average thickness of I57 ft. of oil sand. One of these sands is in the Selma, three in the Eutaw, and one in the Tuscaloosa. Vaughan-Pickens Field.—The Vaughan-

Jan 1, 1941

By Oscar Marzke

STUDIES on the precipitation of a face-centered from a body-centered structure-a common occurrence in alloy systems-are essential to the development of a theory for the formation of segregate structures. The separation of the alpha phase from the beta of the copper-zinc system is an example of this type of precipitation. EARLIER STUDIES ON THE SUBJECT R. F. Mehl and 0. T. Marzke1 in 1931 presented a paper giving the results of some investigations carried out by them on the segregate structures produced when the alpha and gamma phases of the copper-zinc system and the alpha phase of the copper-aluminum system precipi-tate from the beta phases of these systems. They showed that the alpha phase precipitates as needles close to the [111] directions of the beta phase. In the discussion of that paper some doubt was expressed about the nature of the segregate. More investigations were undertaken to determine the character of the precipitate in the copper-zinc system and also the orientation relationship between the matrix and precipitate. The present paper gives the results of these investigations. Since the publication of the earlier paper, several other papers on this subject have been published in this country and abroad. Haneman and Schroder2 reported that the alpha phase precipitates as needles along the [111] directions of the beta phase and that these needles align themselves to form plates on the {111} planes of the matrix. Mathewson and Smith3 pointed out that the {111} plane does not contain the [111] direction and that it would be quite impossible, therefore, for needles in the [111] direction to form plates on the {111} plane. They suggested

Jan 1, 1933

By C. R. Kuzell

ALTHOUGH furnaces constructed of refractory brick have been oper-ated for many decades, there has always been an unfulfilled desire by the operators for a less arduous and more satisfactory method of patching weak spots and burned-out zones in order to postpone and to effectively extend the termination of a furnace campaign. Not only has this desire frequently arisen when small spots have approached incipient failure while the furnace structure as a whole was still in good condition, but also when larger areas showed signs of needing replacement. The availa-ble methods have been arduous, sometimes dangerous, inefficient with respect to the life of new refractory material used, and nearly always have necessitated interruption of the continuity of the furnace operations and therefore reduction in furnace production during the period of time required for the repair work. Most of these older methods have involved the replacement of masonry by refractory shapes in the weakened areas. Many attempts have been made to develop a method of patching the burned-out areas by spraying granular refractory material upon old surfaces. While some success has been attained in attempts to renew the grooved, corroded side walls and fettling, and the edges of hearths, there have been no known successful applications of the spraying method in patching the underside of arches of operating furnaces. The method developed recently at the Clarkdale smelter of the United Verde Branch of Phelps Dodge Corporation, at Clarkdale, Ariz., and described in this paper, has been found to be not only convenient and successful with respect to patching vertical or inclined surfaces, but has met with a marked degree of success in patching the parts of furnace arches that are exposed to flame, the successful result being obtained with-out interruption or interference with the continuity of furnace operations. ? It may be described as a method of renewing the interior refractory sur-faces of operating furnaces by pneumatic spraying of an aqueous suspen-sion of finely divided particles of refractory material. It has been used

Jan 1, 1939

By P. Somasundaran, H. S. Hanna

The separation of minerals such as apatite and scheelite by flotation from other salt-type minerals such as calcite is extremely complex owing to the close similarity between their physicochemical properties. In this paper, properties relevant to flotation such as crystal structure, solubility, surface charge and adsorption behavior of important salt-type minerals are examined along with the role of inorganic modifying agents such as silicates and polyphosphates and organic modifying agents such as starch and tannin. Flotation characteristics of these minerals are then reviewed and selected separation problems involving salt-type minerals are discussed.

Jan 1, 1976

By Waldemar Lindgren

THE important investigations of Dr. G. F. Becker at Steamboat Springs, Nev., in 1885, aided by the analytical work of W. H. Melville, established the fact that sulphides were being deposited at the surface by hot ascending waters.1 Steamboat Springs is situated near the eastern base of the escarpment of the Sierra Nevada, six miles distant from the Comstock lode. In a region of former volcanic activity, hot springs with a temperature of about 80° C. break forth through a fissure in granodiorite, and at the base of a basaltic bluff the waters have deposited a large amount of siliceous and calcareous sinter, some of which is colored red by antimony sulphide. The sinter from one of the springs was analyzed by Mr. Melville,2 and his results, re-calculated to grams per kilogram, showed [ ] The relative quantities of antimonious and arsenious sulphides are not given in the above analysis, but I believe that the former greatly predominated. The water of one of the springs was also analyzed by Melville and the re-calculation of this analysis to salts that were possibly present is given in Table I.

Jan 1, 1913

By Alexander Knoll, Dwight L. Baker

THE work herein reported shows that galena in certain organic solutions of fatty acids becomes coated with lead soaps, and that this coating is not only highly water-repellent but is also repellent to certain organic liquids, particularly those [ ] of high surface tension; i.e., nitrobenzene, diphenylmethane. WETTING PROPERTIES OF GALENA IN NONAQUEOUS FATTY ACID SOLUTIONS When a "captive bubble"1 is withdrawn from a polished, plane galena surface under a nitrobenzene solution of stearic acid, the air bubble shows a decided tendency to "cling" to the mineral surface. The contact angle, therefore, was greater than zero, although it was not large enough to be measured quantitatively by the captive-bubble method.* [ ] When pure nitrobenzene' was substituted for the nitrobenzene-stearic acid solution, no clinging of the bubble was observed; viz., contact angle = zero. Although the contact angle developed in air-galena-nitrobenzene-fatty acid solution was small, the organic solvent repellency of the galena surface was great enough to enable good recovery in a laboratory flotation cell.2 In Table I are given the results of flotation experiments using several different fatty acids dissolved in nitrobenzene.

