The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-06-25

ohere.
Before going farther. invite your atten-
ton 10 what n now known al the periodic
law. or "Mendelejeffs table Those Of you
who are familiar with the classification OF
animal and plant life VIII readily recall the
fact that there are no distinct separations
OF one order from another, or one
family from another: in other words.
In the organic kingdoms there are no spe-
cies which do not bear some Relationship
to the other groupa which 70 to form these
two Kingdoms. farming to the mineral
Kingdom, we find the same to be true
here; that In. no one Of the chemical ele-
ments In directly separated from the 9TH
ers, but, on the contrary, there IL a gradu-
al graduation and blending OF properties.
Many attempts have been made to for
muiate a scheme which would enable the
relationship and properties OF the chem
ical elements 10 be plainly shown. None
except Mendelejefrs table has thus far
sufficed for this purpose. This law or
which speak was q direct outcome OF
the stock OF gencraiixatlons and estab-
iished facts which had accumulated by
the end OF the decade 1s6o-lsf0. II Is the
embodiment of those data in more or
less systernatis expression Before the
PRONUNCIATION Of the periodic law which
II only about twenty years old, the chem
ical elements were mere fragmentary IN
cidenfal sacts In nature; there was no spe'
ciai rcaso1 To expect the discovery OF new
elementa| and the new ones which were
discovered from time TO time appeared 10
be possessed Of quite novel properties.
According to the periodic system every
element occupies a certain position. deter
mined by the group In which II occurs.
II therefore affords means OF testing
experimental results and has enabled us
TO see a regularity in the variation OK all
chemical and physical properties OF eie-
ments and compounds.
That this law IL one OF the foundation
stones OF the present system OF chemistry
In shown from the fact that through It's
principles Mendeie1eK was able TO predict
the existence and properties OF several
unknown elements, many years prior to
their discovery.
have thus shown that Mendeiejeffs
table IL an essential factor in the present
system OF chemistry. There Is. however
no vacant place In this table for an cie-
ment having the atomic weight assigned
to argcn
Many attempts have been made TO NJ
arxon into the periodic law, and some Few
TO arrange the periodic Law TO MT argon,
but so far "a know. all attempts have
failed to q greater or less degree.
In striving to make arEon agree har-
u,onionsiy with Mendelejef's table. Ram
say was led TO suspect an element OF abeot
the atomic weight OF twenty. He there
AN element After searching for some
time he took into consideration the fact
that II the density OF argon we're nineteen
instead 90 twenty and hence Its atomic
weight shirty-eisht instead of forty. that
IL would better hafmontxe with the peftodic
Law. he set work 10 see IL IL were possible
10 find the new element contaminated
with arsen Hence after many frnltiess
attempts to separate arson into more than
ons constituent by means Of solution IA
water he undertook systematic ati-
fusion Of argon: he found slight differ
.nrs In density between the gas ~hssn
alfused tlrst and that which remained
unsiinused. Thus encouraged. ne deter
mined 10 prepare large quantities OF argon
and after iauefy.ng II TO investigate care
fatty the different fractions on dissaliasien,
As the preparation Of the argon needed
in this experiment required several
months. Pref Ramsay and Or Travers
thought II best to perform SOME prsflna-
mary experiments 20 prepare them Tor TIE
sr@at work Of isqaefyinx arson, These
gentlemen. therefore. took a small guam
tssy Of lseusa air and upon boiling IL they
obtained A residue which contained chiefly
oxygen and sFxon. With small quantity
az nltrnxen after renewing the nitrogen
ard oxygen ard submitting the gas %
spectrum Analysis. they found three efss-
liam, lines enc In the red. one IN the yell
tow ana enc In the green. This gas Wa
decidedly heavier than arson. Its asrssiE
being -.s instead ~ IA of sggo3. Tnsy
had therefore discovered n ne~ element,
for the rats, between the specific heats
was les To this element they gave the
name Of kryrton. Up 80 the present tine
they have ret further exYser .Fasnts3 with
krypson hut they have collected aud pre-
served many rsstducs rich ia IL. TIE
wave length Of the grssn lire OF this gas
81 @xeeexssagay near - that Of the aercra
r.reaasS or northern lights krrrsnn
sarnas eae one~fhonsan1th rssss of the At
sxserraere.
xfx4sn attempting 70 aQ9sfy thesr supply
IL argun ore pafttsn eecsfDs iAauia snd
anssher @ol.a Frozn shs liquid portion
nex element which they called neon MAS
obtained. whEie treEs shs sotaa portion they
isolated swo rev clements. which they
called rassAsgen ard xenoa.
IL has been suggested that rsstsrg0a =
The ks~ To a rcsrsis mystery. fsr is
spectrum. While amazing iske ssat ~ cay
tsar, ~ apparently In no way connected
with that Substance THE spectrum s&asss
presented by IL have been noticed In
number 81 ssd stars are common IA
scuass and have esua Ectiesa " nsssc<s