The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-16
TO TRANSMUTE METALS.
Syndicate Formed to Try to Turn
Base Metals Into Gold.

Eureka. Many a time through the
past centuries have ambitious alchem-
isis shouted this joyous world. confident
that they had at last found the long lost
philosophers stone, and that to them
had been intrusted the honor of trans
muting bascr metals into gold. but IN
each case disappointment has followed
hope. and until quite recently the great
problem seemed no nearer solution
than it was in the Dark Ages. At last,
however, practical steps are to be TAX
en- in order to discover definitely wheth-
er the philosophers stone is altogether
a myth or merely hidden away I'm some
obscure Granny. In other words. few
modern scientists. backed by optimistic
capitalists. have determined to find out
whether there is any truth in the old
world belief that iron, silver and other
Daser metals can, under proper treat
ment, be transmitted into real gold.
These enterprising gentlemen, among
whom are some Americans, have
formed THE Argentaurum Syndi-
cate and the circular issued by them
announces that they intend to con-
struct suitable furnaces and other
works for Carrying on the process of
transmutation. Several leading scien-
tific journals have drawn attention to
the syndicate and it's enterprises, and
many of them have seriously discussed
the chances of its success. AS to the
method of operation little has yet been
revealed, but it is said that secret
process of transmitting metals into
gold has been discovered and that this
will be thoroughly tested. Should this
fail. other methods can be tried for
history tells us of many experiments
that have been made in this direction.
soil LOFT yxAIv
think it worth their while to find out
if some of these experiments of the
old alchemists were not based on COM
mon sense.
MANY EXPERIMENTS MADE.
AS far back as the fifth century 70
sinus wrote a book entitle 1.-THE Art
of Making Gold" and long after him
Sir Isaac Newton spent many weary
hour at his crucible in vain search
for the tantalizing philosophers stone.
Night after night, we are told. the
great scientist spent at his arduous
work. doubtless much to the annoy
ance of his assistant, who was obliged
to keep the crucible going, and thus
lost many a good hours sleep. In the
thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth
centuries many similar experiments
were tried in various parts of Europe,
and on some occasions with signal sue
cess. On no occasion, however, was
the process whereby the baser metal
was transmitted into gold clearly de-
monstrated and thus even the most
successful experiments have generally
been regarded as specimens of alchem-
ical jugglery. Within the past few
years many scientists. 1t Is said, have
zealousiy studied the same weary old
problem, and some of them have ac-
tually succeeded in transmitting silver
into gold. That it is impossible to
transmute gold into any other metal
except silver seems to be admitted by
modern alchemists.
TheDe is a popular but apparently an
unfOundcd belief that silver has been
frequently transmitted into gold with
in recent years. In 1898 Carey Lea
made out of silver a metal the physical
| properties. of which closely resembled
those of gold. But OF what use was
that, since the chemical properties of
the new metal differed in no respect
from those of silver? ..Mr. Edison"
says a French journal. has also stu
died the question of transmutatiOn of
metals, and we have heard that he has
succeeded in making metal which Is
entirely like gold so far as color, dens-
| ity. malleability and other physical
properties are concerned. Mr.. Tesla
has attained the same result by sub
jecting silver to X rays, using for the
purpose silver electrode." 1t is also
said that Professor Ira Remsen, Of
Johns Hopkins, succeeded some years
ago in transmitting silver into gold.
and has quite lately invented new
instrument which he proposes to use
| in bringing about molecular trans
| formation of metals.
DISCOVERY OF ARGENTAURUM.
Persons who have studied the SUBJ
| ject are satisfied that no reliable meth-
cd of changing silver; into gold has
| yet been discovered. All that Carey
Lea did was to obtain an aqueous So
| luton of metallic silver-that Is to say,
of silver divided into very many parts.
| What the new syndicate proposes to
do. we are told, Is to push this process
| of division ii step further, experience
having shown that in this way an en-
tirely new metal can be pr a:,ced. To
this, new metal. which can be made out
! of silver. and which is said to possess