Jan 1, 1941

By Alexander Knoll, Dwight L. Baker

THE work herein reported shows that galena in certain organic solutions of fatty acids becomes coated with lead soaps, and that this coating is not only highly water-repellent but is also repellent to certain organic liquids, particularly those [ ] of high surface tension; i.e., nitrobenzene, diphenylmethane. WETTING PROPERTIES OF GALENA IN NONAQUEOUS FATTY ACID SOLUTIONS When a "captive bubble"' is withdrawn from a polished, plane galena surface under a nitrobenzene solution of stearic acid, the air bubble shows a decided tendency to "cling" to the mineral surface. The contact angle, therefore, was greater than zero, although it was not large enough to be measured quantitatively by the captive-bubble method.* [ ] When pure nitrobenzene was substituted for the nitrobenzene-stearic acid solution, no clinging of the bubble was observed; viz., contact angle = zero. Although the contact angle developed in air-galena-nitrobenzene-fatty acid solution was small, the organic solvent repellency of the galena surface was great enough to enable good recovery in a laboratory flotation cell.2 In Table I are given the results of flotation experiments using several different fatty acids dissolved in nitrobenzene.

Jan 1, 1941

By A. Vifian, I. lwasaki

Several samples of copper-nickel ore from the Duluth Gabbro were studied to relate their mineral-ogical characteristics with their amenability to concentration by flotation. The most common rocks in the samples were norites, gabbros, and troctolites. The texture of the rocks varied from coarse pegma-titic to very fine. The copper contents ranged from 0.2-0.7% and the nickel contents from 0.07-0.15%. The ore minerals were chalcopyrite, cubanite, pyrrhotite, and pentlandite. Most of the ore minerals occurred in interstices between laths of plagioclase, but some were included in the gangue grains. The samples responded readily to xanthate flotation. After a 65 to 100-mesh grind about 95% of the copper and 85% of the nickel were recovered in a bulk sulfide concentrate. Such recoveries remained constant even with grinds as fine as 270 mesh due to the extremely fine inclusions of sulfides in the silicate gangue. A finer grind than 270 mesh was necessary to free the copper-iron sulfides from the nickel-iron sulfides. A combination of time and British gum* was quite effective in producing concentrates analyzing 25-30% copper. The nickel concentrate averaged 1.5% nickel. Most of the nickel lost in the tailing was present as un-liberated sulfides and not as nickel in the olivine structure. The nickel content of the olivine was only about 0.05 or 0.08%. Western world nickel usage in 1967 is expected to be the second highest on record, amounting to 825 million lb. Despite a rise in mine production, however, demand is expected to exceed supply in 1968. ' Hence, exploration, development, and production expansion projects are being accelerated on a world scale. In Minnesota the copper-nickel bearing Duluth Gabbro is receiving much attention. During the past year 11 companies have been granted leases in the region, and the 1967 Minnesota legislature enacted a tax law designed to encourage the development of a copper-nickel industry. Although it is only during the past few years that mining companies have shown an active interest in the Minnesota copper-nickel deposit, copper-nickel minerals have been known to exist in northeastern Minnesota since 1899.3 At the 28th Mining Symposium, Dr. P. K. Sims, from the Geological Survey of Minnesota, gave a review of copper-nickel exploration in northeastern Minnesota,4 in which he emphasized that the potential of the Duluth Gabbro complex is large. Tests on samples from the Kawishiwi River area were reported by the United States Bureau of Mines in 1955.' In 1964, the Mines Experiment Station described tests on samples from the Gunflint Trail: and in 1966 the Minnesota Geological Survey published a geological map of the Gabbro Lake Quadrangle. The Mines Experiment Station published a study of the concentration of a Minnesota copper-nickel ore in 1967.7 The present paper is divided into three parts. The first describes the mineralogy of some rock samples from the Kawishiwi River area of northeastern Minnesota; the second summarizes the results of numerous flotation tests that were made on the samples, and the third explains the loss of nickel in the flotation tailing. MINERALOGY OF KAWlSHlWl ROCKS Recently five samples of mineralized gabbro from the Kawishiwi River area, a few miles east of Ely, were received at the Mines Experiment Station. One of the samples was a 175-lb composite, which was designated Ore 1556. The other four samples were 7-lb grab samples that had been obtained from four different exploration pits. They were designated Ore 1626, Lots 1 through 4. Basic Mineralogy: Many authors have reported that the rocks of the so-called gabbro of the Duluth Intrusion vary widely in composition.8-9 The samples on which our studies were based also contained a wide range of rocks. A gabbro, olivine-gabbro, anorthosite-gabbro, norite, and a troctolite were represented. The essential minerals in the samples were plagio-clase, pyroxene, and olivine, in variable proportions.

Jan 1, 1969