Blackfoot news. (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1891-1902, 1895-06-29


most eminent of French investigators,
has already supplemented the work OF
the English chemists by experiments
which have put the Paris Academy OF
Science on the qui vive for more i'm
portant marvels, which everybody an
ticipates in the near future. Prof.
BerthelOt discussed enthusiastically
the newest members of the organized
family of chemical elements a day or
two ago, when a Paris correspondent
called upon him at his laboratory.
About argon," he began warmly, lit
is grand discovery and only the fore
runner of more important things to
come. Prof. Ramsay may be depended
upon to add the superstructure to the
foundations of the great scientific
building which he has laid. When
Prof. Ramsay sent me in February a
tube containing some Of the new gas,
failed to appreciate Just at first the
great Importance of the discovery. In
the experiments which | undertook
with this sample, confined myself to
two points-first, the chemical com
binations which the new gas might be
induced to enter into, and. second, the
examination of the spectrum OF argon
as compared with that Of the aurora
borealis.
Il found as you already know that
the new element could be induced, I'M
der electrical influences, to combine or
become absorbed by certain Of the hy-
drates OF carbon. The combination Is
effected, however. much less easily than
with nitrogen, which some chemists
still consider to stand in the same re-
lation to argon that oxygen does to
ozone. When passed the silent cleo
trio discharge through the tube Of ar
gon, there resulted a very feeble VIC
lent fame or glow. visible only in per-
feet darkness. Then l introduced ten
drops of benzine into the tube and sub
mitted 1t to a mild continuous current
of electricity for ten hours. l found
that IL per cent of the gas had been
absorbed, or rather that the original
100 volumes had been reduced to SO.
| submitted the remainder to electric
discharge at higher tension and in
three minutes this SO volumes had been
reduced to Ga. A third time / placed the
gas, mixed with benzine, to high cur
rent from a Rumhkorff battery, and
the gaseous residue was only 80. This
last product was not pure argon, as 1t
was mixed with the product Of cleo
trical reaction on the benzine. The 80
volumes Of gas proved to be made up
of 1875 parts of hydrogen, 15 parts OF
vapors Of benzlne, and II parts OF ar
gon. The solid residuum consisted OF
yellow resinous substance, deposited
upon the walls Of the tube. It was vol
atilized easily by heat and left an album
dant charcoal deposit The vapors
were alkaline apparently. but the
quantities were too small for reliable
analysis.
During these experiments in passing
electric currents through argon mixed
with benzine, obtained splendid dis
plays Of colors similar in every respect
to those Of the aurora borealis. Test
Ing these with the spectroscope, the
Identification seemed fully confirmed.
1t will be necessary to investigate fur
Their with larger quantities Of the new
gas before any positive declaration can
be made, but the results already OBJ
tanned certainly suggest that the au-
rora borealis may be caused by the
action of electric currents upon the ar
gon and other elements in the atmos-
pierre"