Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-04-11
ALCHEMY AND RADIUM.

A great deal of romance has found
It's way into public print concerning the
wonders Of radium, It IL now four
years since this mysterious substance
was discovered In the laboratory Of NJ.
CufIe. In Paris, but very little more Is
known about II now than when atten-
ton was first called to 1t by Nine.
Curie.
one Of the first suggestions made on
the strength Of the pecullaritIes oh.
served was that science perhaps had
been led into the old beaten paths Of
the alchemlsts It was thought that ma
ture was about TO disclose her secret OF
making golL This suggestion; natur-
ally was heard with great reservation,
but 1t viii not down.
II Is now claimed that Prof, Crookes,
the inventor Of the Crookes' tube used
In the production Of X-rays, has declar-
cd for the theory Of the transmutablllty
OF metals. 1--WE have come, says he.
Ito the borderand where force and
matter merge into each other" which
Is taken to mean that when scientists
eau lay hold OF the primary element
the transformation Of one form into
another will he easy
The theory IL that when radum Is OBJ
tanned the element gives off rapidly a
gas, which, II is believed, is argon, or
a number Of gases belonging 10 the ar
gon group. When the radIo-activIty
dies down there IS left a quantity OF
helum.
The possibility Of transmutation, It Ia
further explained, has been suggested
by the peculiar conduct Of another new
ly discovered element,to which has been
given the name Of yttrlum. This, 1t Is
said, has given evidence In the spec
troscope OF changing itself into seven
different metals, five OF which were be-
yond the reach Of the ordinary meth
DDS Of chemical analysis, SO that here,
the physicists had under their eye a
process by which A single metal was
changed into seven different metals,
all Of them familiar to chemistry. This
interesting process was practically, So
claimed the experts laying bare OF
nature in the very act Of manufactur-
Ing in her own laboratory number OF
metals which are quite costly when OBJ
tanned by various methods Of reduction
from nature herself
Reasoning from such observations It
In contcnded that there must be "A
primary element, an element OF ole-
ments,' out OF which all others are
built up, This is now called "prolyle.'
II, II is argued, chemists can lay hold
OF this primary clement, there Is no
reason why they should not learn TO
make gold and other precious metals,
II should be Just as easy as to make
mortar or plaster or brick, out OF the
component parts of which these are
made.
Nine Curie who has been accorded
the honor Of the discovery that has
set the scientific world thinking Of al
chemy again, was a Polish student In
the Latin Quarter when NJ. Curie, then
an instructor In the School Of Physics
In Paris, first met her. She was poor,
but possessed extraordinary talents.
Her marriage 10 the young scientist
was hailed by the students Of the Latin
Quarter In Paris 40 presaglng great
things
Some idea Of the difficulties over
come in the discovery Of radIum may
be gained from the following data
After NJ. and Nine Cure had sue,
ceeded In lsolating an nnnIteslmal
quantity Of radium rs a chloride pure
radium would become oxidzed at once
and dlsappcar, II required two years
In works especially built for the pur.
pose 10 make a quantity Of radium that |
was contained IN a glass tube the size
OF an ordinary parlor match. And this |
was the residuum OF eight tons Of ore |