The separation of lanthanum and didymium in the solution from which the cerium has been precipitated is effected by precipitating them together as oxalates, igniting, and dissolving in dilute nitric acid. This solution is then evaporated to dryness and ignited, for a few minutes, just below redness. A subnitrate of didymium is formed, and remains as an insoluble residue on extracting with hot water. The separated salts are treated with ammonia and ignited, and weighed as oxides (La2O3 and Di2O3).
YTTRIA.
Yttria is found in gadolinite and some other rare minerals. It is precipitated along with the other earths by ammonia. It is distinguished by the insolubility of its hydrate in potash, by the insolubility of its oxalate in oxalic acid, and by not being precipitated by hyposulphite of soda or potassium sulphate. Further, it is precipitated by potash in the presence of tartaric acid as an insoluble tartrate. This reaction distinguishes the members of the yttria group from most of the other earths. The other members of the group closely resemble it, and amongst them are erbia, terbia, ytterbia, scandia, &c.
BERYLLIA.
The oxide of beryllium, BeO (also known as glucina), occurs in nature mainly as silicate. Beryl, the green transparent variety of which is the emerald, is the best known of these. It is a silicate of alumina and beryllia.[91] Some other minerals in which it occurs are phenakite, euclase, and chrysoberyl.
In the ordinary course of analysis, beryllia will be precipitated with alumina, &c., by ammonic hydrate. It is distinguished by the solubility of its hydrate in ammonic carbonate, by not being precipitated by boiling with sodium hyposulphite, and by not being precipitated by ammonic sulphide from an ammonic carbonate solution.
The analysis of silicates containing beryllia is thus effected. The finely powdered substance is fused with twice its weight of potassium carbonate; and the "melt" is extracted with water, and evaporated with a slight excess of sulphuric acid to render the silica insoluble. Treat with water, filter, and evaporate the filtrate until a crust is formed. Potash alum crystallises out. The liquor is poured off into a warm strong solution of ammonium carbonate. Ferric hydrate and alumina will be precipitated. They are filtered off, re-dissolved, and again precipitated in ammonic carbonate solution; the combined filtrates are boiled for some time, and acidified slightly with hydrochloric acid. The carbon dioxide is boiled off, and the beryllia is then precipitated as hydrate with ammonia. The hydrate is washed with hot water, dried, ignited, and weighed as beryllia, BeO.
Beryllia has a specific gravity of 3.08. It is white, infusible, and insoluble in water. After ignition, it is insoluble in acids, except sulphuric, but is rendered soluble by fusion with alkalies.
Beryllia, in a solution of carbonate of ammonia, is precipitated as carbonate on boiling in proportion as the carbonate of ammonia is volatilised. The hydrate is dissolved by a boiling solution of ammonic chloride, ammonia being evolved.