Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1904-01-21
RAD|UM THE
PRECIOUS METAL
Light Shed on How II Is Obtained
BY A. Selwyn Brown, a
Mining Engineer.
VALUE S2,72l,000 A POUND.
Even at This Exorbltant Price the
Demand, II is Said, Exceeds
the Supply.

In recent contribution 10 the MIN
Ing and Scientific Press. A. Selwyn-
Brown, NJ H.. tells how radium Is OBJ
talned. Since this rare metal has been
found to exist In this state 1t Is not
lacking IN local interest. The writer
says
Few chemical discoveries In recent
years have been 80 valuable, or have
created keener interest. than the brill
liant investigations that led up to the
separation OF radium and the examin-
alton OF many Of It's chemical, physical
and physiological properties. Already
the knowledge gained by investigating
It's action upon different substances
has revolutionlzed our knowledge Of
the constitution OF matter, and altered
many important scientific theories: and
in the near future more remarkable re-
suits are promised.
"The present value OF radium is ST.
~
most expensive OF all the metals. Even
at this extraordinary price the demand
far exceeds the supply, and there Is
consequently fine incentive TO search
for radium ores, But such a search Is
difficult All the ores OF radium have
not been determined, and most prospeo-
tors are unable to have their minerals
tested for the metal. Very little has
been published on the chemistry OF the
radium compounds, and rapid and
simple reaction 10 test the presence OF
radium In mineral or ore Is wanting.
However, a knowledge Of the present
means OF isolatlng the metal is Of Inn
pOrtance, and little further expert
menting may lead to the discovery Of
short and suitable methods OF analysis,
and 70 the finding OF radium In greater
abundance than Is at present thought
OF.
Originally radium was obtained from
uranium mineral pitchblende, and at
the present time uranium miners furn-
ish most Of the metal. But the latest
researches show that radlum occurs In
association with numerous other min
erals. and dispersed In many localities
throughout the world, The following
minerals are distinctly radio active,
and. although radiup has not been
proven TO be In all OF them their radio
active properties are most probably due
to its presence: Uranium. pitchblende,
cleveite, alunite, autunlte, sipylite,
compounds OF Thorium, orangite, mona
zite, xenotime, gschynite, fergusonite,
samarskite, mobile tantalite. polycrase,
euxenite, columbte, carnotite.
1T would also appear that radIum 10
present In many bismuth. tellurium,
Zinc, barium, strontium, calcium and
cadmium minerals.
Prof. Currle obtains radlum from
pltchblende by an involved and tedious
process. The ore Ia crushed fine and
roasted with the addition OF carbonite
Of soda. The roasted ore Is then washed
and treated with dilute sulphuric
acid The sulphates thus obtained are
converted into oarbonates by boiling
with carbonate OF soda, The carbonates
are again converted into sulphates.
Radium sulphate Is an exceedingly in
soluble salt, and at this stage Of the
process It may easily be separated from
the more readily soluble sulphates by
filtration, The residue, containing
radlum, barium and several other sui
pilates. is then treated with dilute hy-
drochlorlc acid which extracts polonl-
um, actinlum and a couple Of other
chlorldes. and leaves radlum and BARI
um sulphates. These are converted In
to carbonates by treatment with n
strong boiling solution OF sodium car
Donate, The carbonates ara then dis
solved In hydrochlorlc acid, and preolp-
itated again as sulphates by means OF
sulphuric acid, The sulphates are
purified TO further extent by repeti-
ton OF the above treatments with hy-
drochloric and sulphuric acids, and ul.
imately the radium chloride Is separat-
ed from the barium chloride by the slow
process OF fractional capitalization. A
ton OF pitchblende by this means usu-
ally Yields about fifteen pounds Of the
combined chlorides OF barlum and radi-
uin.
+. Gicsel, a German chemist and ex-
perimenter, prepares radium by treat
Ing barlum. strontium and calcium with
bromlc acid, after the ores have been
purified as described In the Currie pro-
cess. The mixed bromides ara then sub
jected to fractional equalization. TIL
first capitalization, when carefully car
ricd out, Is generally sufficient to re-
move the strontium and calcium After
about eight or nine more crystalllza'
lions OF the barium and radlum bro
mide mixture from distilled water, the
separation OF the more readily soluble
radlum bromide Ia easily obtained,
During these operations the flame coll
Grafton OF Bunsen burner may be
AZ "a
progress OF the publication; or frac-
tonal precipitation by ammonium car
Donate may be employed. The radium
carbonate IL precipltated last. Pure
anhydrous radlum bromide produced In
this manner exhibits a blush phosphor-
escence when freshly prepared, but In
the course Of a couple OF days the salt
dlscolors and all signs OF phosphor-
osccnce disappear,
at has been found that radioactive
substances can be obtained from bis.
muth ana analogous minerals by cleo.
trOlytic means, IL Ia thus possible Il
obtain thin films of radlum from min.
ute quantities OF radium In any ore
The metals are first dissolved from the
ores by any suitable means and Their
submitted 10 electrolysis at ordinary
temperatures. The cathode requires e
be made of pure blsmuth, and carbon
or any other suitable anode may bC
| employed The requisite current
strength has to be found by expert
ment but II In usually fairly low This
process II comparatively simple ant
more rapid than the purely chemica
processes, and IN likely TO be shortly
improved 20 that II may easily be EN-
ployed IN every assay office