The herald., 1895-05-12

,helium) will be found OF great value to
students.
DR.. Masser is Pennsylvanian; he
graduated from Annapolis in 1871, and
was placed ON the naval retired list by
reason of injuries received in the line of
duty in 1876. He then graduated both in
medicine and dentistry from the Univer-
sity of Pennsylvania, and in 1884 came to
California.
For the last eight years he has devoted
most of his time to study of molecular
physics, the great principle of conserva-
tion of energy.
The latest debutante in the scientific
arena is the new element helium, lately
discovered by Prof. Ramsay of the Uni
versity college, London, England. The
above metaphor is well suited to this new
element. for just as, society knows that
certain very young ladies exist it never
theless ignores them until they make
their entree in due form, after which ey-
cry one knows them, just as the reading
world knows helium.
The existence of our debutante has been
semi officially recognized for some time.
In 1872 Prof. Norman Lockyer discovered
in the chromosphere OF the sun q bright,
sharp yellow line. the position of which
is designated d 3, 87.45m, and which
apparently belonged to no element. 1t,
therefore, indicated the existence of a
new element, which he named helium,
f,op its then only known home. Thus
while there were strong probabilities that
the new element helium existed, its nom
discovery among the gases and minerals
of the earth materially lead the majority
OF scientists to regard helium as hy-
pothetical or pre-debutante element.
Under the normal conditions helium is
a gaseous element; its discovery following
80 closely that of argon, which Is COM
pound and not an element, AS l demon
stIated in my article on argon published
in The Herald La Fiesta edition. Helium
is sure not only to become popular gas.
but also more popular than argon, for the
reason that it will be connected with the
subject of temperature, as will be shown
later on.
The discovery of helium was purely ac-
cidental and is somewhat of joke on d
chemist connected with the United States
geological survey. In monograph pub
1ished by this department, this chemist
asserted that nitrogen is found in all
uranium minerals. While working on
argon, Professor Ramsay, in looking up
the literature of nitrogenous substances
had his attention directed to the above
monograph. He concluded to make the
experiment himself and chose a rare
uranimite called clevite. The extracted
gas which he obtained was found to be a
mixture of argon and helium, because it
gave the spectroscopic lines of these two
gases. The Joke lies in the fact that by
using apparatus not subject to leakage
and BY observing the ordinary precau-
tions, neither Professor Ramsey nor any
other English chemist has been able to
obtain nitrogen from any uranimite.
So far as I know, helium gas has not
been experimental upon enough to give
any OF its physical properties But from
"a Confederation of the same series OF
curves of the elements spoken of in my
article on argon, | feel justified in pre-
dieting its physical qualities as follows
1t is gas of a metallic element, which
when solid flied will have a color between
that of iron and nickel. and which will be
more than eighteen times lighter than
aluminium. the specific gravity being 0. IA.
1t is the second element on the curve and
in the periodic series forming with hy-
drogen and americanum, the first periodic
series. Its atomic weight is very low,
being . 1t will probably form numerous
compounds with the other elements, but
they will not be so stable nor so many
as those formed by hydrogen;
Probably a small percentage OF
some OF these compounds may. like
argon. be playing hide-and-seek in other
gases supposed to be pure; il this is so,
the dscr epancies in the atomic weights,
by which they vary slightly in whole
numbers, may disappear.
Another physical property OF helium,
and the one which, as | have above
stated, will make it noted gas is the
temperature of its melting point. -2i2 de-
grees c., and its boiling point about -1jC
degrees &. Owing to Il lack OF data only
portions of the curve of the boiling
(liqueiyng) points can be constructed.
ana these but crudev. The curve of the
melting points shows that hydrogen melts