The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-12-23
THE PHILOSOPHERS STONE.

| Nprrs I'm reference to the great discovery
recently made by Mr.. Norman Lockyer the
celebrated English chemist. Of the transmit
tation Of metals. There is no doubt that the
discovery is grand one the most important
| that has been made fO~ years, and that it com
| petely revolutionizes the g,s'ire science OF
| chemistry II rs, I'm other words, the dis
| covery Of that famed philosophers stone by
which tho base metals can be transformed
and converted into gold the hope, the fond
dream Of the alchemists of old For cen
| turtles these alchemists devoted their life and
labor to the solution of this great problem.
| And many were the discoveries incidentally
made by them In their search for the great
drrdnum. Lockyer's experiment was simple.
and Is easily comprehended by all. Cop
per was volatilized within a glass tube, by
means of electricity, and the deposit dissolved
by means Of hydrochloric acid. An investl-
CATION OF the result by means of spectre
scope showed IN entirely different metal
calcium. The copper had, In fact been con
verified into calcium-lime. The experiment
was repeated with other metals. with the
same success; nickel was thus converted Into
cobalt, and calcium into strontium.
/ Tho great object and end Of the alchemists
| In their search for tho philosophers stone
was to manufacture gold, 10 transmute
tho base metals into that valuable ore. This,
| Lockyer shows to be possible but scarcely
profitable. Us yet. rs the experiment costs far
more than tho Value Of the niinitesimal glo-
bule OF gold produced by IT.
This discovery has, Of course, been tho sub
ject OF earnest and universal discussion The
uninitated. those ignorant of higher chemis-
try. are apt to profess disbelief in 1t, and can
not got themselves to believe that 1t Is posi-
bio to transform lead into gold. 1t is In scion
| tiiie circles, however, that tho discovery has
| created tho greatest excitement While among
men of science the homogeneity of matter has
been recognized for some time. no one has
been able to suggest any means by which
| this homogeneity could be reached, and mat
ter thus compelled to change its form. And
| yet this very experiment was propheCied and
| explained at length in the DEMoORATi In April
| 1877. In sketch written by Durant Da Ponte
of this city; and 1t was there shown how
| metals could be restored to their original
forms and then changed SO as to produce
other and different Metals. Tho process, de-
scribed infinitely, Is SO similar to that pur-
/
lieve that It caught his eye and suggested
tho experiment to him
| Tho sketch entitled "a Brilliant Discov-
cry was designed to show how we could
obtain the metal helium which the spectrum
shows exists in the sun. but not In the earth
| by transmutation from some other metal
| common to our globe.
/ Tho process II described at length In the
article We give only brief outline Of tho
plan:
MY discovery was not Mt all accidental.
On tho contrary, 1t was reasoned out from
wel-known scientific principles and from
scientific hypothesis Of which ! assumed tho
truth / was led to It in this way: Taking
for granted tho nebular hypothesis. 1t follows
MS corolary that the ultimate atoms OF
matter are homogeneous. Whatever forms
they now assume result alone from thoir diff
! ferent degrees of condensation and tho unlike
ness resulting from the varying play and
influence Of the physical forces light, heat,
| magnetism and electricity. 1t follows that
could we restore matter to It's original form.
il would assume on RECOMMENDATION such
forms as would result from the forces TO
which during the process 1t was subjected.
'There are some substances which reveal
their complex character that they have been
evolved Mt recent epoch. The sun, whilst
tho oldest, is In ono sense the newest member
of the system If metals.aro found in its at
mosphere which do not exist on the earth
they are newer than the earth, Hclium is u
ease in point If then attcnuate matter suf-
ticiently | may. by subjocting it to forces
. Int bnu Ia NIL Ia
to reconcentrate it into tho newest Of the
solar forms. This Is In fact, what ! have
done | have found that some substances
yield spectrum similar to that Of hclitm. |
have succeeded in vaporizing these sub
stances; then. by operating upon them with
electricity Of high grade, have 50 modified
their intermolccular structure that after re-
condensation they assume tho form Of
hetium"
Such is tho experiment that has made
Lockyer famous, SIMPLY the vaporizatOn OF
nickel, copper and calcium the action from
tie vaporized or nebuoid metals with pow
erful battery and the RECOMMENDATION OF the
result-which was found to show an entirely
different metal from that originally treated.
The similarity in the two treatments is won
derful.
1t is well known that almost every practical
discovery has been prophesied in advance by
a theoretical one. Centuries before the suns
of Mars were discovered it had been shown by
astronomers that there must be exactly fotir
suns to our sister planet. The DEMOCRAT
has done much the same as far as this trans
mutation Of metals is concerned, having an
nounced more than year beforehand how this
experiment could be accomplished. an expert
ment which Lockyer has carried out, to the
wonder and establishment of the entire globe.
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