Evidence was found suggesting tuat the golden oxides, ZrO/sub 2/, HfO/ sub 2/, and TiO/sub 2/, contain H and may be related to the various metal oxide bronzes. The oxides of Ti, Zr, and Hf, either as powders, compacts, ceramic bodies, or layers on metal substrates, were all readily converted on tueir surfaces to the golden materials. Daring H treatment metals underlying the oxide layers became brittle due to the uptake of H and some N (weak lines of ZrN were observed in x-ray examinations of the metal layers in samples of Zr) and required careful handling. However, there was no evidence to suggest that N plays any part in the formation of the golden materials, and they certainly do not contain nitride. Analysis of the materials established the fact that they contain appreciable amounts of H, the formula of the Ti compound being H/sub 0.2/Ti/sub 1.00/O/sub 1.3/ and that of the Zr, H/sub 0.2/Zr/sub 1.00/O/sub 1.66/. All the golden oxides rapidly re-oxidize to white oxides when heated in air or O, and in most chemical properties bear a close resemblance to the dioxides. (P.C.H.)