New-York tribune., 1879-01-16
ARE THE ELEMENTS" COMPOUNDt
MI. LocKYrR's VIEWS AND EXPERIMENTS.

Mr.. LOCKYFR's VIEWS AND EXPERIMENTS.
4 good dead of attention has been excited
IN the scientific world by a recent announcement
10 the French Academy by NJ. j. Norman
Lockyer Editor o nature and recognized authority
specrOscOly. TINS statement was to the effect that
reasoning the analocie- furnished ny the spec
ira of known substances, he had demonstrated
that calcium and other bodies usually
gsrded elements were really compounds. The
interest thus aroused attracted an unusually large at
tendance ast meeting of the Royal Society, Lon
don. 10 hear Nj Lockycg's views experiments on
this subject. The paper he read long but its princi
pal points Summarized III this extract from Tie L0n
don Times:
In order that the line Of argument followed by Hr
LocKyeI NAV be understood II VIII he necessary briefly
To refer to tht results uf previous rceaTces As rule,
IN obs rvlG specIA the substance TO Ice examined l.
voldinlcd gas fame ny of sparks from
induction Cuii ana the ght Is allowed 10 fan The lit
Ot tnc spcciToscUpe the spectrum j. then generally
iu which the lncs iun across the cnure ficd, hIt 10y
intcrbosing lens between the spark apparatus a,d
the slt Of TIE sp'cjrOScOpc Mr. LOcEyer cuauisd
10 study the variHus regions Of the heated vapor,
thus 10 establish tno fact. already noted by
some previous Observers; but 20 which i';tia a;tel
tlou had been 'aic, rai an te hn,s w the s'eclIuiG
Of thc suh.tance voatll.zed ga not eXtcrd 10 equal
dEtagcss fFon a. ro,s', ne lhea % Sn9WG2 no NE 1 t.e
tanning different proportions OF Two meals, II
It's spectrum reduced simplest hc line
lines luugc.t ~ The spectrum Fl the pure substance
tilN G2"su,"' - th otr' I'M s'o",S ",%''n ~
pound bors Itwas also noticed tuat the lines Furnished
by particular distance varied not only n length Hnd
number but also IN brightness and Thickness accord
Ing tho relative auJUu present. Armed with these
facts and WITH the object uu rajcF asccr'anine more
acNn!y than H.s hitherto been possible which Of tho
eleues alc in The SUM- Nj. Loo ky'r about four
years ago lumcuccd the preparation Oi udp oi par
cu ar rc pf the srctri Of the metallic elements Tor
comparison vita jlc map v! lac same REGION ol tHc SOAR
tlCcruIn. Tor THIS purpJ,e abOHf 2,OOp pIpl"ti pms
Of sectra Of all The metallic elements have b""
taken aud. addition more tan 100000 eye observe
lions have made A. II is almost 10 cham
pure substances the photographs have been carefully
pared. order 10 eliminate the lines due To npurl-
lie, the absence Ui particular element rs lnpu.itV
being regarded as proved II It's longest and strongest
lue was absent from tie Photograph of tho eie-
rncot under examination. Tic result Of al ths
lai0r Mr. Iockler states, Is to show that
The hypothtsis that identical lines IN df.r-
Cuf sncc,ra atc due 10 impurities Is not EUfi-
cirnt finds short line co!ncidrnccs bet t0ren the
pprcra of many metals III wllCh the freedom from
nutud unpuEiy has been denontfat by the nD.tnco
f ;lr lines. lie then adds That, five years age
ne uDnci that there many facts ana many trims
of thou suggced Wy solar ana stellar physics Mhch
lon % another ht Lcsis-nanrY, That TIC ecmeuls
In nselyes all events some OF le are COMPOUND
bodies. Thus IL would appear that the hotter star lhe
moe simple spectrum; for the DriGhtestan therefore
uros by the hottest stars uch as sirius, urnsh spec
tra showing only very thick hydrogen lines and lew
very thin metallic INES Characteristic or elements OF
low atomic weight; while the cooler stars' sueh