East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1922-05-26

time there was not the slightest |
heat 1t was this about. the expert |
ment that the world Of science halls /
with hope. 1t sees chance 10
| abolish the electric light globe, with
its heat and wasted energy. and to
substitute a substance which will give
light and nothing more and that VIII
! give it cheaply and continuously.
The substance that Dr. Harvey used
was composed of two proteins taken
from diminutive shell-fish that is
found by the million in the sea near
/ the west coast of Japan and is called
the cqpridina. 1t has the same sub
stance in it that is found in fireflies,
| but in greater quantity. What makes
this substance give off light Is the
discovery made by D: Harvey, who
/ in the experiment described above
had duplicated the process, 1t con-
sists of adding oxygen to the protein
known as ''lucimerin.'
Several more years probably will
be spent in research before the light
can be- proved to have a commercial
| possibility. 1t is now in the real of
pure science
There are at least forty or fifty
animals and insects that give off
light, or luminescence, that has no
heat, and it was in the study of these
that DR.. Harvey sought to find the
answer TO a problem that has per-
picked scientists for decades. He con"
cluded that If he could find what
made the FREELY flicker, he would
have the formula for creating cold
nights-that radiance produced by
light rays between the wave lengths
of infra red and those of ultara vio-
let.
The phospohencence that is found
in decaying meat and other putre-
scent substances was the Very first
with which the doctor tried to work,
but he found it could not be used in
sufficient quantity to be of much use.
Not the Solution.
He then travelled into the fields
land byways about Princeton and col
lected fireflies, which he brought in
to his laboratory. The task of find
ling in these diminutive insects the
source of their lightproved too much
for him. 1t was then he thought of
lthe fireflies of Japan, that are so
large and numerous that the Japa-
nese collect them and put them in
cages At q certain time of the year
there are festivals at which these i'm
prisoned insects are taken on lakes,
amidst scenes of indescribable beauty
and released in swarms of brilliance.
Accordingly he travelled to Japan
stopping at the Dutch East Indies to
collecqt some specimens of little
fish found only there, known as the
photoblepheron, that has large
luminescent organ below its eyes that
shines continuously with green light
and which is covered at times by
lid like that of an eye. This fish
proved Of little use, and SO did the
fireflies of Japan.
Dr. Harvey stopped in Japan at
Uodzu, near Toyama, where facilities
for his work We're provided, and up
on giving up work with fireflies
turned to luminous suid. a small fish
that has eight tentacles like those
of an octopus andin two of which are
luminous organs. They are known
as Hotaru-Ika, or firefly-squid. They.
did not prove satisfactory.
him was the -ypridina. crustacean
about an eighth of an inch long, that
lives at the bottom of the sea and
comes to the surface at night. These
he found to have proportionately
great amount of luminous material
and to be obtainable in such num-
bers that he could make effective
progress
The Combination Found
In them he found two similar pro-
teins, luciferin AMI lucipherase. Each
was composed of carbon, hydrogen,
oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur,
though in exactly what combination
has not been discovered. When the
luciferin combined with oxygen it
shone turning into a substance call
ed oNyuciferin, The lucipherase
then acted to take out the oxygen
from the oSyfuciferin. This permit
ted the original luciferin to repeat
the oNidizing and shining process.
The continuous oxidation, or light
ing Of the luciferin, and It's accom-
panying reduction" or de-oxidation,
has been produced by DR.. Harvey by
the use of metal, known as catalyst,
that acts rs the lucipherase does in
the animal In his combination the
lucipherase acts to help along the
oxidation.
H When DR.. Harvey has found how
to make luciferin without restoring
to fishing, and has increased the in
tensity of its light, the problem of
commercial cold light will have been
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