The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-01-09

mum. Xeuon and POIOnfum, not
Yet Discovered Hut Given n Name,
Are some of the New Substances.
old Text Books All WrOnE-Nore
Learned About Air in 1895 Than
Ever Before in the History OF
Science.
BY Theodore Waters.
New York. Jan 6.-More has been found
out about the real nature of air during
1883 than in all previous years put to-
gether We are breathing every day a
dozen or more marvellous substances of
which the writer's of the old text books
never dreamed.
The discovery of argon and helium by
Lord Rayleigh and Prof. Ramsey in 1895
and 1896 opened up an entirely new field
for chemists and physicists The result
has been the recent discovery Of krypton,
neon, metargon, monium. terrestrial coro-
mum, xenon, theron and the new sub
stance for which NJ Curie is looking
polonium. Nearly all of these substances
were found within a period of three
months one other constituent Of the air
has been greatly developed during the
past twelve months Tha, is ozone, which
has been brought out commercially. 1t
was nquifed by Hauuerfeuile and Chap
puts as far back as 1882. Only one of the
above mentioned gases was discovered in
the United States. 1t was etherion, re-
Gently announced before the American As
social ton for the Advancement of Science
49,. IQt.i1s of ar Ioht D1,
The discovery of argon opened the door
of the domain in which ali the other
new" elements were found. Hence it
may seem strange TO the unscientihc mind
that so many elements could have remain
ed hidden during centuries of research
without revealing themselves even by ac-
cident. The concealment of argon was
due to a curious property. All other ele-
ments of the more than sixty kinds that
are known, exhibit the properly called
chemical affinity and unite with other ele-
ments under suitable conditions. But the
argon molecules which mix everything
with the molecules of oxygen and nitrogen
In the air are composed each of solitary
atom which, as just stated will under no
circumstances take to itself a companion.
1t is because of this hermit-like tendency
of the argon atom that the discovery of
this gas was so long delayed. Thousands
oil cnGulSIS nave HlduH tdiEtul AtldiAs'S -
Of the atmosphere without suspecting that
more than IA per cent. of the total bulk
Of the air was an unknown gas, to discoV-
er which would have made any one of
them famous.
The case Of heiium which was found by
Prof Ramsey in a mineral brought from
Sweden is somewhat different. II does not
exist in the air. Ii is found only among
particles of certain rather rare mineral.
The reason given for its absence from our
atmosphere is a very curious one. 1t
seems that the atom of helium is very
Nght. lighter than that Of any other known
t~nent except hydrogen. 1t is calculated
that its gravitation is not sufficient to hold
ii on so small body as the EARTH and
that therefore, if liberated in our atmos-
phere. the helium atom must presently
make its way higher and higher, in the
course of those incessant activities that
mark the moiecule of every gas, and fin
ally fly straight off into space until it
comes in contact with some body much
larger than our earth-such body, for ex-
ample. as the sun. This explains The well
known fact that helium is very abundant
in the atmosphere of the sun-where. in
deed, the spectroscope revealed it long be
fore its presence on the earth was sus-
pected. The fact that portions of helum
are found. as just mentioned, confined in
the interstices of rocks on the earth, proves
that this gas existed in our atmosphere IN
that early geological era when these rocks
were forming.
Argon has also been found I'm the int
rior crevices of a meteorite-a fragment
of some other word. hurled to us through
space. Argon sometimes exists, too, in the
water of mineral springs, and ii has been
discovered in the water of an artesian well
from a great depth. This is because water
dissolves il, but 1t enters into no chemical
relations in the water; its atoms are as
free from chemical affinites as il they
were floating in the atmosphere.
That other gases will be presently dis
covered seems certain when we consider
the curious condition of helium. Astrono-
mers know of several gaseous substances
which they can trace on the spectroscope
and which therefore must exist among the
astral bodies. There is every reason to
suppose that these gases also exist bound
up among the rocks of the earth. where
they have remained since our world was in
its infancy. The recently reported discov-
cry of the gas coronium would seem to
prove this. Heretofore it has been known
TO exist, not on the sun Itself but away
off in the solar atmosphere, 800. 600 miles
from the SUMS surface. This seemed to
prove 1t much lighter than hydrogen
Prof. Nasini and his colleagues, Auderlini
and Salvador, who have been studying
the gases emitted by Nesuvius, announce
that coronium is 20 be found in that most
remarkable volcano. Really very little
has been known of this substance. which
has produced the coronal line 1474 K in
the spectroscope, but it is hoped in scien-
tific circles that Prof. Nasinis assump-
ton is correct because If enough of the
gas can be obtained to allow il 10 he
lquefied it may be possible to ascertain
IF absolute zero is really minus 273 degrees
Gas 1t is now calculated to be-, aud to
find out something tangible concerning the
temperature of interstellar space.
A short time ago Prof. Ramsey an
nounced that in collaboration with Morris
w. Travers he had procured from Dr.
Hampson $50 cubic centimeters of LIQUID
air, which was allowed to evaporate until
but TO cubic centimeters were left From
this residue all gas was collected. and the
oxygen and nitrogen in it were removed by
chemical means The remaining gas was
examined carefully with spectroscope,
and while the spectrum of argon was fee
bly, apparent, there was also discovered
the spectrum line of a gas which had new
err before been observed Prof Por,eav