The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-09-20

North Carolina is rich in mineral pro-
ducts are any of these radio active sub
stances in our Slater"
North Carolina has produced some
uraninite, but not a great amount. 1t
furnishes almost all of the monazlte that
is used in this country and much Is
shipped abroad. Thorium is extracted
from monazite and its oxide constitutes
the basis of the Welsbach mantels used
in gas lighting. The number OF these
manufactured annually in this country
goes into the millions, as l was Informed
by my friend, DR.. Miner, the Chemist to
the Welsbach Company"
About how much of this radium is in
the pitchblende?"
''Well, it's hard to say 1t takes 5000
tons of uranium residues to produce on
kilogram (2.2 pounds) of radium. 7
should say about one part in every five
million. This brings up a very interest
ing point, namely, by means of photo
graphic plate and certain electrical ap-
paratus, we can detect this infinitely small
amount of radium that is present in the
crude mineral. Hitherto the spectroscope
has been regarded as possibly the most
delicate instrument for the detection of
the presence of chemical eemnts For Xxx
ample, by means of the spectroscope one
part in a hundred million of strontium
can be detected; one part in eighty mil
lions Of thallium; or forty millions of
lithium. A radio active substance shows
its presence in such minute quantity that
it requires 5000 times as much of that
amount to show at all in the spectre
scope"
lis this material, present in such
small amounts, very expensive to ex-
tract?"
''The best sample that I have, which
came from the Societi Centrale des
Produits Chinique de Paris, cost $780,
That with which we were working in the
American Museum in New York cost a
little over $4,000 a gram. gram, as
you know. is little over Is grains
"Is it manufactured in America at all?"
Recently a company in Buffalo began
working certain Utah minerals, especial
ly camatite, which contains uranium and
therium. None of their preparations are
On the market yet, as far as l am aware
Of"
What does it look like?'
''In the daylight it has the appearance
of gray powder, part of it being slightly
crystalline like small grains of sand. l
have never placed any of the strong
radium directly upon my hand on ac-
count of the possible injury that might
result"
What do you mean by injury?''
Professor BecQuerel carried small
sample of not very high grade material
in his vest pocket for a day or so, and
sore requiring SIX weeks to heal formed
Prof. Becquerel carried a small sample
of notoery high grade material in his vest
pocket for a day or so and a sore re-
curing six weeks to heal formed
Oh the abdomen where it had been ex-
posed to the action of the rays given off
from. the preparation. 1t mas frequently
been demonstrated since then that quite
severe burns may result from the hand
ling of radium. 1 have experienced a dis
tinct tingling sensation through the whole
length of my arm after having carried
preparations of very strong radium which
were in two bottles and surrounded with
lead inside of box. During our ex-
periments. to avoid burning, we protect
ed our hands with sheets of lead"
What were your experiments?
Or. George F. Kunz, the honorary
curator OF gems in the American Museum
Of Natural History, and gem expert for
Messrs. Tiffany & Co. invited me to. CO.
operate with him in an investigation as
to the action of radium upon the gems
o; the Morgan-Tiffany collection. It was
shown early in the experiments of Curie
that many diamonds phosphoresce, that
is, glow in the dark, after being exposed
to the emana tons of radium. More or
less other Investigations on the action of
radium upon small gems have been car
ried out, but no Investigations upon such
a handsome collection as that at our
disposal. 1t is probably the finest collec-
ton of gems and precious stones in the
world with the possible exception of that
OF the British Museum in London. 1t
was made by Tiffany and Company and
bought by Mr.. Pierpont Morgan and pre-
sented to the Museum. All diamonds do
not phosphoresce with radium, as we
learned by applying the test to about q
600 rough and cut stones selected from
some Is 600. During the investigation on
some four or five thousand other precious
stones we had an opportunity to examine
a new lilac colored spodumene which re-
sponded to the action of the radium with
great brilliancy. This is an entirely new
gem belonging to the Hiddente specie,
and was named Kunzite by myself after
my friend, DR.. Kunz, who has obtained
great eminence in America and abroad
as a gem expert. DR.. Rosenheim in Ger
many examined a few diamonds with ra-
dunn and l have referred to the work of
DR.. Krunz and myself. The response to
the emanations of radium is not a final
test of the best grade diamonds. Some
very fine stones did not respond to its &C
ton at all or but feebly; yet certain dia-
monds containing flaws respond as strong
ly as a first-water gem. 1 have only men
toned one phase OF our Investigations
which had to do with the action of ultra
violet light upon about $4,000 minerals
as WE'LL
Are there any practical uses to which
this radium and its compounds may be
put?'
The discovery of substances possessing
such marvellous properties naturally pro-
voked the Imagination of scientific and
practical men. Many experiments have
already been inaugurated looking toward
their utilization.
shortly after the Improvement of the