The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-09-22
HARVARD MAN TO GERMANY.
PROFESSOR RICBARDSS CiLL 10
GOFTTINGEN tNIIERSIT.
the FIRST Time mat such an Hanoi ia,
Ceme Prem Germany To an American
Teacher Prof. Hirhards's surcrs,
tn Deter mining Atomic Weighs.

Tn Deter mining Atomic weights.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. Sept. 81 4 striking
tribute tn American scientific attainmcn'
from n quarter from which one would
hardly. perhaps. have expected n. has inst
been made publican offer on the par
Of the PrusziAn Government Of n full pro.
fcsSorship Of inorganic chemistry A. tho
University Of Gottingrn to Or. Theodore
William Richards. assistant professor -
chemistry nj Harvard The offer. which
was made this summer. was accompanied
by the assurance hat Prof Richards's
duties should consist exclusively Of original
research and the direction Of students
in re~aearch-a privilege, II may H. noted,
which Is nearly II not quite a. uncommon
In a German as In an American university.
The significance ~ this call In Obviously
not impaired by the fact that Prof, Rich.
ards has declined II. prcferring 20 o~untin's
his work. which up 10 this time has cone
sisted mainly Of n systematic redetermi.
nation Of the atomic weights in the Har.
ward Laboratories whore Il was trgIn.
The invitation II not only a compllmeut
20 Prof. Richards personally. but also IN
teresting evidence OF the recent advances
made In American universities.
II u believed that II IL the first time that
a full German profes~orship Of the highest
tyIe has bsan rendered to an American
teacher The late Or Hagen ~ the Ma
scum Of Comparative Zoology at Harvard
was asked 10 take charge Of the great ento-
biological museum Ia Berlin, a plaor which
would rank with n profcssorship m no
science. Lake DIR. Richards. he refused
the nfer. although 1t had been the amb-
tion Of his early life To receive II, but Dr.
Hagen was a German 10y birth and scieu-
fife training. Prof. Richards was born
In Pennsylvania. and although he had
made several visits 10 Germany, he has re-
ceiv-d practically all his training In chem-
istry In this country. absolutely all indeed.
In his speciality Of atomic weights G''-
tingcn j. one 81 the his toric centres =
chemical science. In the middle ~ tAs
last century ono Of It's professors, Nnhler.
working in cooperation with IAehIg A.
Gie--en and Munich, practically founded
the science of organic chemistry
The first thing To strike on" about Prof.
Richards n that he L. a young man, horn
at Germantown IN l-s. He took las degf",
~ : y az Haverford College In Penn
s~ylvsniA when he was only II. or som" tNs
or six years younger than the avettg"
college gradlate In this country The
next vear he went to Harvard. from which
he was graduated In is~d with m" highest
honor- in chemistry III" took the Harvard
Pm. n IN isSs. The following wear he was
in Germany, and again for a fcw months
In iSaS. Since lsS9 he has hocu In the -er-
vice of Harvard. succeHsiv"ly a. assist
ant, instructor and asSistant professor.
He is a member Of the American and British
Associations for the Advancement ~ Schemes
and the American Chemical SpCieiy and a
fellow ~ the American Academy Of Art
and Sciences and the National Academy
Of Sciences
n GA--l =. -,IlakAN lara
number Of papers IN the atomic ~weigh's.
although moro lately he has ai~n concerned
himself with various problems In physical
chemistry. his pap"rs on which are Chafhc-
'eriYest. ~ one of has colleagues has recently
said. hv great originally Of thought ami
independence Of authority In atomic
weights the weights. that is. by which
the various elemenis enter into combi-
nation with Others Ia form new substances
lit seems To be generally admitted that ~
II the chief authority In the world.
The delicacy and care which are neces-
cary in determining the atomic weight OF
an element arr remarkable. Hardly any
other scientific work. indeed, requires
theSn qualities In So high a degre~. In III"
first placp all Substances which are ana
lived must le absolutely pure, many. OF ~"
errors In previous determinations having
been caused bv unsuspsACted impurities.
To secure purity often requires a year or
NOR" - constant experiment, IN which
methods Of the most dehcate ingenuity
must ~ devised Ia get nd OF impurities.
and tests "a delicate employed to prove
that they no longer exist.
tn" methods used in weighing are per
hat- the most Interesting part OF the whole
prpo,'sS A balance II used which Will weigh
down 10 a hundrcdth % a minigramme.
~ one three-millionth part Of an ounc".
on" might describe its deicacy by saying
that II will weigh a pencil mark In tie
weighing itsrlf every precaution Is taken.
III" substance IL weighed IN a nlatu1un
.v....1l. 81. sa.a..waN,.E. ~ which VpFIgf
- exactly the same ~ the temperature of
ti" halauCC. sinCc II the Cricihle were even
slightly warmer an ascending current OF
aiT would IL generated, which would make II
lighter on the balance. thus resultlng in IN"
difference Of perhaps "A fraction Of "A MILF
gramme tn the weight recorded
Moreover, the Cnlcible must he dry,
since the slightest film of moisture would
make a difference in the weight. and II -
therefore previously cooled In a glass boz.
called a d~e-iccator. And since the balance,
also, must be dry in order that u may work
with perfect precision, II II enclosed In a
glass case, containing perfectly dry air, IN
which the weighing IL finally done
In the case 81 nickel and cobalt the chem
ist l. obliged To contend with untovard
qualities In the bromides Of these elements
In that they are decomposed bv expoeurs
TO the air In Prof Richards's etI-rl-
menjs ;hcy Rad Ia be bottled, therefor.
IN the tubes in which they were made =,
that they should not be exposed to tho ar
for m instant. The bromide Of nickoI.
for example. was made In n porcclsin Whs
containing dry gas. Thence II was pushed
into a glss1 attachment In which Wa a
Weighing bottle. After IL had been ct
into the weighing bottle. the stopper which
on a bulge % the tube, wss shak"r
and pushed into place with q glsss
rod thus performing the operation al-.-
lutely under cover from beginning Ca end.
But this - only one Of n hundred such
appliance and eSpsdients that Prof Rich
ards has found himself obliged to d-vts.
IN his difficult and exacting work PERHAPS
i,Tr reader who has studied something q
chemistry Will appreciate a little h"t' '
he trouble~omenosS Of tho experiments
When he learns that rubber. that standby
y every chemist. cannot he employed,
either H. tulser or corks, on account ~ 80
gaseous impurities which would h. Cau-sl
BY IT, Use, Zach experiment with a Singls
'o'nIround IL repeated. moreover, four ~
I've times for the sake Of accuracy and thea
70" element which IL being studled l. tested
N other compounds and IA connec'i'l
With various diro' snt substances, ur'il
he series, as " II ,a'.d. consisting 81 TWEEN
N-hNe or even ATTY determination.
'onclud~d, and IA" element dismissed