The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1921-03-31

. y rsr to i.st the freshness OF the plate
| ~ developing it. TO The surprise Of
all. dark spot appeared on It he
Meath where the mineral had rested.
"ln a word some unsupported rays
! had gone through the black paper.
This was the startling beginning Of
the discovery. Becduerel rays became
the ncw wonder. by delicate tests
they we're proved to be electrical.
"Thrn began the pursuit. All joined
IN II. Every form OF uranium In lab0-
| rulurcs was tested.
! Mum. Curle took the next great
sep the deciding step. She went to
the mines Ocar Carlsbad, where the
mineral pltrhblcnde had been mined
| for u century for the extraction Of
! Uranium. She examined the refuse.
~ which my tons had accumulated
IN years past
"riichblrndc had always been
known in laboratories Of Europe as a
| composite ore containing a mixture
! Of dozen different metals beside the
uranium for which It seemed alone
worth mining, such rs lead, silver
In, bismnth. etc.
TO her surprise, Nine. Curie found
The refuse WIS much stronger In
Hucqucrrl rays than the uruninm
which Ind been extracted. This start
ling fact then stared her In the face,
that something unknown existed In
, the refuse.
"Iiy chemical processes she proceed
/ ed to dissolve out FIRST the lead, then
the tin, then silver, and so on until
as the residual mass became purer It
became stronger and stronger. sixty
times stronger than uranium.
"T'his small remnant giowed In the
dark. All hut two metals had been
eliminated. These were known not to
have the slightest rndioactivity.
Therefore there could be but one con.
clusion-she WAS facing a mysterious
new force. The excitement ran high
a. the months went by.
"Ftnaiiy, after two years. she was
able nv ultra-chemlcal resources, with
f, the help Of her teachers and Profes-
sor Curic (who, meanwhile, had Of
fered himself and been accepted In
marriage), to announce to the world
tIS0s) the discovery OF new element
iridium.
at was her beautiful tribute to
science that an impersOnal name
radium-Was given, because 1t gave
out rays knowledge, and not fame.
was her pursuit. ln-contrast to her
| unselfish zeal the Austrian owners OF
the niue would give lrer only one
fifih Of the refuse which she desired
for further study. The rest. they
found, had new commercial value,
owing to her research, and they kept
II for profit and study. She. on the
other hand lnhustriOusly extracted all
the radium FROM her small store, and
after year, believing the physical
qualities were now understood, offered
II to the medical world. not only In
Paris, but to US.
Supply Soon Exhausted.
"In 1903 she released IL and We
were nble TO purchase the first morsel
for New York. II Is interesting TO
record that, when second order was
cabled 10 her for more Il was with.
held for two months, until she had
finished some calOrimetric tests. Then
she released all she bud for scien
lists To use A quarter or more of
that historic bit, which proved that
radium gives ont heat continuously,
came quickly to New York.
"Iler small store Of Austrian refuse,
however. was quickly exhausted and
al tire rpdium 10 be had IN the world
was for some time made In Germany,
That. also. we could buy, but nc much
larger price.
Miners everywhere In the world
then searched for this new precious
metal. II was not difficult to discover
FOR by placing Photographic plates in
black paper envelopes and leaving
them In any mine, IL the plate de.
veioped black, 1t meant iridium. Some
small quantities were found In Portu-
gal. in Colorado In Utah, and in one
sr two other places.
1.-THE quantity available In the
world IL Insignificant. Its extraction
Ia by elaborate and delicate chemical
refinement, consuming at ienst six
months before the atoms can be sepn,
rated. In more than 500 tons OF
rough ore on" cannot get more than
a quarter OF thimbleful--hence It's
cost Meantime Nine Curie and her
coliabOrators have found new and
startling qualities in this precious
metal.
"The credit for this discovery was
settled incontestably by a commission
giving Nine. Curie the Nobel Prize IL
1905"