The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-03-31
PRoF. RAMSAY on HELIUM.
Modern T~ransmutatiOn Of the Elements.
From the Athchaum.

From the Ahfn6tW,
The story OF helium Ii perhaps one OF the
most romantic In the history OF science
and Il Ia a story OF which the last chapters
are still unwritten. Originally seen as q
spectrum line In the chromosphere OF the
SUN. II was discovered on the earth twenty
eight years later; and 1t has PROVIDED INC
first authentic case OF transmutatlon-a
problem which occupied the alchemists from
the sixth century.
On August 10, 1858, an eclipse OF the sun
was visible In India. Among those who oo-
served II was the celebrated French astroh-
omer Jansen, and for the first time a spec
troscope was employed to analyhe ana trace
to It's sources the light evolved by the eoge
or limb" Of the sun. 1t appeared that enor-
nous promlnences. moving at an Almost
Incredible rate, were due to hurricanes OF
hydrogen. That the gas blown out beyond
the shadow Of the moon was really hydrogen
was revealed by the red. blue-green and
violet lines which characterize Its spectrum.
Among these lines was one occupying nearly
the position Of the two lines characteristic OF
the spectrum Of glowing sodium. named d
and D. by FTaunhofer; and this third hne
was characterized az Ds by Jansen. On
October 20. 1868. Sir Norman Lockyer, in q
note presented to the Royal Society by DR..
Sharpey, mentioned that he had established
tho existence Of three bright lines IN the
"chromosphere. a word suggested bySharpey
to denote the colored atmosphere SURROUNDS
ing the sun: one OF these was near d.. ~
was known that an increase OF pressure mao
the effect OF broadening spectrum lines; ana
Farmland and Sir Norman Lockyer were at
first inclined to attribute this new line to q
broadening Of the sodium lines, owing to the
pressure Of the uprush OF gas, causing the
hurricane. However. neither this hypothesis
nor a subsequent one, that the new yellow line
might possibly be asoribed TO hydrogen,
ao,id ha ,natpfatnaA md baDNa the line was
attributed TO the existence OF an element In
the sun unknown on the earth. and the name
"helium' was chosen as an appropriate re-
hinder Of the habitat Of the element.
Among the lines visible in the chrome
sphere ten T. are e.1 ai " X. 9b6 TdIoseo , 0i tnese
there b. stIl one nniidentifed with the spec
wave length ssie.s7, and the source has been
named "coronium." 1t appears ct a great
n%,ssfene KAT G Il must Sst0 Be- lighter than any
,h sG Ss,iGs s y e5t the y, d H. SI.Sav Of srs So, e Sra ,sss
States GeoloeiScal Survey Of the presence In
S sSleh oS STff 6S Be eatPaefed pT Sy an az e ,p 3 s9s
Hrlebrand examined the spectrum Of the gas
that fBe ep ss% in L i 81 Spectrum G t Ines which could
hardly be ascribed to nitrogen; but on men
tsi snt1tsd the ne. f 81 bi to oa his O Snd G x not f9 foi TSs
up the clue. Now, In the spring OF 1898 at
temptss were being, made 70 cause arson to
and might give an Indication to a, possible
sisRItewone Of tSs q%insrSls s e eRe aIiebran ID
had found to give of the supposed nitrogen
IN saI AT Tss oo SHsnt.tyG frc,m r. RurG6b a eur fRd tne
yellow, line almost. Identical IIn position With
dent that the solar gas, helium. had been dis
covered on the earth.
lively simple, and many Of its lines have been
Identified. among those Of the collar cromo.
sphere: It Is also to be detected in many OF
Pollu1, Sirius and Vega, It Is one Of the
iisbtsSt Of gases n, being only Twice Ss hesyy
rs molecules consist OF ngle atoms. whereas
those Of hydrogen, consist Of paired atoms.
into continuation With oxygen or other ele-
ments. This popularity appears to render
l taue 4Siie RyG Gf eeliR hns Seen iio ImfRsddsi and
BON" at ia degrees Fahrenheit below zero :.
helinm has been cooled TO m4ss degrees Fahr-
sign Of iiaueI!act!on; Indeed. It e nov the only
d eef@fh ieto liss All i Form NJ. nus never oeen con-
The minerals which contain hellum nave
Sns t On tSor Il o% on isad te of a al mI9 sSnts of t assn.
Minerals Of. lead alone, do not show. the
presence Of helium: but It may be stated that
oiiu % uh n ~ SgiibtiNuphtO VI OIOB y
URANIUM and thorium. It was at first sup
posed that spch minerals contain helium ine
be substantiated. for the constituents Of these
ores DO not s',s sh Ss;,,, any tssRRdenGy toTsrd ON.
SifS %bs T tall eeIum Il ve TSs rs eonpsstb,Hn OF this
Of radlum discovered by Madame Gurie in
that they are continually emitting, cotpus-
Rutherford Fl dds and Mr. frederic etvF soddEy fi In a
sepSieS q T SspsrS eomT e e tSst to Sad dHs P1 Snd
s asGm Y,s are s sptSnS ne NsE Gyi9g to bits: NoTss
explosive compound Of nitrogen With chlorine.
denly into It's constituent elements. It is
true that here we have q ,molecule composed
81 Sab ssSms tfil'i oo%bine 20 i form af hs% m m6ieh
onles Of nitrogen and Of chlorine; but in prln-
S S,p196 an Sn q e. may mg,d be dSa ", o between s1nIo. the
INTO .oorpuscuies., Prof, Rutherford and M.
s ESiSS, h sReTbs been bToveG BY t Prsf. &C. 9o p FScss
son OF Cambridge to be exceedingly minute
the radlpm atom; the proof was adducesd that
fTGI%1DfbT ybos5 xlth that a2id p ! RIEdF SsSIt Snd h 81
S 81; ss$dy, {rS sslilss sesa !, shs S@ ss%aSstisn Es' q
Ehb oNOlN tu " bhllb " IHuluIn, We SnOWeu
that this gas, presumably of high density,
disintegrates In Its turn, and that perhaps I
per cent. Of it changes into helium. What
becomes Of the remaining 90 per cent. 10 as
from the fact that a constant ratio exists
from q mineral and the weight OF, lead which
II. contains. 1t may be that lead forms the
ultimate product. or. at least one Of the ulti-
mate products OF the dlsintegration Of the
atom OF emanation. Another radioactive
element. actInLpm. has been shown, BY iits
the dislnteeration Of the emanation or gas
which IT, continuously evolves.
This disruptive. change Is attended by a
great evolution Of heat; for the radioactive
elements are in a sense explosive, and explo-
sions are always accompanied by a rise Of
temperature. But such atomic explosions
surpass In degree. to an almost inconceivable
extent. the molecular explosions with which
We are familiar. Could we induce a fra ent
Of redium to evolve all its energy at once the
result would be terrific, for in the energy with
which It. parts during its change i slrpasses
by millions OF times. II has been suggested
that to this or similar changes are due the
continued high temperature OF the sun and
the, presence of helium in It's chromosphere.
Up to the present no further cases Of trans
mutation have been observed than those