Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1906-05-17
MAY NOT BE ELEMENTS.
Interesting Facts About the Origin
of Two Most Precious
Metals.

/ AU0uk AN0 ANaAo atg 49,
dy, an English physicist. observed
that q gas which proved to be beilium
was given on from radium under cir
cumstances suggesting that II was
generated by the disintegration Of the
latter element Subsequently Sir VIII
liam Ramsay made tests which led
him to the same conclusion. Since
that time a number Of lines Of expert
ment bearing on the possibility OF
transmutation have been opened. one
OF these was designed to find out
whether radium was derived from
uranium. A second is described by
Mr.. Soddy In the latest issue OF Ma
ture TO reach this country aud grew
out OF his suspicion that gold also
might be both a product Of a different
element and the parent Of the others
The first step in such an inquiry, OF
course, would be to accumulate a suit
able amount of gold and conine 1t so
that il gas were evolved the quantity
and character could be determined.
So rapid is the transformation which
radium undergoes that results can be
had ia a few days Inasmuch as gold
Is apparently not a radio active metal
it would be safe to assume that II 1t
disintegrates at all the process must
be extremely slow.
Obviously, then, the more raw ma
terial Mr. Soddy is able to procure to
begin with the sooner he may hope for
appreciate results, and he alludes en-
yiously to the stores OF it in the vaults
of The Bank Of England.
Mr. Soddy gives to the readers of
Nature no hint of the element from
which he fancies that gold has been
derived What Mr.. Soddy did in his
othec experiments was TO watch the
process Of evolution and try 10 esti-
mate the rate at which il took place.
He Was more successful in his obser-
vations Of the generation of helium
from radium than in those which
sought evidence OF the production Of
radidm from uranium, but Ia neither |
case did he appear TO imagine that he |
could hasten the change. He does |
not show any faith, either, in the pos
sibihty Of hurrying nature. even II
the ancestry of gold were once dis
covered.
Hence the only practical result of |
the inquiries which he now proposes,
suppOsing them to be successful. would
probably be TO inform the world
whether this metal Is being manufac-
tured in the crust OF the earth as fast
as II disintegrates. II production ex-
ceeded decay, II would depreciate. II
there was no conspicuous difference
between the rates at which the two
processes went on the value of the
metal would remain unaltered.
The question whether or not sill
yer also is a deriyative has recently
beer under discussion by correspond
ents Of nature. DR.. Donald Murray
and Dr. Norman r. Campbell regard
the association of that metal with lead
in galena suggestive Of such a posi-
hility, Unfortunately, the ratio be-
tween the amounts Of the two ele-
ments found in that ore varies enor-
II is not uniform, like that
between the quantities Of uranium
and radium in pitchblende. Besides,
silver, as well as gold, is found in
variety of combinations. These facts
are, perhaps, not absolutely fatal to
the Murray Campbell hypothesis, but
they strongly discredit it. Still, as a
guide to further research, a hint of
this kind is not without value.
Experiments relative to the origin
and stability of gold are more inter-
estlng, If not more promising, than
those concerning the nature of sill
yer. and 1t is to be hoped that Mr..
Soddy will find the means to conduct
the research which he contempIates.
whether DR.. Murray and DIR. Camp
bell proceed with theirs or not.