The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-09
The Discovery of the Former
Due to a Lucky
Accident.
TWO NEW ELEMENTS ADDED
Some Interesting Scientific Goss
on the Latest Acquisitions to
Chemical knowledge.

lSt. w. l. I1lllCUIdllu lii lC0A COntIlUlitcu
to the Bulletin of the United States Geo
logical Survey monograph on the occur
renee of nitrogen in uraninlte-a general
name for minerals containing uranium
He thought he had obtained nitrogen, and
the tests he made show that he had it. But
had he pushed his experiments further
and with increased care he would have
discovered that the nitrogen he had came
not from the uraninite, but probably
from the atmosphere, says the London
Chronicle.
The method he used will not elicit nitro
gen. Nevertheless, Bulletin No. 49, OF
the American Geological Survey gave to
Professor Ramsay the necessary hint, and
he acted upon it promptly. His. search
was for argon, and he got it. But he got
something more. The mineral with which
he first experimental was, as we stated on
Saturday, cleyeite, a rare Norwegian min
eral found sparsely in the felspar of Aren-
dial. 1t occurs in small crystalline knobs,
! easily disengaged from their surroundings.
In appearance 1t resembles plumbago,
| but is harder and more metallic. Its full
chemical history has yet to be explored,
| but Its richness IN argon and hehum is
such that very small portion of it finely
powdered and treated with dilute sulphuric
acid will produce no less than seven meas
| ured fluid ounces of the compound gases.
| The argon and helium rise rapidly and
| almost Immediately in tiny bubbles, which
| break at the surface and can easily be
caught. Professor Ramsay saw at once
| that he had some gas and was eager to
! ''Spark" ito run the electric current
| through it-and to read it on the spectre
scope. To his surprise he discovered two
things, one of which has not yet been
mentioned, though its importance is
enormous. The argon lines were not quite
the same as in the spectra of argon obtained
| from the atmospheric point which may
lead to new discoveries. But, most as
| founding of all, he discovered the yellow
line which has not vet been yielded by
any known earthly substance.
| The yellow band of the spectrum has an
! almost romantic interest attached to it,
since it represents, if an error has not been
made, the highest and lightest gases in the
suns atmosphere. The heavier metals
| lead and iron, for lnstance-lie low down
on the surface. The lighter elements-hy-
| drogen, for instance-are high up. Helium
is found in the gaseous solar atmosphere
| higher up than hydrogen. The strata in
the glowing mist of the suns envelope,
which Mr.. Lockyer named D1 and Do, are
lines of sodium. Above it was found the
yellow yielding gas which he called Dis. 1t
is this gas which Professor Ramsay is be-
lieved to have discovered. Is he too hasty l.?
Is he premature? Professor Crookes, as
we have already announced, is pretty pos
tive. He has measured the spectrum
again and again.
! spectrum are Identical in his opinion. He
| is confirmed by one of the most eminent
and cautious of French servants. M. Cornu
has no superior as spectroscopist. He
also has made measurements, and saws
"Amen" to Mr.. Crookes. Mr. Norman
| Tnn hn 9TH hor, axvls H.
patient skepticism of the philosopher who
has learned to wait upon the clouds for
nights together for a glimpse of the star.
That yellow band in the spectrum is some
thing extraordinary, he ayers he is deeply
interested, but he will not commit him
self until he is satisfied. Mr.. Norman
Lockyer will not yet say helium.
1t will be observed that helium atlthis
particular point of human knowledge is
simply a yellow band in the spectrum.
You can see it there; you know it has
come from gas out Of cleveite-you know
no more. 1t has not yet ever been dissoci-
ated from argon, and nobody yet knows
how it can be dissociated. We have never
seen it by itself. To use Lord Salisbury S
adjective, it is merely spectral. But Pro-
lessor Ramsay is eager to get again to
work upon it, so eager that he grudges
himself his brief and hardly earned holi-
day in Scotland.
|
was dubbed "Pere de pArgon." and where
he received the Leblanc medal of the So
ciete Chimique, a lovely work of art, and
historically interesting, for it dates from
the year 2 of the Republic, and so boasts
on its face. When he comes back to
Cover street, the professor will have all
his students hard at work upon argon and
helium. His enthusiasm is infectious and
some of them are nearly as excited about
the matter as he is himself. There is no
doubt the work will go on rapidly when it
begins again. Why, the very boilers of
University College have been laid under
contribution. Argon, you should under
binary nitrogen. 1t follows that air from
boiler will give twice as much argon as
the air in room; and discovering this
fact Professor Ramsay has got the boiler
air 10 work with and will speedily have as
much argon as he needs.
Nor is there much fear of want of helium.
See, here is a morsel of pitchblend, a fine
supply of which has lately been discovered
in Cornwall, SO that it is now obtainable by
the ton. It has not yet been tried, and we
will try it. We will not even powder it
Just pour little sulphuric acid and water
upon it, heat it slightly over the gas, and
watch the effect: ALL | thought SO. Dc
the tube, few at first and slowly, but anon
with multitudinons rush? Of course, i
would be absurd to say what those bubble.
contain; they have been neither collected
nor observed, but, reasoning from analogy
4 and with some imprudent haste, have
little doubt that here we have argon anG
helium again. And, though he would no
state SO publicly, for. scientific men ar,
canny creatures, doubt not that Professo,
Ramsay agrees.
1t is, at all events, case in which hope
amounts almost to conviction. If the hope
be justified we shall soon know all about
helium. It may take a little while to dis
cover compound which will separat,
helium from argon and enable the one tt
be tested apart from the other; but The
lines of investigation have already bee,
i laid, and we hope before long to be able tx
) lay the results before our readers.
| Meanwhile the investigation of the prop
critics of argon is going on rapidly-soms
people thing too rapidly-and M. Berthelo
may have stepped in too soon when h'
proclaimed the other day in Paris that th,
i idle and lazy substance was ready
to combine with vapor of benzine
!. and to produce gummy com
pound which may one day possibl,
{ Though not probably be of commercial
: | value TT was noted by those who Wer,