The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-02-24
POUND OF RADIUM, new
METAL, is WORTH 100000.

Diamonds are valueless as brick dust when
compared with the new metal with which
scientists are now engaged in making in
teresting experiments. The most precious
gem, mineral or metal with which history
Is familiar becomes a cheap bauble when
compared with it.
Radium is this new metal. 1t Is worth
8, 100000 4 pound.
1t is doubtful IL 4 pound could be bought
at that price. In the last four years not
more than 600 grams Of all grades Of purity
have been manufactured in the combined
laboratories of the world. and in IN alb
solutely pure state II Is unknown as yet.
1t possesses the power hitherto thought to
be possessed only by the sun-that Of emit
ting light. 1t Is called one OF the freaks
of nature. No source has been discovered
which can be called accountable for the
strange power It possesses. Like the sun,
radium seems to be self-sufficient. 1t goes
on giving light and heat for years without
seeming to be diminished in power and with
out being replenished.
The smallest lit OF this metal placed on
the skin will cause a sore which Will TAX
months to heal. A pound Of it placed In a
Jar and exposed in a room would burn
every person in the room to death.
In the course OF experiments with the
metal one scientist put a small quantity.
held in n glass tube. in his vest pocket.
Within six hours it had burned a sore on
his body directly opposite the glass tube.
and for months this sore did not heal.
This was an infinitesmal quantity Of the
powerful metal.
A glass tube with a small quantity OF the
metal was tied to the coat sleeve Of another
scientist and within a couple Of hours a
hole was burned through his coat and a
severe burn inflicted on his arm.
Scientists who have experimental with II
are beginning to doubt the veracity Of &C.
cepted theories Of light and matter. Wheth-
er the wave theory of light will have to be
abandoned for the old corpuscular theory
of it's composition and the atomic theory OF
matter renowned remains to be seen.
For. the value of the metal Sir William
Crookes stands responsible. He has been
quoted as saying that a pound OF radium
would cost a million dollars and thai there
is not all together two pounds of it in eK.
istence. So It may be seen with what small
quantities the scientists are experimenting
GIVES OFF ITS RAYS.
Few scientists in America have had the
opportunity of examining the metal. The
best product has come from the French
laboratories. That made In Germany Is not
well refined. The metal gives on Its rays
with a varying velocity That Is sometimes
as great as 1O0,0 900 miles q second, or about
two-thirds the velocity OF light. Speaking
of its tremendous velocity. Sir William
Crookes said that one gram OF electrons
given off by radium is enough to lift the
whole British Navy to the top OF Ben
Nevis. mi
covery of The X-rays other investigators
were quick to take up the study of radia,
ton and radioactive matter. AS Is wei
known, a striking feature Of the X-ray Is
its ability to make various substances nuo-
resce; that is. to become self-luminous
while exposed to the action of the rays.
This was the starting point for the study
of radiant energy and radiant matter. One
this field was Sir William Crookes. He
found that by passing a powerful charge
Of electricity through q vacuum tube ex-
hausted to one-millionth Of an atmosphere
molecules of the gas in the tube were
thrown out from the negative pole In
streams strong enough to set a finely bal
anced wheel in motion. These minute pro-
diant matter of electrons. They. arc in
finitely smaller than atoms. which in the
natural state have. been regarded as the
ultimate division Of matter. A few years
BILE discovery that the metal uranium pos
sesses the property Of giving out radiations
Identical in nature with the electrons or
radiant matter of the Crookes tube.
SIMILAR TO BISMUTH.
Experimenting along the same lines;
Bohemian pitchblende and two other COM
pounds Of uranium possessed the powers Of
radiation in a remarkable degree, from
which they inferred the presence Of some
other substance stronger in radiatinR power
than uranium.
After much labor they wers rewarded by
finding. a new metal, similar to pure bis
muth in chemical qualities. but far more
radiant. This they named ''polonium.' On
continuing the search they found another
metal, chemically like pure barium, but
possessing a marvellous degree of radiatin2
power. They named 1t "radiuM"