| 1. Earth-Ores | Ochres, combinations of metals with oxygen. |
| 2. Salt-Ores | Haloids, insoluble combinations of metals with acids. |
| 3. Inflammable-Ores | Blendes, combinations of metals with Sulphur, Phosphorus, and Selenium. |
| 4. Metallic-Ores | Pure metals. |
The principles of this arrangement which has been at present pretty generally followed, were first published in my essay 'Das naturliche System der Erze,' 1809. In order to gain a proper insight into the serial gradation of all the families we must first regard the 4th order.
| Order I. | ||
|---|---|---|
| Earth-Ores—Ochres. | ||
| 1. | Silicious-Ochres | Metallic calces with silicious earth, as Lierite, Dioptase, Electric calamine. |
| 2. | Argillaceous-Ochres | Clay-iron-stone. |
| 3. | Talcose-Ochres | Blue-iron-stone. |
| 4. | Calcareous-Ochres | Black oxyde of manganese. |
| 5. | Salt-Ochres | Calces not peroxydized. Bog-iron. |
| 6. | Inflammable-Ochres | Pure calces without metallic lustre, as Wolfram, Protoxide of Uranium, Rutile, Tin-stone. |
| 7. | Ore-Ochres | Oxydulated, as Iron-glance, Red oxyd of Copper. |
| 8. | Water-Ochres | Hydrates, as Brown-iron-stone-ore, Gray ore of manganese. |
| 9. | Air-Ochres | Malm-rocks; volatilized Ochres of the difficultly fusible metals, as Umbra, Yellow earth, Earthy manganese, Black cobalt. |
| 10. | Fire-Ochres | Slags, volatilized calces of the difficultly fusible metals, as oxyde of or White antimony, Protoxide of Arsenic. |
| Order II. | ||
| Salt-Ores—Haloids. | ||
| 4. | Earth-Haloids | Fluoric-acid. |
| 5. | Salt-Haloids | Boracic-acid. |
| 6. | Inflammable-Haloids | Sulphuric-acid, as Sulphate of lead, Phosphoric-acid as Green and Blue phosphates of iron, Diarsenate of iron, Uran-glance, Green phosphate of Lead. |
| 7. | Ore-Haloids | Chromic-acid, as Chromate of lead, Arsenic-acid, as Cube-ore, Arseniate of iron, Olivenite, Cobalt-bloom. |
| 8. | Water-Haloids | Hydrochloric-acid, as Muriate of copper, Horn-silver. |
| 9. | Air-Haloids | Nitric-acid. |
| 10. | Fire-Haloids | Carbonic-acid, as Iron-spar, Red manganese-ore, Earthy blue-copper, Malachite, Carbonate of lead. |
| Order III. | ||
| Inflammable-Ores—Blendes. | ||
| 1. | Silicious-Blendes | Zinc-blendes, Cinnabar, Red antimony and Ruby-silver-ore. |
| 2. | Argillaceous-Blendes | Iron and Copper pyrites. |
| 3. | Talcose-Blendes | Sulphuret of Titanium, Chrome, Uranium. |
| 4. | Calcareous-Blendes | Sulphuret of Molybdena. |
| 5. | Salt-Blendes | Copper-glance, Gray copper. |
| 6. | Inflammable-Blendes | Nickel-glance, Cobalt-glance. |
| 7. | Ore-Blendes | Sulphuret of Platinum. |
| 8. | Water-Blendes | Gray antimony, Galena. |
| 9. | Air-Blendes | Bismuth-glance, Arsenical pyrites. |
| 10. | Fire-Blendes | Silver-glance-ore. |
Order IV.
Metallic-Ores.—Metals.
(Pure or reduced metals.)
544. The classification of metals is one of the most difficult, because no natural arrangement of them has been as yet attempted, and their signification is also so mysterious that we can only get at it, by clinging fast to the laws of development. Thus assuming, that they likewise arrange themselves according to the elements, classes and orders of the earths, we have at once the Elemental metals. The earth-metals are without doubt the difficultly fusible, ignoble or oxydized, such as iron with its congeners. Then the air-metals present themselves with their peculiar character of volatility, as Arsenic with its congeners. These being once rendered solid, the easily fusible but non-volatile will correspond to water, such as Lead with its congeners. The noble metals consequently as Gold, Silver, &c., must doubtless be regarded as fire-metals. Having once separated these 4 groups, the Class-metals admit of being more readily brought into their place. There is one metal, which subjected to moisture is readily converted into a salt, namely copper. This is consequently the representative of the salts among the metals. Ore-metals are, without doubt, those resembling iron, which do not, however, occur in an oxydized condition and are therefore noble Irons. Of this kind are Platinum with its retinue. Between Copper and Platinum nothing else can be introduced but Nickel and Cobalt, as they are likewise difficultly fusible and tolerably noble. They are thus the Inflammable metals. After all these separations a great group is still left of the earth-metals or the difficultly fusible and ignoble. They divide therefore without doubt according to the 4 earths. If now iron approximates the argillaceous-earths, so will those metals whose oxydes are distinguished by a striking colour be regarded as talc-metals. Of this kind are Titanium, Chromium, Uranium, which crystallize moreover into spiculæ like hornblende, or into lamellæ like mica. These again being separated the silicious and calcareous-metals remain for investigation. The former are those which scarcely admit of being reduced; the latter, on the contrary, those which approximate to the noble, difficultly fusible metals, namely to platinum. It can hardly be doubted that Tantalum is the silicious-metal. For the calcareous-metals Sulphuret of Molybdenum is left, to which Osmium seems to approximate. We have accordingly the following genetic arrangement:
| A.—Earth-Metals. | ||
|---|---|---|
| (Difficultly fusible and ignoble.) | ||
| 1. | Silicious-Metals | Tantalium. |
| 2. | Argillaceous-Metals | Wolfram, Cerium, Manganese, Iron. |
| 3. | Talcose-Metals | Titanium,Chromium, Uranium, Vanadium. |
| 4. | Calcareous-Metals | Molybdenum, Osmium. |
| B.—Class-Metals. | ||
| (Difficultly fusible and noble.) | ||
| 5. | Salt-Metals | Copper. |
| 6. | Inflammable-Metals | Nickel, Cobalt. |
| 7. | Ore-Metals | Platinum, Palladium, Iridium, Rhodium. |
| C.—Element-Metals. | ||
| (Easily fusible or noble.) | ||
| 8. | Water-Metals | Antimony, Lead, Tin |
| 9. | Air-Metals | Zinc, Cadmium, Bismuth, Arsenic. |
| 10. | Fire-Metals | Tellurium, Mercury, Silver, Gold. |
Every one will easily see that these groups of metals agree with their antetypes in properties, as also that this arrangement is more natural than any that has hitherto been advanced. Glancing at it, it must strike the reader that in several of the families 4 metals are present, and that none exceed this number. There are 4 sideroid, 4 titanoid, 4 platinoid, 4 arsenicoid and 4 argyroid metals. Now, as they are to be viewed as deoxydized earths, it must be assumed that in each family they are mindful of their origin, and everywhere represent the 4 earths along with the character of their family. They are earths divided unto the last members, or reduced in a primo-chemical manner. In order to recognize the parallelism of the classes, orders and families, we have only to compare the adjoining table. We cannot expect to find all the minerals ranging there in their proper place. For we are treating the subject at present only as regards its principles.