Scientific Papers - Vi

416.
TALBOT'S OBSERVATIONS ON FUSED NITRE. [Nature, Vol. xcvin. p. 428, 1917.]
AMONG the little remembered writings of that remarkable man H. F. Talbot, there is an optical note in which he describes the behaviour of fused nitre (nitrate of potash) as observed under the polarizing microscope. The experiments are interesting and easily repeated by any one who has access to a suitable instrument, by preference one in which the nicols can be made to revolve together so as to maintain a dark field in the absence of any interposed crystal.
"Put a drop of a solution of nitre on a small plate of glass, and evaporate it to dryness over a spirit-lamp; then invert the glass, and hold it with the salt downwards and in contact with the flame. By this means the nitre may be brought into a state of fusion, and it will spread itself in a thin transparent film over the surface of the glass.
" Removed from the lamp it immediately solidifies, and the film in cooling cracks irregularly. As soon as the glass is cool enough, let it be placed beneath the microscope (the polariness being crossed, and the field of view consequently dark)."
I have found it better to use several drops spread over a part of the glass. And instead of inverting the plate in order to melt the nitre, I prefer to employ the flame from a mouth blow-pipe, caused to play upon the already heated salt. The blow-pipe may also be used to clean the glass in the first instance, after a preliminary heating over the flame to diminish the risk of fracture. Further security is afforded by keeping down the width of the strip, for which half an inch suffices.
Talbot describes how under the microscope there appeared crystalline plates of irregular shape, often fitted together like a tesselated pavement, each plate forming a single crystal. If one plate is darkened by rotation of the nicols, the others remain visible in varying degrees of brightness. If the plates are thin, the light is white; but with more salt they display colour, and therded sufficient illumination. The screens used in front of the telescope were razor-blades (Gillettes), and were adjusted in position with the aid of an eyepiece, the telescope being temporarily removed. It is not pretended that the arrangements used corresponded fully to the suppositions of theory.