The Delta independent., 1914-02-20
RADIUM AND ITS USES
Dr. J. O. Allen, in Montrose Press)

:. rather an extension of our knowl
5 edge along the paths made familia
f by those who have gone before. So
= | say, the old automic theory still
: holds good, SO far as it goes. Tit
, whole trouble about it has been will
the scientist himself and not hi:
theory or his laws. Like some othe
. human beings, he thought he knew i
all and laid out his theory accord
, ingly. Now he sees how little he
really did know and will only have tc
adjust himself to fit the new order
of things
l predict that it will not be very
long before radio-activity will be
taught in our schools in its physica
bearings upon the time-honored atom
ic theory of chemistry.
A very interesting thing about ra
dio-activity is that man is not able
to change or modify it in the slightest
degree. He can no more stop it than
he can stop the sun from giving off
heat, and in this it is unlike any
other process of the elements.
Another interesting point regard
ing radium and which would appear
to be a great convenience when we
consider its value, is the small
amount necessary for certain pur-
poses and that can positively be de-
tected. One three thousand millionth
of grain is easily recognized. No
other known substance can be detect
ed in such minute quantities. To
make that point a little more COM
prehensive, if one-half a grain of pure
radium bromide were divided equally
among every human being living upon
this earth at this tine, it would be
quite easy to detect each ones
amount by means of the gold-leaf
electroscope. the most sensitive scien-
tific instrument known. l have had
an opportunity on different occasions
to observe this delicate test with the
electroscope and the amount detected
or in other words, the strength or per
cent of radium in the ore so tested
is not hard to figure by those who are
familiar with their instrument
Another instrument for detecting
and actually observing the presence
of radium is the spinthariscope. 1t
was devised by Sir William Crookes.
The amount of radium used in it is so
small as to be invisible to the naked
eye, yet the effects it produces Is
plainly seen.
In its construction the point of a
needle is dipt into the smallest pos
sible amount of radium and is then
mounted in the center of brass tube
coated with zinc sulphide. At the
other end of the tube is a magnify
ing lense. If the room is dark, YOU
can look through the lense and OBJ
serve the scintillations like a shower
of shooting stars. Each one is caused
by an alpha particle of radium. You
do not in fact see the alpha particle,
but the bombardment of the escaping
particles, or rays, against the crystals
of zinc sulphide producing flashes
much rs when flint is struck by d
piece of steel. This instrument has
been in existence for some time, yet
day and night these scintillations 90
on. A grain of radium bromide ex-
alpha particles every second of time.
The amount of radium in this instrli-
ment is but the least fractional part
of grain. Indeed it is so small it
could not be weighed, yet after we
are all in our graves ard the memory
of us has passed away, the radia-
tion from this tiny bit of radium will
go merrily on.
An instrument called the radium
clock has been devised which comes
the nearest to perpetual motion Of
anything yet constructed. Some ra-
dium is sealed up in a small glass
tube and suspended in larger glass
tube from which the air has been
form the radium carry away mega
tive electricity until the radium in
the little tube becomes positively
charged Suspended from the lower
end of the small tube and in the
vacuum of the large one are two
pieces of gold leaf after the manner
of the electroscope. The gradual ac
cumulation of the positive charge In
the radium causes the gold leaves Il
slowly move outward until they
touch the outer tube when they are
discharged and the leaves fall bacl
again. Instruments of this kind mad,
several years ago are still keepint
IN the motions and there is M ron