New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-06-19
ORIGIN OF RADIUM.
Possibly Widespread in the Material
Universe.

No well authenticated discovery made in the last
nan century-not that OF the distance to
! which Hertz waves be transmitted-has slim
ulated holder eOnjectures than have the announce
ments OF NJ and Nine Curie. What will be the
outcome OF this speculation cannot be fore
toId, but already number of amazing guesses
and theories have been inspired by the properties
OF radium considered apart from the other phe
nomena OF nature.
only few weeks ago Professor Rutherford. Of
Montreal created sensation while lecturing be-
Iore scientific audience in London by suggesting
that the earth is much younger than astronomers
and physicists have believed. That possibility had
occurred to him in consequence of observing the
rapid rate at which radiun decays. Surprising this
10 be uniform, he estimates that all which is at
! present in existence will have disintegrated in
thousand years, and that all which existed thou
sand years ago must now have become trans
formed into something else-helium. perhaps Pro-
lessor Jolly, OF Dublin. reaches astOnishingly
diSerent conclusion concerning the earths age by
confnirg his attention to the behavior Of another
metal uranium It has been observed in a labo-
ratory that this metal apparently breaks down. but
much more slowly than radium. OF q given amount
Of uranium only ten-thousand -millionth part
decays in a year. Adopting that element as a
standard. then the Irish physicist says that 10000
100000 years may be regarded "a minor limit to the
antiquity of matter in our part Of the universe
Rutherford and Jolly cannot both be right, ap-
parently and perhaps neither Of them is Lord
kelvin's estimate OF the time which has elapsed
since the globe cooled sufficiently to sustain animal
and vegetable life was between 100000 and 2oON-
Ooc. Even the most exacting biologists and geolo-
gtsts demand more than 100000000. Professor JOYS
guess exceeds these others hundred or a thousand
foldi
good deal Of attention is now being given TO the
probable origin OF radIum. Whether the element
while still intermingled with other substances IN
the ores in which it is found undergoes change as
rapidly it does after separation. IS question
not yet answered. However. whether its hxity Is
greater in the than in the other. grave
doubts of its permanence are entertained by most
OF the men who studying the element
possibility which has occurred 10 several minds
almost simultaneously is that radum is a product
Of uranium The two were invariably associated
| in the pitchbIende from which the CURES ex-
tracted radlum Dr. Bertram B. Boltwood, Of Yale
University. has made with various ores that
| lead him to think that the quantities present al
ways bear the same relation to each other
! ". c. D. Whetham, of Cambridge, England, says
that every time he has obtained what was sold to
him = pure salt Of uranium he would find traces
| Of radiun in it. He has also examined specimens
OF uranium compounds that have been preserved
in the Cambridge laboratory for periods ranging
from seventeen to twenty-five years. and in every
instance they contained radium.
Finally. Frederick Soddy, who co-operated with
Rutherford in Of the latter's earlier work.
but identified with University College in
London. reports in Nature set Of experiments
which he is conducting. He obtained thou
sand grams Of uranium nitrate twelve months
ago He purified it that he could detect the
presence Of only a microscopic trace Of radiurl-
The proportion which the amount OF the latter
bore to the mass OF the former would be represent
ed with ~ preceded by decimal point and
sixteen ciphers At the end OF a year Mr.. Soddy
tested again. and found little more. but not as
much he thought he should have obtained II the
added quantity came from uranium There may
have been something wrong with his test, or else
with his computations, and Mr. Soddy will con-
tnue the observations from time 20 time. has
much the amount OF radum discovered at the
end Of the year was only a teu-thousandth part OF
that which his and Sir William Ramsay theories
promised he says: This practically settles the
question far the production % radium is
concerned. The result. OF course. may be
explained by assuming the existence OF intermedi-
ate forms between uranium and radium. But
Several such hypothetical forms. each with
tended life, must be assumed So that unless
notifications made in the theory which at
present are not tustihable. the evidence may be
taken indicating that uranium Is not the parent
element OF radium"
Rutherford. in a recent book. published before
Mr. Soddys letter appeared in Nature" said:
Since radium has q short life compared with that
of uranium. the amount OF radium produced should
reach a maximum after few thousand years.
when the rate OF production OF fresh radlum-whch
Is also d OF the rate OF change Of uranium
balances the rate Of change Of that product"
Onto heiium).
Professor Jolly after briefly indicating the i'm
probability that rsdium may be the offspring OF
thorum. suggests that II may not result directly
and solely from decay. Perhaps it may be COM
bination OF the radioactive products OF come dts
integrating element with of the many sub
stances found in pItchblende. Particles and prop
critics derived from either uranium thorium
might have united with bismuth or barium. for in
stance Thus radium would represent the syn
thesis not the decomposition. OF element" Pro-
lessor Jolly adds He therefore advises that
watch for the genesis OF the new element in pitch
blende and allied minerals be undertaken.
How extensively radum now exists, or has ex-
listed in other celestial bodies than the earth is
question OF profound interest both to astronomers
and chemists II positive information on this point
could be obtained it might aid the experts in de-
terrnining origin and history in the globe There
has been a disposition TO take it for granted that
the stars all composed OF substantially the
same materials. BY the spectroscope 1t has been
possible TO Identify with certainty nearly forty
terrestrial elements IN the Lockyer thought
that he saw evidence OF several others-uranium
among them-in the luminous envelope Of
vapor What is contained at greater depths can
only be conjectured. but positive recognition OF
more half of the elements found on the earth
is certainly suggestive. still more impressive
fact is that a large number OF stars-which astron-
omers say also suns-gtve spectrum like the
great body on which the earth is dependent for
light and heat. Arcturus and Capella notable
representatives OF this solar type Of stars
other types are characterized by different spectra
from this one. Instead of showing the lines OF
calcium iron. sodium and nearly twoscore other
metals they betray the presence Of little except
helum and hydrogen gases. The suspicion is en-
tertained however, that the dissimilary indicates
differences in temperature only. and not OF COM
position Although astronomers not in
perfect harmony concerning the meaning Of the
lack OF agreement in stellar speGra many of them
LOOK at the intensely white stars, which give
helum or hydrogen spectrum. younger and hot
ter rhan the yellow solar" stars; whereas the