The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1904-10-16
RADIUM ON VIEW Al
/. THE WORLDS FAIR

- ILL., ]
| went to work. Two years of careful la
Dor were required. but eventually a pinch
of whitish powder Cadium chloride). the
product of the ton of material. was left.
II looked insignificant A breath could
have blown it irretrievably away, but it
represented months of patient toll follow
Ing years OF study. and because of Its
marvellous radio-activity means not only
fame and fortune for the Curies but pos
sibly the revolutionizing Of natural
science.
Since that time tests have been made
by the Curies and many others of prac-
ticaliy all radioactive substances, n
through the Austrian Government a ton
OF the residue of ~pitchblende was OBJ
tanned and Nine. Curie and her husband
from some Of them salts of radium have
peen EXTRACTED; from none of them has
pure metallic radium been obtained, ana
possibly this never will be accomplished.
CURES BROMIDE.
The nearest approach has been a radium
bromide developed by the CURES. One
specimen of this at the Worlds Fair
weighs three milligrams approximately
l-l,0Sth of an ounce) and is valued at up.
ward OF 200. AT this rate an ounce of
radium bromide, or radium chloride. would
bring on the market almost 10000 900. But
an ounce OF pure radium compound in ex-
istenee In all the laboratories of the
world. The specimen mentioned has a
radio-activity of 1900, 600 units. With 1t an
impression can be made on a. photo
graphic plate In a few seconds, and In a
lew minutes. under the most favorable
conditions. a plainly discernible RADIO
From the time that radiurn assumed an
undou5ted tangible existence it became
the subject of countless experiments by
Physicists. and doctors the world
over. Among those who made most prog
ress was Professor Ernest Rutherford of
McGil University. Montreal. He discov-
cred ~t radium emits three distinct
kinds of rays, moving with widely differ
ent veiocities. He gave them the names
Of the first three letters of the Greek
alphabet.
The alpha rays, which move most slow
ly-about 1900 to 20.0o miles a second
can be attracted from their course with
some difficulty by the negative pole of a
powerful electromagnetic h beta rays
whose speed is estimated at 1900 to Do
900 miles a second. can be DETECTED some
what more readily toward the positive
pole OF 4 magnet. The conclusion is that
both the alpha and beta rays are COM
posed of material particles almost inf
nitely minute
The third class of rays. gamma, are
vibrations of the a~ll-pervadinS ether and
move In straight lines at the speed of sun
light, $4,000 miles q second, uninfluenced
in the slightest degree by magnetic at
traction and checked not at all by ordt-
nary opaque substances: a foot of solid
cast iron is not too much for them. All
these rays are given out continually, year
In and year out. yet so far as the taoSt
painstaking tests have shown the energy
of the material is not lessened. All the
rays are quite invisible.
A WARM SUBSTITUTE
Another strange thing about radium is
that it is always warmer than the sur
rounding substances, whatever they may
be. regardless of the most intense cold.
The difference varies from ~ to . degrees.
In this respect, as in the emission of
light, there is no apparent loss of energy.
Indeed. it is calculated that many thou
sands-perhaps millions-of years would
be required sensibly to diminish the ener-
gy of radium or alter ITS weight
will melt its weight of Ice in an hour and
repeat the process the next hour, indef-
nitely. Very high temperatures Temporal
Of the substances. but this is soon re-
stored by normal conditions. Probably the
strangest of all the characteristic rhe-
nomena Of Tadlum Is shown at the Fair in
anations from the new element were di-
rected for a time.
MEDICAL VALUE
On the various forms of bacterial life
radium has a quick and deadly effect. For
this reason it early became a matter of
investigation to determine how far radium |
could be used in the treatment of diseases
which have their cause in those minute
organisms. The results. so far as achieved. |
are set forth with care in d series of pho
tographs- In cases of superficial cancer
.undoubted benefit has been effected, and
omplete cures have been recorded in cases
of lupus tuberculosis of the skim. In
neither of these, however, has sufficient
time elapsed to say will assurance that
the effect Is permanent. Scientists hope.
and many believe. that this will be the
case.
Some strange questions. are asked about
the radium exhibits. One housewife who
had heard Professor Marriott lecture
afterwards wanted to know II the "radium
SALT she had heard him talk about was
good to put in soup. Close to the speci-
men cases is a reindeer h!tched to q sled. /
both being beautifully ~sprinkled with a fair
of snow in which powdered glass |
gives the frost sparkle. Every day some
careful parent with one or more small
boys in tow points out this snow as 'ra-
dunn salt"
Several specimens of carnotite are
shown. which Is the most abundant ore of
in the United States. 1t is a yell
lowish mineral Ghorfum oxidel and is
and Colorado. In North Carolina radium
Is also found in u%raninite and some other
Besides these. several other minerals
found at various places In the United
States show smaller quantities of radium,
but 50 small as TO be Of little practical
value. Some OF these are shown IN the
Palace of Mines and Metallurgy by manu-
featuring chemists interested IN the COM
mercial exploitation of radium.