New-York tribune., 1903-07-12
POLONIUM And RADIUW
Nine. Curie Talks AbOut Them mi
Their BehaUiOr.

Several bits OF history new to most readers q.
brought out by Nine. Curie in The m
pendent" One is the share which she ana h.
husband had respectively in the famous dlscov-
of polonium and radiUm- As long ago as 1gs 81
had found that salts of thOrium emitted subzer.
TALLY the same peculiar radiatons as urauf,
compounds. A German, Schmidt seems to ha7er
upon the fact simultaneously. but. so far ss ii
Paris chemists were concerned. Nine. Curis sl-,
deserves the credit OF that discovery. II was u
noticed that a large number Of natural mneas
which are mixtures OF several salts but which u
tained either radium thOrium. were radio-aeav.
At first it was believed that one or the otha Z
these two metals was responsible for the pheno-,
nOn- Nine. Curie then undertook expsrzn
which suggested a different conclusion
One of these minerals was chalcOlite. which 4,
compound Of phosphates Of copper and uraulu-
In its native state it was about twice as poWers
as uranium In emitting what are known as Becq.s
rel rays. Nine. Curie manufactured an sruaeI
chalcollte, putting in the proper ingredients 70 u
sure genuineness, but this product failed 70 sxhh
the same radiating power as the natural SAL
Thus excited a suspicion that some other ss
ment was present in minute quantities in the latte
II was at this point that NJ CUrie was tempted 81
join his wife IN the hunt Two new elements vEl
eliminated polonium. which resembles bsmuih Z
it's chemical properties and radium. which Is ala
to barium. For the second Of these part Of IA
honor is due to NJ. Bemont. who assisted IN h
research.
A third element has been partially identified
NJ. Debierne presumably a Frenchman. though y
nationality is not mentiOned) from pitchblende b
mineral which yields uranium and radium- To ta
other substance the dfscOverer gave the mns
actinium. 1t is associated with iron cOmy8us
from which separation is exceedingly di1zA
Though extraction has thus far been incompsp
Nine. Curie appears to regard IT distinct d.
ment
a local sensation was created IN Berlin iT
months ago by Professor Marckwalds ann0mH
ment that he had found a new radioactive Hs
stance. He derived it from pitchbIende. and vs
disposed to call il ''radiO-tellurium." Nine. Cra
believes that this Is identical with p0lonum fuui
by her five years ago.
What may prove to be fourth radio-activs T.
ment having the chemical properties of lead, has
been observed by Messrs- Giesel. Hoffman az
Strauss. Little information is yet available en-
cerning it. OF these new elements. radium Is b
only one which has been isolated from all T.
purities.
To give an idea of the difficulty Of extracts
pOlOnium (and proba bly, TadiUm). Nine Curie saA
that the mineral in which it occurs contains as
uranium-lead- calcium, copper, bismuth, znc .
bait. manganese. nickel. vanadiun. antirnony. tl
lium. niObium, tantalium, arsenic, barium a..
traces of others"
A practical use for radium is suggested By d
fact that by means of the phOsphorescence VIZ
II eXClteS true diamonds can De 0lSLngu ulsne0 H'-
paste. Glass which is made fUOrescent tssg
gradually turns brown or violet.
What Nine. Curie says about the cause Of ~
mysterious properties recently observed deserTss .
be quoted in full:
From the beginning of the investigations on raes
active substances the SpOntaneity of their raal-.
has been problem which has had the gre5--.
interest for all students and investigators ~ PEI
les. To-day are further advanced IN our AAS@
edge of radioactive substances, and We Know -
10 Isolate radioactive body OF greal 49,
pOweF-radtum. BY taking advantage OF the w.
derful properties of Tadium We have Succeel.s- = =
radioactive bodies generally. The uuefenl ~
of radiatiOns which have been studied up 70 70 \.
present time ali present certain auaiosieS VIZ
groups of rays which exist in CroOkes tuoss ~ -
the sO-called cathode rays and with the ho9s--i
rays. Similar groups of rays are also 20 9S ~.
In the secondary radiatiOnS produced by 49,
rays, and in the radiation from substances w.
have. BY induction, acquired radlO-acuFlty; r...r
While the nature of radiation is actually - -
known than before, the cause or sponlaneo2es 2 a
activity remains as much or a mystery as ss-sr
this phenomenon is still an enigma rOr Us -
neOusly active substances. and ABOVE an - - a
are sources of energy. The amount or eAc-sl.s
which they give rise Is revealed % Us uy - -
tiOus of Becquerel and by the chemical anu I.t
nous effects produced. and the tdct taal lN0lo
constant diseUgagement OF heat -, -.
II has been asked. then. II the energy th.s
tested is created in the radioactive sGIs--s- -
themselves, or rather, II il Is not borrower o 81
from external sources None or tfe uHii.Ss.- ~
pOtheseS which have been founded on lless4 4.
methods OF viewing the question nave a. -
/ ceiVed any experimental confirmation