Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-09-15
COAL IS NOT NECESSITY
WHEN ENERGY IS FOUND
Noted British Scientist Asserts Fuel
Is Locked I'm Atoms of
Matter.
OUNCE COULD LIFT NAVY
Sir Oliver Lodge .iaims That Dis
covery Will BE Dangerous and
Says There Is an Abundant Store
Available

SIR OLIVER LODGE.

at present the most portable form of
power. If the whole of the energy re-
Suiting from these, when combined
with oxygen. could be really utilized
they would yield quite considc ra bic
store
An ounce of oil completely burnt
would heat between six and seven
ing point. which is the equivalent OF
pounds Of water from freezing to boil
40 foot-tons a ton falling height
of 40 fee; would generate the Same
amount OF heat.
An ounce OF coal completely burnt
would yield slightly less energy. y
sroomiul of nitro siycerine. again, rep
rescnts considerable store OF energy.
though OF rather violent and in
tractahlc kind
But is there any kind OF energy
locked up not in the molcculc nor in
the intcraction between molecules but
IN the actual structure OF each atom"
potS single atom of matter coutain
energy by reason of its constitution?
And If so; is there any means Of get
Previous to the discovery of radium
the question could hardly have been
asked The answer is now known. In
radioactive substances there certainly
I Is store OF atomic energy. and some
OF the energy Is liberated by the ennis
sion OF flying particles flung off from
t'ihc 10 time whenever the atom is de-
generating or passing from a more
coWpieX TO more simple form.
Er"h, W men Il was first observed that
/ q rev grains of radium was continually
giving of great deal of energy and
YET not disappearing. some scientiiic
me- even Lord Kelvin himself spokc
or II as a sort of miracle The stuff
consumed " ''''
II soon became clear, however. that
,hrro was no flaw in the law OF con-
/ tainly possesses and certainly loses ali
,hc energy II emits but ii loses ycrv
Iittic weight. The disappearance OF a
single grain of matter out of. say a
I pound is only detachable by careful
i weighing. but the power emitted dur
ing inc disappearance of grain would
DC enough to raise the ieinpera;uro nf
point. '''''"@
We must remember, however. that
/ oE pound of radium in any reason
ah,e time for it would take a year 10
/ !osc u grain.
Cannot Hnnten or Rc,ard.
And so the power is diluted down;
there is nothing violent about it. and
we snow no means OF Fastening il.
nor indeed. Of retSrding, it, either.
me OF or radium be made redhot in a
furnace or cooled hundreds Of degrees
1 1f!Ew zero by liquid air. its rate OF
u'SinteSr ration remains practically con-
slant People sometimes speak or
radiun' as il it We're unique. %ot so:
!. Is striking member of a class. and
/ ~ serves wei TO illustrate the prou-
critics OF that class
Eye, EGySry now and then an atom of
! LIE what is called an "a" particle.
The projectile bears to the rcsiduc ar
INC atom something of tho same pro
I portion that "A shot bears 10 A gun I,
/ is like a two-ton gun firing 100.
pound shot. q iVV-
only now and then does radium
every one that thus cXcrts itself in INA
curse OF year there are about 5000
""''h remain quiesccnt for that period
In Cycles of Five
! cui directly one shot has hnnn S-od
,nt resi- OF that particular atom does
! not settle down into u,Iiesccnrc ,vui,
IN II has hred off four more. convrr;
LIZ ase!i each time into a different
some of these shots follow each
p =" ibS quite auiekiy barely giving time
properties Of the Intervening sub
stances. Yet these substances are real
, 81" nhents' with chemical reactions of
lhr!r own. and with IA charactcrjs,i.
! spectrum. Their peculiarly is ~,
my are Short-lived. e''A'
Of nc ne GrehtGst energy. per unit weight
- cninbuStloIe material is the buPn
ING OF hydrogen in oxygen. THIS n,ni,
ia, ia 10 the value of 5000 units OF heal
the ' c"nSn sramme Of water formed by
mat a eramme of radium has ,nne
,hhrous rs changes. million timns
he@n am Hit! o. energy would have
however. that only the atoms Of rad;,.
""IIne substances possess this atomic
klnd Of material atom must nnsS..s
a. some more, some less: but for mosf
INNS ,hnS me energy is all locked up in
in"!f intimate structure. and is ann
inaccessible. ~ % fuI'c
Reveals Energy secret.
me radio-active elements are those
M,n,oh 90 not keep the energy com
out of thirty million atoms goes o nn
H H,tn Nloisnce. and continues 10 fire at
n trryMis 'h npn not, not quite regular in
4uIiescent again. 1t thus gives 'I away
'hG secret OF vast store OF energy.
turc .sS r ssGm IS Of comniGated siruc,
IN an probability no clement is per
mniw i,isihtcrsration is probably
Only question Of degree
Ihe unstable ones attract attcntio,
shn chhnlc measurements to he mad.
i'm nI'ne on these are fairly scdatc. and
kadiun lasts at most a few ,hoi,sarG
Years: hut other elements are sn nc
niG!onsN violent that they last only a
lev minutes. These therefore. MAX -
themselves conspicuous even i'm sm. ~ II
Quantities. but naturally are cxtrcmclv
scarce. '''ci ~
An Abundant store.
The point for present consiJcratio,
9".W!cver, IS not the rate Al Wick
different elements choose to Give " n,,,
ont.r tore OF energy. but the exist.
abundance. '''s
The particles shot OF from radium
re shot with speed quite amazine-
g M, or "nne.ift.senth that OF light TO
co'nparc il with the highest snecd nr
, Gnai!"t. During the. Zinc taken by
rom ne muzzle Of n rifle to a lar
s"i goo yards away the "a" particle
Sihlnl;ancously shot OFF from radjllm
s w"nld have travelled The, 5000 miles
from london 10 New York. The time
needed is only a quarter OF a second
ma as TO the energy Of such a pro-
J"ctl!c--it is not much in itself be-
,huSe rs mass is so minute, but weight
.nr weight II is four hundred million
times more energetic than a bullet.
I.iniiticSs Atoms.
. Hu,, i may be said. radum dres
them off so seldom. Each projcctilc
Is violent enough. truly. but you say
thcrc is only one out OF 5000 which
cXplodcs in tho course Of Il year THAT
IS so, bu, think how many atoms there
are in any visible Spcck o: substance
Take a milligramme of radium- that
-. take one-sevcntieth of II Grain--and
: ask how many projectics such as we
have been describing arc GrcJ off h,.