New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-10
NEW ELEMENTS RARE.
EXPECTED TO BE COSTLY.
Chemists Interested IN Discovery of
Berzelium and CGroIiniun.

TIE announcement by The Tribune yesterday that
d. Charles N. Baskerville had discovered two new
chemical elements closely akin 10 radium.
Cd attention among many besides scientific people
II IS OF no small importance that for the first time
n history American has added to the catalogue
q eements Il is even more startling to find that
the new metals self-lumnous and perhaps pos
ress other qualities exhibited by the which
have made the name Curie ulustrious
Tyhoriurn the element from which berzeIiurn and
osroEnum obtained. is the chief constituent Of
the incandescent gas mantle 1t is exceedingly
rare but the chief source is sand. known
rnonazite ard containing a number OF oxides Of
metals which equally scarce. The discovery OF
rnonazits IN small quantities In North Carolina
Few years ago OF much industrial importance
Errzel!us the first isolate thorium. obtained Ct
from a mineral found IN Norway. Another factor
hearing upon the probable cost OF the sub
Stances is that they exist in about the micro
.oopic proportions radum and polonium in the
ores which yield uranium more abundantly. Again
.he chemical processes necessary TO the separation
q berzelum and caronium somewhat in
volved. and add Etin further 70 the expense or
production
REGARDING thoriuvn. the sole value Of which 2;
first lay in the intensity Of the light il emitted
when heated in a Bunsen flame. two cornparstivelF
recent discoveries have been made. prior 20 that
OF DR.. baskerville. A German chemist, Schmidt
noticed that II gave OF e kind Of radiation like
that which Beccuerel observed IN uranium. The
radiation OF both invisible. and II behaves
much as does the output OF X tube The
other discovery was that thorium would give of
gaseous enanation It has since been found that
radium does. Rutherford. of McGin University,
Montreal. the first 70 observe this latter phe-
nomenon
Or. baskerville has Cor ten years been associated
with the University OF North Carolina, and his
home is near one OF the places from which mona
rfe sand is procured for the production OF thorium
re has given much attention 10 the technique 81
isolattng new elements In the capacity OF chair-
nan Of the Section OF Chemistry at the latest
meeting OF the American Association for the Ad-
vancerent Of Science he discussed the matter. and
siso reviewed the history OF finding them. Dr.
baskerville co-operated with DR.. George +. fNunz
Of this city last summer and autumn in an elaho-
Tsts and unprecedented study OF the huorescence
o. minerals at the American Museum Of Natural
History. These experts noted the different effects
OF the X ray, violet light and radium on those
substances.
The separstion OF an entirely new element from
one previously known has several presidents. The
CURES found polonum and radium in close associa-
ton with uranium An element first identified by
L. v-s- divorced rom vttrfurn Later lauthanum
found in The same company he next ols-
apparently twin sister OF lsnthsnum. Not long
afterwsrd didymiG m was itself split UP INTO pIseo
dynliunl and neOdymium- When thOr1um was nTst
used for making iacandescent -nantles, il was al
loyed with a small amount OF uranium; AfterNard
preseodymium was found preferable. but II coulo
not be had in sufficient quantities TO be available
The number Of chemical elements ten or fifteen
years $40 was only about siXty-Seven or sixty
leigh together found argon in the air. an element
closely resembling nitrogen Later Sir Nll!aIn
alone separated from a mineral the gas hehurn,
which had formerly been known only by Its pres
IN the and certain stars. Within a snort
time fn rapid succession. ne isolated three more
stmosp her.o gases-neon Nenon and crypton. Actin
ium Is recently discovered metal exhibiting radio
active properties like polonium and raoium. i5er-
zehum and carolnium bring the total at present up
about eighty. In accordance with long estab-
lshed custom. the last two viii not be officially
recognized until their existence IS independently
esta blished ~ other chemists hut Dr. Baskervilles
experience and reputation leave little room for
doubt that