The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-06-25
eminent character and skill Of the men who


1t seems strange that substance present
In the air all about w and whose actual
quantity il enormous should lsave defied de-
tection through 20 many years OF exact
and searching chemical work: but the ex-
PLANTATION lies largely In the fact that
argon forms no compounds. SO far as is
known. and thus fails to assert itself In
the presence Of almost equally indifferent
nitrogen with which u is mixed.
Prof. Robert Austin suggests that argon
may possibly play part In certain metal
hrgicai operations In which air 10 largely
employed. In making Bessemer steel. for
instance, no less than one hundred thou
sand feet OF air is blown through each
charge OF metal for the purpose OF remov-
ing carbon. siiican. phosphorus and other
impurities In this air there must be over
ono thousand feet Of argon. low Prof.
Austin has found by experiment that the
nitrogen which can be pumped out OF Bes-
eenler- blown metal. and which IL twice the
volume OF the metal contains little or no
argon. and the question arises whether the
argon may not have united with the iron.
az nitrogen undoubtedly does. and confer
upon Bessemer steel some OF the peculiari-
ties which distinguish 1t from other steel.
1t 10. OF course. possible and perhaps more
likely that the argon passes through the
molten metal without combining with Il,
and we'll worth experimental examination.
As heiiunn Is = new element and occurs
associated with argon I have concluded TO
mention a few OF the known facts regard
ing II, Helium was discovered by Rayletgh
and Ramsay while attempting to ind some
natural compound OF argon. THIS discov-
cry was made shortly after the first dis
covery OF argon. and was attained by the
dstiilation OF a rare uraneum mineral
(cievise)
With the exception OF hydrogen heliun
- the lightest known element. Up to It's
discovery hydrogen stood absolutely alone
In It's chemical nature. with no other sub
stance which bore even a remote resem-
blance. Thus II can be seen that heiium
forms a bridge or connecting link between
hydrogen and the other elements. Heiium.
like argon. forms no chemical compounds,
and its existence In the chromosphere OF
the sun wan predicted long before It's dis
covery.
In summing up the properties OF argon we
are led to the following characteristic Pc
cuiiarfties. Argon does not burn nor allow
other things 70 burn. II forms no COM
pounds. not even when treated with eie-
meEfts Of a very opposite character rang
ing from sodium and magnesium on the
one hand. To oxygen. chlorine and sulphur
on the other 1t seems 20 play no I'm
withssanaing the fact that II Is present
In eur atmosphere In such large Quantities
Every room, contains gallons 81 &, and each
cubic mile Of air contains n thousand NIL
Hon feet OF il. In other words It forms
about per cent 81 the atmosphere II
is one and n bali times heavier shan nitro.
gen. and two and half times more soluble
In water than Is nitrogen. This seems 20
hold good no matter from VITA. source or
An~ <w.k.A ~
Argon IL widely distributed in mineral
waters. In which II is present In quantities
ranging from to per cent. II occurs in
nrs-damp with varying proportions while
In the atmosphere II sesrss TO he as con-
slant a. either nitrogen or oxygen. This
gas was arst iquefiei in 1895 by submitting
IL to 4 pressure Of thirty-eight stuiaxpneres
and a temperature Of minus less degrees
under these conditions IL II a coiorlass
hqusd Experiments on the spectrum of
srgou have brought forth she following
facts. namely that srgon gives two spectra,
one az which In red and the other blue. In
sne r.i sy,es.tra we have eighty lines and in
the blue lie lines. Twenty-six lines are
common 20 both spsc.ra
In concluding these remarks 1t n ne@f-
lees for IRE 20 say that the discovery OF
arwon is one Of the mos; remarkable chem
heal Qssestiosas Of recen. times for this I
trust. IL xeleevi9ent from what aas al.
ready been said. Not only has K xfsaan.li
the fundamental principles OF chemistry by
shaking the very foundation Stone upon
which the science rests. hat lr addition Il
has Aroused desire OF the part Of these
w-ssn are Investigating science ~ purse
their research with grea.er care and Ia re-
gard slight differences as being of ~n-rn
rrctssse consequence L. has $3.50 lei - the
discovery az Ave new elements / refer to
helsusss. kry-r,oyl. neon. rne,arran aa.
xsncn. well as probably a sixth. known
a. cssrunfu~A Each Of these SIX si@sn-n.s
has al~sssy n ale plain a number NJ Alshsr-
10 unknown facts ard sAa& the arai OFT