The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-08-14
Z .

III" word -trgnsmV'ation- evok 90 IN oar
mind tn specIlatlon- 81 the alchemIsts
tho philosopher stone RAYMOND Lullv =
'quinia ss-Serltia 'h- alcRhc-' ~ Para
celsius and q n the MYSTERIOUS ellNirs which
'ha triufnp plant reason Of modern times
thinks ~ can condemn bovond appeal
few wears ago tho question ~ the unity
Of matter and Of tho TRANSFORMATION ~
one element INTO another was one which
no one would dare TO raise And We, II
has for some time b.A..n thrusting itself for
ward so consistently that II can no longer
be ignored hut forc,.s rs 20 comprehend
that a revolution il at hand m our chemical
doctrines just AZ the moment when they
seemed moro firmly established than ever.
Bo>lia- which ran be- separated into several
others by analvtical reactions are callsi
compound bodies, and bodies which -
far have resisted all effort 10 split them
ara considered for the presen, simple
bodies or elements All chemists nov i'm
plicitly admit the hypothesis that the
millions ~ bodies now known are derived
from the association Of seventy.two
diTArcnt elements which cannot be trans
formed one into the other Such IL the
aspect under which the world 81 matter
without the discovery fanci~d or real
~ some nov element just a. Lord RAY
leigh and Sir William Ramsay few years
ago made IN" startling disoovery ~ 1--WE
new elements in the air which We thought
We knew 80 well We have con fused
fealing thai this c-pmplexitv must con
ceal a simpler truth and doubtless this ~
Why the hypothesis % a sin gle primorriial
minds
No-tern chemistry. while admitting the
conception Il elements. noted among
them correlations which suggested the
possibility " demonstrations. hut the
means at It's disposal were insufficient 70
realize this. The discovery 81 the radio
active bodies supplied the necessary
lover. In IN" properties po-ses-~i by
radioactive bodies ~ have a fact which
has no analogy in chemistry Radiurn
"A body accurately defined a. an element
hv it's spectrum and all it, chemical prop.
critics decomp0-"s spontaneously into
another body which appears also 10 -
simple. and u the rate ~ Transformation
asc"rtainrd "ET~rimrntslly IL permanent
IN" transformation would h. cOmplet. az
m" end ~ a few thousand wears This
uneVpeCtsd fact has stood tho test ~
serious notification with IN" following
incontestable result Radium and it,
con grners ar" elements in a state e con
slant disintegration, they transform
spontaneously before our very owes into
AN "manhtion which m rs turn he"un.-
helium This evolution - predetermined
and absolute We can neither accelernt.
nor rstard 10 and still less reverse IL and
revert froTn halium - III" "manaiiun ~
to radium. Nevertheless u in reason
a hle 10 infer that some agent cara bio -
modifying the evolution ~ radium exists.
or som" rstarding act ION. or even a pr,c-
s.ss ~ TctroRres~ion still unknown 10 liz
IL IN raasona bl" 10 hope that body sum
GENTLY energetic 20 decompDse itself viii
prove capable ~ transforminR all ole
men'- brought into contact with H.
One thing. however. IL certain our
present idea - elements - profoundly
mod fled We ar" cert an that trsnHrruta-
ton - no fable because We have seen
h"lium being horn under our very ewes.
and We have very strong reasons for he-
he"lng that other elements equally yell
defined noon. argon and lithium can
q lsO come into eSirt"nrs. through atomic }
dfSintsRration : chemistry - n" ole
fn"nts s'-enn- "a D." grow ing up IN the mpd"I
~ tho classical chemistry 81 compounds +
IN" atom j. ~ longer IN" last term.
chemists follow Ing phv-lciS's arr. com.
pell'.i a. dis-p"i4t" u
We haliev" m ~" ",I,t.nc,, - matter
automatically On the concordant cyi-