The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1910-05-14

As George F. Kunz of New York advises the government
bureau Of manufactures that an American physician has recently
purchased in Paris 100 mIligrams, or 0O03527 OF an ounce OF
radium for $4,000. the following report from Consul George Nichols
lift. of Nuremberg, Germany, on the selling and handling OF radlum
is Of special value
Interest in the investigation as to the radioactive properties
of waters flowing from certain longabandoned mines In the vicinity
Of Oberwiesenthal, in Saxony, led me, while consul at Annaberg,
to pay several visits to the radium labratory of the Austrian govern
ment at Joachimsthal, in Bohemia. and just across the border from
Oberwiesenthal. Last Summer 1 CHANGED to again be In Joachims-
thai, which in the 18th century was a Aourishing silver camp and
later the home of George Agrcola, who may fairly be regarded as
the father of mineralogy, and then was for several hundred years
practically forgotten, until in the last few years it has again come
into public notice as the one place where radium is produced In
commercial quantities.
How small commercial quantities may be is we'll illustrated
by the fact that it was only recently that the announcement was
made that finally a second gram Of radium had been produced at
the hbratory at Joachimsthal 1000 grams equals l kilosram equals
2O46 pounds) An article under a Vienna date, published in a
local journal, now gives the regulations of the Austrian government
regarding the sale of this valuable mineral and describes the
manner in which it is prepared and offered to the scientific and
technical world.
"Radium is ono of the most expensive things in the world, and
the Austrian government has just fixed the price for a milligram
the one-thousandthp part of a gram at 400 crowns $SL2O) 1t IS
impossible to deliver radium in absolutely pure form, and it is
therefore prepared for sale in a chemical combination and, as a
matter of fact, as radium- bariumchloride.
each radium preparation is inclosed in a round, so-called
radium cell, which has a diameter of 81 milimeters (milimeter
equals .O3937 inch and a thickness of 9 millimeters. These cells
are made in the form of a case that screws together, the material
of which is nickeled brass; the bottom of the cell is run full Of
lead, in which is sunk a small square hole, and in this hole is
stored the radium preparation. The radium cell is then closed
with a mica plate, and it is thus not necessary to open the cell
in order to utilize the radium ray. Every radium preparation is
also officially stamped and consecutively measures and rules are e
garded as necessary on account of the unusually powerful chemical
action of radium and that no unforeseen injuries may result through
careless handling of the same.
"To purchase radium from the Austrian government one must
have more than the necessary money to pay the price, for in order
to guard against the misuse of the same, this rare mineral will be
sold only to scientific institutions or to learned men. Delivery is
made at the risk of the purchaser, and as yet there are no rules
regulating the use of the mails for such purpose. Up to date not
even a single milligram of radium has ever been sent by mail 1t
has always been forwarded by special messenger. Such was the
case when the Austrian Government sent a large quantity Of radium
q miligrams) to Paris as a gift to the Curies for experimental
purpose. This was about a year and a half after the latter had
discovered radium and still at a time when the new mineral could
not be purchased. An assistant at the government institute at
Vienna then carried the precious stuff to Paris in a tiny capsule.
Since that time radium has become relatively cheap. Under the
quotations of the Austrian government it is worth only about $780,
100000 a pound"