The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-11-27
Sir William Ramsey Declares
That Radium Voluntarily
Changes Into Gas.
REWARD OF A LONG SEARCH.
Discovered That Minute Particles
With Which Radium Is Con
stantly Parting. First Be
come Gas. Then Hclum.
Finally Vanish.

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What may prove an epoch-making discov-
cry in the field Of chemical research is an
nounced by Sir William Ramsay. with re-
gard to that mysterious substance, radi-
| um, which for two years past has beer
| puzzlinS men Of science.
| Sir William, whose name is associated
| with that OF Lord Rayleish in the study o!
| argon and helium. stated ut meeing of
| the London Institution tonight that he
| had observed and definitely ascertaincd
| that radium gives off 4 heavy gas which
| slowly changes into helium and then van
| ishes.
The importance Of this discovery. which
has been suspected by scientists for some
months past. fes. according to the Daily
Mall. the fact that 1t appears to rev.
olutionize the old theories about chem
istry.
Hitherto chemistry has been based on
the theory that the elements are constant
and that one cannot change into another,
but now it is seen that radiun, of its own
accord and without external interference,
turns into a totally different element.
In his lecture. Sir William Ramsay de-
scribed how, after long search into the
problem of what becomes of the minute
particles with which radium is always
parting. he was lately rewarded
Besides its other manifestations. radium
constantly gives off an emanation which
seems TO behave in all respects like a
heavy gas. 1t can be collected in tiny
TASKS. measured and weighed and used
to display the characteristic properties OF
radium. but it is not permanent. In about
Q month it entirely disappears.
What becomes OF It" Sir William Ram
say has caught this enanation in the act
of vanishing. He found that after it had
been collected for couple of days its
spectrum, which previously was entirely
unlike any yet studied. began to display
the typical yellow line of helum gas, first
known and christened by its constant
presence in the sun.
In four or five days the helium lines
grew brighter and In another week the
spectrum of helium was positively blazing
in the hermetically sealed tubes that had
been filled with the pure emanations or
gaseous output of radium. In other
words. one element had been literally
seen TO change into another of quite diff
ferent nature under the eyes Of the ex-
perimenter
What is this" asked Sir William Ram
say. hut an actual case OF that trans
mutation OF one element into another. in
which the ancient alchemists believed
when they painfully sought to change lead
into gold. and incidentally founded the
modern science of chemistry"
Editorially commenting on Sir Williams
great discovery. the Daily Mail says:
'It is as though gold were to change
into iron of its own accord and complete
ly upset the laws of the old chemistry.
No wonder that. with this amazing fact
before them. scientists are hopeful of
ding the riddle Of the universe. They
are now inclining more and more to the
belief that all things are electricity in diff
ferent form and in varying combinations.
and that in this mysterious force, which
We use every day, but which We cannot
explain. is the solution of
the great problem which has baked man.
kind for centuries"