Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1916-12-06
WHY RADIUM is EXPENSIVE.
4 Bit Of the Mineral Half tho Size Of
Pin Head Costs $1,000.
New York Sun,)

radium, and because many processes
have to be gone through, entailtng
enormous labor, that a milligram OF
quotation.
In 1910 it was estimated that
there was only one-quarter OF
pound OF radium known to exist in
all the world in the shape in which
ii can be utilized for medicinal pur-
poses. A bit half the size Of pin
head IS valued at $1,000. and from
the point OF view Of cost Of produc-
tion it Is worth it.
From the side of efficiency and
force the value Of radium Is incalcu-
liable. for it is practically inexhausti-
hle in the giving forth Of energy.
Strut has calculated that one piece
OF thorianite was at least 2SO,OO0,-
600 years old. and in all that time
this radioactive substance has given
OF its energy.
1t is II law Of physics that energy
causes energy. whether it be express
ed in force. light, heat or electricity,
all OF which are interchangeable
The real problem before the manu-
factnrer, or rather gathcrnr-for he
can only concentrate. not makc.--or
radium is to get out OF Il huge mass
Of radioactive orc the concentrated
essence, or the combined radioactive
ity Of the entire mass.
1t is not yet 20 years since NJ.
Curie and his wife discovered ra-
dium US9S). and possibly in the
course Of years more speedy and
economical methods OF extracting or
concentrating radium will be found.
but with all the improvements which
have been made it is still long, te-
dious and expensive process.
The United States bureau Of
Mines has been operating for some
time near Denver in a rich field OF
radioactive ore. Similar methods are
used In Europe, though improve
ments are being made as quickly as
possible.
but all require dealing with tons OF
ore to get minute fragments of ra-
| dium finally. Some use first the acid
leach, others use an alkaline leach,
followed by an acid leach, and then
the ore must be fused with material
which helps to break 1t up. The
latest method utiliZes nitric acid
producing a radium-barium sulphate.
The plant in Paradox Valley, Col
orado. deals with carnotite, in which
there is large quantity OF uranium
oxide
| TO give an idea OF the many pro-
cesses through which the ore must
go before radium is secured it is only
necessary to go over few details.
The ore is first ground up fine, and
then leached with strong. hot nitric
acid. The product is next washed in
a weaker solution and again washed
with hot dist. lied water.
When it has been filtered what
comes through the filter is diluted
with water, and sodium hydroxide is
added so that radium- -barium sui
phate results. There is still further
treatment and then the sulphates are
put into iron pans and dried in a hot
air oven. Refining follows. yielding
Il sulphate free from impurities.
Then this is placed with carbon in
an electric or oil furnace, and the
sulphide is once more treated with
hydrochloric acid, becoming radium-
barium chloride, from which the
barium chloride Is extracted by
crystallization. Then the radium
chloride and barium chloride are
treated with ammonium carbonate
and the carbonates secured are dis
solved in hydrobromic acid and are
evaporated, giving bromide crystals.
These crystals are then sealed up in
glass tubes, and finally by what is
termed "higher fractionatiOn' the
radium is separated III the form of
radium bromide.
1t has been figured out that the
radium in the ore is exactly or nearly
1900, 100000 OF the bulk, so it is
easy to see that having to pass tons
Of material through so many delciate
processes in order to secure what
any one would call speck cl dust.
is a fair reason for the great cost Of
the radium when secured.
1t Is now claimed, though 1t has
not been proved to the satisfaction
Of some critics, that radium can be