Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-12-02

|
| pounds of the uranium color residue
which is used in the manufacture OF
| glass and porcelain. and with this ma
terial she continued her investigation.
Results of Experiments.
1.-THE result of her experiments is that
radium is a metal which is very much
| like barium and very hard to secure. 1t
occurs in very small quantities in pitch
blende, but is not stable. 1t oxydizes
very easily, so that for safety radium
preparations are made in the form of ra-
dium-chloride or radium- bromide. Radi-
UNI is soluble only in nitric and hydro
chloric acid. Ammonia, salammoniac
and sulphuretted hydrogen have no eff
feet on radium. AS sulphuretted hydro
gen is employed to extract uranium from
pitchblende. the radium remains in the
residue, while the uranium goes over
into the I've and is used in the prepare
ton of colors.
"A further property of radium is that it
sends out strong and radioactive days,
which make the air electrical. The rays
They operate physiologically. Their dis
coverer, Nine. Curie, sustained wounds on
all of her fingers through her work with
radium preparation, that healed only aft
err fourteen days. Also Becquerel, who
carried only a gram of radum in his vest
pocket, was badly burned and has a fes-
tering wound which left deep scar. The
radium rays also destroy bacteria, and
medical men use this power for the heal
ing of various diseases. Prof. Exner In
this way treated with very good results
cancer of the stomach and lupus. ply
sician from st. Louis showed me this sSn-
mer radium apparatus made out of an
aluminium capsule, on silver wire. with
which he hopes to heal cancer of the
stomach. The operation is the same as
the Roentgen apparatus. but the radium
apparatus has this advantage that the
small capsule can easily be inserted into
the mouth, ear or other organ or the
body, while the Roentgen apparatus is
very large and unhandy. Plants which
are set out in radium light wither and
dry. Paper is made brown and brittle;
The radium rays also make phosphOres-
cent bodies light. The Bacquerel rays
may be diverted by magnet. which
shows that they are not waves like heat
and light rays. One comes to the conclu-
sion that they are small. electrically
charged bodies which are thrown out from
radium with tremendous speed
Does Not Lose Activity.
Prof. Step told us that the radium .-e
had shown us in the tube had been in
his possession for several years. and dur
ing all that time had been as lively as
it is now. It has not lost any of its
activity or it's brilliancy and is the ideal
of perpetual energy.
He told us also Of some experiments
he had made with pieces of pitchblende
and Photographic plates down in the
mine. He took chunk of pitchblende
which had never seen the light; which
had been dug out of the earth In closed
shaft more than 800 feet deep few
moments before, and in company with
a learned gentleman from the Academy
/ 80 Cot lot hot y, ;r
plate upon it and then placed upon that
plate various articles from their pockets,
such as penknives. keys, and money
The impression on the Photographic
plates Of all these articles was very
distinct. When he carried the same pieces
of pitchblende into the sunlight he re-
peated the experiment and duplicated the
picture. The pieces of money appear
more plainly on the plate as photograph
ed in the sunlight than those that were
photographed in the dark, but the other
impressions were equally good in both
experiments. The traces of the veins OF
radium in the, apfeces -of pitchblende, al
though they were SO minute that they
could not have been distinguished by the
human eye, were distinctly traced upon a
Photographic plate,
Prof. Step is convinced by these expert
ments that the radio-activity is not affect
ed by either darkness or light.
Theory as to Origin.
When / asked Prof. Step his theory as
to the origin of radium, he said: Il be-
lfeve there are riffs through which, from
the center or interior of the earth, where
it is known the heaviest elements exist
and in which there must be great masses
of radiun. a gas comes through the same
way as volcanic stones, and brings q
strong emanation with it. AS the mine
water is not warm believe that the nat
ural openings have been stopped, that il
cannot come out rapidly, and that it loses
the temperature Of the volcanic rocks
during its long journey. The inductive
radio-activity is not lasting, but loses
itself very quickly.
THAT radium can give off energy con-
tinuously may be proved by various meth
DDS. Curie believed that rays are given
out by the sun which are invisible to our
eyes. and that these rays are absorbed
by radium and other heavy elements
such as uranium, and are thrown off
again in the form of electrones. This be-
lief Is not grounded wisdom. Prof
Zenker, in Prague, holds the view that
there is no such thing as radium. On
other sides it is held that the rays are
the continuous throwing off of the ZONES
or radium by which a certain amount OF
energy is generated. The solution of this
riddle is occupying the attention of the
wise and scientific men of the world
Man notices in regard to the radium and
like bodies that they stream out rays
light and warm. and work on phOtOgra-
phc plates. and does not know yet how
this perpetual energy is generated In
these bodies We hope that the veil may
be soon removed from this secret