Excerpt from The Analysis of Steel-Works Materials Carbon is estimated in steel more frequently than any other element. Although its amount is often many times less than that of the other constituents with which the preponderating iron is associated, carbon is generally regarded as the sine qua non of the complex metallic substance called steel. Whether the manufacturer imagines it to im part the characters of steel to iron either by forming definite chemical compounds of iron and carbon, or by favouring the formation of allo tropic modifications of soft iron, or whether, as is perhaps more usual, he entertains no definite opinion at all concerning its function, carbon undoubtedly occupies a pre-eminent position in his mind. It has not always enjoyed this pride of place. For many years the claims of nitrogen as the steelifying element were ably supported, although such views are now generally discredited. That nitrogen has not, however, been entirely dispelled from the minds of metallurgists in this connection is evident from such occasional confessions as the following I am inclined to think that nitrogen is a powerful agent in the conversion of iron into steel. (roberts-austen.) About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.