Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-06-11
THE NEW ELEMENT HIToN.
II Proves to be the Valuable Constit-
uent in the Springs of Health Re-
Sorts

Unti Sir William Osler came along
with seathing nhilistic words. and rid
the scientific world of the delusion that
the waters of lithia springs. sulphur
springs, vichy springs. Carlsbad and
other watering places had the marve-
ious power of curing joint troubles,
blood and constitutional diseases. there
was hardly a physician in the civilized
world who was not convinced of the
therapeutic powers of the particular
waters of some particular springs. to
which he sent his patients. Osler and
his school soon convinced at least the
leaders of the medical profession that
the virtues attributed to the waters of
any particular health resort were ac-
tually caused by the change of scene,
open air. graduated exercise, systematic
feeding and distraction from the rou-
tine of ones life
But In 1898 along came Mr. and Mrs
Curie and discovered radium, and then
appeared those other giants of physical
chemistry. Stone, Freeman. Lorenz.
Thomson. Lord. Rayleigh, Ramsay,
Crookes, Rutherford. Soddy and whyt-
law-Gray who discovered not only the
marvellous properties of radium. but
also found traces of it in the waters of
many resorts
Sir William Ramsay has just am
nouneed not only the discovery and the
atomic weight of a new element. mi
tom the so-called "radium emanation"
of Rutherford and Soddy. which results
from decomposition of radium, but he
has also proved that the curative value
of the spring at Bath, Eng. is due to
the milton" contained in it's waters
The proof that each atom of radium
yields an atom of the gas helium was
settled for all time by Sir William
Crookes and Prof. Rutherford. They
covered screen with crystals of sui
phate of zine As the miniature ex-
plosions take place during the escape
of helum from radium. the heliun is
shot out with much force. as the atoms
strike the screen. flashes of light APP
pear These. of course. are the alpha
rays. so-ealled.
After these PARTICLES of helium have
broken away. the atom of radium is
really radium no longer. but gas
which is now known as the new ele-
ment, milton. The rate of change Of
radium into milton" progresses in a
slow. geometrical disintegration. Af-
ter period of 1860 years. one ounce
of radium will have changed into half
an ounce of niton and helium, while
ene-half ounce of unchanged ra-
dunn viii remain. Allowing another
1850 years to elapse. and one-half Of
the half-ounce or a quarter of an ounce
of radium viii be changed to niton and
,helium. The other quarter will remain
as radium. The next 1860 years would
make an eighth of an ounce change and
an eighth of an ounce remain un-
changed Thus this curious half-peri-
cd of decay will go on indefinitely.
Milton. like helium and argon, is prae-
tically. inert. 1t forms no chemical salts
or other compound, and it's existence is
temporary, lasting little less than
four days. To be exact. after 1856 days.
into something new.
Sir William Ramsay proved that as
per cent. of the wonderful powers of
radium is due TO niton. He has also
shown that like most other gases. nj
ton is compressible and can be convert
ed at room temperatures into a liquid
by simple compression. Pressed into
a silica glass tube of very fine bore. it
will become solidified into a microsco-
pical stick of ice-like material Though
it cannot be seen, 1t causes light in
the tiny glass tube as brilliant as an
arc lamp.
LIQUID niton also causes a faint vio-
let incandescence In the dark it is
most beautiful The liquid itself. how
ever. in q lighted room appears quite
clear Ramsay and his assistant.
Whytlaw- Gray, found that the atomic
weight of niten is equal to that of an
atom Of radium minus AN atom of he
lium Since radum is 22s and helium
four, niton has the atomic weight OF
22i Like radium, niton recays In that
curious geometrical ratio called half
period of decay Thus, niton changes
one-f4alf in four DAYS. in eight days a
quarter of ii is left. in 2 days an
eighth. 1G days n sixteenth, 20 days, a
thirty second, "a days a sixty-fourth, 50
that practically at the end of one
month it has all changed.
The products Of this decay of niton
are at the present moment being in
yestigated by Prof Rutherford. Since