Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-11-08
Atomic Weights OF
Substances OF The
Universe Determined

Cambridge, Mass, Nov. S.-The
atomic weights of nearly forty of the
ninety or. more chemical elements out
o. which everything in the universe
1s built have been definitely determ-
med by Harvard chemists in the.
course Of Investigations begun IS
years, ago and extending up to the
present time.
= Attention was called to this e. PRO
lonsed research today by the ar
nouncement that largely on account
OF his work in this field, Professor
theodore w. Richards. Nobel prize
winner in 1914 and director of the
Wolcott Gibbs memorial laboratory at
Harvard, had been appointed a mem
Der Of the international committee of
scientists on elements, while Profess
sor Gregory P. Baxter. formerly a
pupl, OF Professor Richards and now
an independent investigator at Harry
ard: had been chosen for the inter
national committee on atomic weights.
The Harvard research is said to
have thrown new light on the per-
picking problem of the nature of
matter, while data obtained are be-
ing used daily by thousands of chem
lists throughout the world. III
FORM Universe.
The atomic weights Of the ele-
ments are described as the ~xelative
weights In which these elements COM
bine with each other to form the
verse is constructed. These weights
have usually been found to be amaz-
ingly constant. Silver from all parts
Of the world and from many different
ores has always the same atomic
weight. Copper from Europe is iden-
teal in this respect with hat mined
under the bottom OF Lake Superior.
y prnfnoEor Po ~ re ,v.Nr1 1o-~ 1s>..
proved that iron and nickel which fall
from the sky in meteorites coming
from the spaces far beyond the earth's
orbit have exactly the same atomic
weights as iron, and nickel from the
earth. q fact cited as indicating in one
respect, at least, the unity OF the
universe.
The most important single result Of
the Harvard study Of atomic. weights
is said to be the discovery, first
proved definitely some Fenrs g by
Professor Richards and still holding
good through recent careful tests
that there exist at least two kinds of
that lead from radium minerals. while
it 4possesses properties exactly similar
to those OF ordinary lead. has a dis
tinctly smaller atomic weight, 2oS.1,
as against 207.
Comes From Radium.
The lead from the rndium minerals
IS supposed to come from the de-
composition Of radium. Why it's
atomic weight is different from tina
OF ordinary lead. whether ordinary
lead may not itself prove to be d
mixture Of lighter lead with a heavier
variety. perhaps due to the disinte-
grafton OF the element thorium, and
whether other elements. hitherto sup
posed to be final and indivisible,. may
no also prove to be mixtures and thus
open up a whole series Of now prob
lens as to the composition Of matter,
are questions to which the answers
are being eagerly sought by scientists
over the world today.
Professor Nv. D. Harkins Of Chicago
has strong evidence that ordinary
chlorine is a mixture. and +. W~Aston
of Cambridge, England, by an entirely
different method, indicates thai many
other elements are probably likewise
composed OF atoms Of different
weights. Harvard chemists are work.
ing at present to try to find out more
about these two kinds Of lead. but
they are hampered by the fact that
once mixed, the two kinds cannot by
any ordinary chemical methods be
!