Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1906-03-16
New Theories Concerning RadIum.


Theories recently put forward by Prof.
Monroe Snyder, and Prof. Rutherford Of
McGm university, concerning the activi-
ties OF radium, are Of an exceedingly
startling nature. Both gentlemen are,
however, entitled to the utmost respect
in everything that they have to say on
the subject. Prof. Snyder. in a paper
read before the American Philosophical
society. announced that he had discovered
radium in the philosophers OF the sun
In his opinion variable stars are caused
not by the revolution of one body about
another. but by the regular fiuctuation
OF light due to periodical outbursts Of
radial activity. He concludes that the
sun Is a variable star with a period OF
eleven years. and that the sun spots are
one Of the demonstrations Of the emana-
lions Of radium. Other OF the celestial
phenomena, he thinks, are due to radium.
Prof Rutherford. while he does not leave
the earth in his theories Regarding
radium, advances hypothesis no less
startling. In an article In a recent num-
Der Of Harper's Magazine. he speaks Of
the recent discovery that the radioactive
bodies are able to emit an amount Of
heat about one million times greater
than Is evolved in the most violent
chemical reaction. In the course OF a.
year, one pound Of radium would emit as
much heat as could be obtained from the
coal, and at the end OF that time the
radium itself would be apparently I'M
changed and still giving out heat at the
old rate. 1t can be calculated that this
radium would on the average continue
to emit heat at the above rate for about
1000 years. The radium emanation
stored In one gram OF radium is about
one cubic millimeter at atmospheric
pressure and temperature. Assuming the
molecular weight of this gas to be 100
times that OF hydrogen, It can be calcu-
lated that one pound OF the emanation,
could 1t be collected, would inltially radi-
ate energy at the rate OF about g. 900 H P
The whole of the earths crust undoubt-
edly is impregated to some extent with
radioactive matter. The amount of in
ternal heat lost per second from the earth
by conduction to its surface can readily
be calculated. Since one gram of radium
emlts enough heat each hour to raise 100
grams or water through / degree c., the
present loss of heat from the earth is
equivalent to that which would be sup
pied by the presence of about 270, 600, 900
tons OF radium. This amount while large
compared with the quantity Of radium
hitherto separated, is relatively small
compared to the quantities mined Of some
other minerals, and II distributed uni
Iormly throughout the earths crust would
correspond to only five parts in one hun
oreo million per unit mass. fluctuations
made show that the rsdio-activity OBJ
served In soils corresponds to about this
portion OF radium. II radioactive matter
Is distributed Throughout the whole earth
70 the extent that experiment indicates,
the heat evolved by the radioactive
matter would compensate for the heat lost
oy the earth by conduction to it's sur
race. According to this the present in
.efnai heat OF the earth tends to be main.
tained by the constant evolution Of heat
Dy the radioactive matter contained in
t-IFrom Machinery.