The times., 1897-07-29
required. which renders the process e1-


pensive.
Dr. EIameHs rejects the word ''transmu-
tation'' as misleading, when applied to
his process. He says the term has been
used 20 denote a change OF substance.
He, with many other chemists, believes
there is but one matter in the universe
The so-caued chemical elements are but
modes OF this universal substance, COM
| bined with more or less OF energy. There
fore, the change from silver TO gold is
change of elements, not OF substance, and
is not To be called ''transmutation," rs
alchemists used the term
| All this contention is, OF course, merely
theoretical In the letter to Prof. Grookes.
previously quoted, DR.. Emmens character
izcs five stages of his gold process, as fol-
lows:
| (a) Mechanical treatment
| tbl Flaxing and granulation,
| tcl Mechanical treatment.
(dl Treatment with oxides of nitrogen,
| l. e, modified nitric acid.
| (el Refining
we regard the mechanical treatment"
| he says, .'as the causa causans. The flux
ing and granulauon serve, We think, merely
to render the molecular aggregates sus-
| ment."
DR.. Emmens gives some directions By
| which anybody who follow them can
make gold. In his correspondence with
Prof. CrooEes he says;
IF yoa or he Will try the combined
| effect Of Impact and very low temperature.
| you can easily produce some gold. don't
promise that you will make it at a COM
tt sfT
| be well pleased to produce it at all, ir-
respective OF cost.
Take q Mexican dollar Ia coin which.
as now minted, is certified by the United
| States ASSAY office here TO be free from
| gold i. e., not to have more than a
| 'tTace1 and dispose 1t in an apparatus
which viii prevent expansion and flow.
Then subject it TO heavy, rapid, and
continuous beating under conditions OF
! cold, such as to prevent even temporary
rise of temperature when the blows are
struck. Test the material from hour TO
hour, and at length you viii fnd more
than a trace Of gold
It viii readily be seen by this that
gold-making VIII never become popular
evening amusement. It VIII also be noted
that Dr Emmens has anticipated Supt
Mason's animadversion upon the aurifereus
qualities of Mexican dollars In his letter
he frankly says
Whether the experiment would prove
| successful with pure silver or silver
| alloy other tnan Mexican dollar 1 can
not say. 1t is to my mind very possible
that there are several varieties OF silver
| considered with regard TO their molecular
equilibrium
Dr. 5mmens has force engine in his
argentauran laboratory in New Brighton,
Staten Island, which does the work which
| Prof. Crookes was advised To underta ke
! with a haIuner. It furnishes preSsure eS, as
| required, exceeding 500 tons per square
| inch. DR.. Emmens oonfesses to an eX-
| pcetatioa OF accomplishing marvels through
| its instrumentality, He says he has every
| confidence that the production of argen-
| taurum gold VIII be brought up TO so, 900
| ounces monthly within year.
| The force engine he says, ''wiIl, be-
lieve, prove to be the most important piece
| of laboratory apparatus ever produced"
| DR.. Em.nens' startling discovery, if it be
| esta biished cannot be said to disa gree with
| the generalizations OF modern chemistry,
| especially those generalizations OF Mende-
| leef which have to do with periodicity in
| the elements. 1t is well known that Men
| deleef himself was able to affirm the ex-
| istence OF an element gaiIium-which was
| afterward discovered by another and shown
| to possess tile qualities predicted by Men
| deleef
DR. Emmens is believer in this law OF
periodiciby, and contends that his argau-
taurum occupies the space, hitherto blank,
between silver and gold i'll the periodical
table of the elements.
| For this substance DR.. Emmens claims
| properties akin TO those OF both silver and
gold. 1t is an unstable element DIR.
| Enmeus says of it:
| "A the least provocation, so to speak. 1t
| revcrts into silver or advances into gold
| This seems to explain why the chemical
analysis OF gold found in nature in
yariahly shows the presence Of both silver
and gold
| II is not likely that the announcement of
| DR.. Emmens' claim viii affect the present
| rush to kloudilse. Even If all that he claims
should be established, the Importance Of his
discovery, is, as yet. more scientific than
| commercial