Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1922-02-03
Dream of Scientists for a Thou.
sand Years Achieved by
Dr.. Rutherford.
FAR REACHING POSSIBILITIES
remarkable Result of Bombardlno Nj.
'rogen Gas With the Alpha Rays of
hao'um = May Supply Unlimited
Power.

New Iork.-The transmutation of
elements, the dream of both cbarlo.
'ahS ana scientists for nearly a thou
Sahu years, has actually been accom-
piished by the recent work of Sir
EIhest Rutherford, and his results are
generally accepted by scientists and
physicists, according to DR.. James
hehdaIl, associate professor Of chem.
Is.ry at Columbia, who said, on the
o''er mana, that there was not the
"''S"'eSt reason to believe that the
Germans had accomplished their re-
p"ried feat of making synthetic pold.
nitrogen, sodium, aluminium. cbIor-
me oxygen and carbon have been
transmitted, or broken IN by Ruther.
FORA into hydrogen and helium, ac-
cofdlng to DR.. Kendall.
ms was first accomplished. accord
ing 10 the claims of Rutherford, by
bombarding nitrogen gas with tba a.
pha rays of radium. These so-called
'"Ss are helium atoms which are flung
OUT OF the exploding radium atom with
III energy incOlnparably greater than
any projectile produced artjdciolIv
me velocity Of this atom would take
!. around the world In slightly less
'hah a second, and the power of the
eAp'"oihg atom, in proportion to size,
IS something like q million timas
e''n'er lhan that Of trlnitrotoluol.
OA-.L
result OF a Chemical Collision.
me radluin was placed so as 10
'iNe 'he alpha particles into nitrogen
Nhen the alpha particle had n ,
nead-on collision with a nitrogen atom !
u tore II to pieces, so it Is asserted
ne atom supposedly has a structure
somewhat resembling the solar svs-
i's center is a nucleus of posi-
I'VE electricity, resembling the sun Of ,
ne SOAR system, and this is surround. /
" ny electrons, or charges Of mega.
I'VE electricity, presumably whirljnp
bout the nucleus, as the plonets wb,,I M
bout the sun.
me alpha particle Is believed RI
'oooee Such a disruption in the atom
; nlght occur, for instance, If an
'her star of the dimensions Of tha
I'm tore through our system, hit tbe TO
oh directly and drove it off into fir
pace, causing the planets to shoot off f,
all directions. -,
Ih1S occurs on n scale In tha ,o,,h WI
of the billionth part of y un
''lohth or an inch, but it can be ma
'r''y measured. The alpha particles
.roWA OF by radium produce scin. ere
''atlohs when they strike n screen 10 IN.
~ s"Ii'n'oe within a certain distance, Alb
men 'hey were used to lombard nj. Ind
yen Sclhtlllations took place n the
eater distances from the rudjum arr
an The alpha particle could alone the
oduce. "'' '"e
pv 1T, ma
by ms study Of these scintillotiors +
: hu'nertord was able to prove 70 ink
; "atiS1action of men of science q NJ
mat new products were dave, az,
"a by the SCATTERING Of the nitro rIa.
! alomS and that these rroducts
re hydrogen and helium atoms M :,
'erlments have all been in the WOW o,i,
ulSors'n'zlng the more complex ot |
ms into simpler ones. The trnns ho'
'a'lon or atoms with simple struc. NJ
rs INTO those with more comnlov ,hnr
$ has not been achieved. 'a,n
Or Kendall on Rutherford. Of =
ohla, '''"Veu nitrogen, and
mum cf,orine and sodium to by. othe
gen and helium," said Or. Ken. II,
he has also produced helinm ,ra
rs ny tearing oxygen and carbon tried
''''7e' mas not re- choi,