The Washington herald., 1922-06-11
FROM SECRET OF NATURE
Professor Trying to Produce Artihcially Light
Giving Power of Insects.

tnat connection, In the ability Oh
American scientists to find the way
as quickly as any others.
Already one American achieve
ment in this field is on record. Nc
Farlane Moore. of the General Elec-
trio Company. has produced a sig
nal lamp that gives an illumination
which is little else than cold light.
1t is remarkably efficient at low
candle-power. In this lamp a gas
known as neon is used to produce
a cathrode glow around a spira of
iron or aluminium wire,
The light given forth is a rich
pinkish-red glow. but the illumi-
nation Is not sufficiently intense for
general use in the lighting of inte
riors. The lamp is used to desic
nate localities in the dark, and is
adapted for use In ordinary sockets
connected to 10 or 22O volt circuits.
Yet this is practically cold light
for the heat produced In this lamn
Is insignificant. The spirals OF wire
remain comparatively cool and the
light comes from a thin layer of
glowing neon adjacent to the wire
Two Investigators.
Among many other American
investigators of biological lumin-
escence. Prof. F. Alexander Nc
Dermott, OF the University of Pitts
burgh. has done valuable work, as
well as Prof. Harvey. of Princeton
whose discoveries are now before
the public.
The whole subject OF the produc-
tion Of cold light naturally drops
into two divisions-organi mic amt in
organic. Organic cold light is that
produced by nature in living or
Canisms. This sort of ligat has al
ready been weakly initiated by man,
as will be seen. The second, or
inorganic. type of cold light is light
emitted by different compounds an
der various treatments both chem
ical and electrical.
The cold light OF the future may
be produced by lither of these meth
DDS or by both in combination. Both
are under close scrutiny.
Experiments. familiar 20 the
scientific student, but astonishing
the layman, have been performed
in Andrews laboratory at Schenec-
tady, \. Y. to show the character
of inorganic cold light pnsnomenn.
ultraviolet rays-which cannot lie
seen by the eye-were back OF
some of the curious sights pro-
duced.
Peculiar in Effects.
These rays are peculiar both in
effects and in characteristics. Glass
which is so transparent t. ordinary
light rays. is an impossible barrier
TO the ultraviolet rays Hence
by using an electric light which
produced a mixture of both tie vis-
ible and the invisible rays. in con-
junction with a piece of glass. An
drews wrought some ssemtngly
magic color changes.
Substances that displayed fiat
gray tints, light buff or white by
daylight or ordinarA artificial light
were literally transformed by the
ultraviolet rays. Vivid colors
leaped instantly into life the mo-
ment the glass was removed from
the lamp and the invisible rays
were allowed to touch them.
A piece of natural willernite
which is an ore of zinc. looked like
mere stone by the visible light rays
but assumed brilliant green un-
der the invisible rays. Compounds
of salisylic acid were pure white in
the visible rays. but became bright
blue by the invisible.
A small painting. done in GER
tain specially prepared chemical
paints, was exhibited. It was a
winter scene-snow on the ground
leafless trees. a dull. ieadeh sky
This was what the spectator, saw
when the picture was viewed by
he light of the electrical sIainr
streaming through tic piece Of
glass.
Scene Changes.
But the moment the glass was
taken away, the whole scene
changed quicker than the flick OF
an eye-lash. The wintry aspect
vanished; in its place appeared a
gorgeous summer picture. The
grass of the fields and the leaves
or the trees became a deep green
the zenith became bright blue, and
on the horizon was seen a splendid
sunset with rich red tintings.
Similarly, a revolving star. painted
with. fiuorescent chemicals, showed
merely a blur of black, grey and
white by visible light rays. Bht
the ultraviolet rays changed II
into whirling blaze of beautiful
colored designs that rotated and
flickered like a fanciful kaleido.
scope. These were phenomena OF
fluorescence.
To exhibit phosphorescence, Mr..
Andrews induced an artist friend,
]. Loxton Rawbon. of Kingston.
Ontario, to paint a life-size copy of
Murillo's Virgin Belvedere," using
phosphorescent paints which he
provided. The picture hangs an a
dark room of the laboratory and is
lighted by a mercury arc lamp.
The rays from this lamp are abb
sorbed by the paint, SO that when
the lamp is turned off the picture
of the Virgin continues to shine in
soft and beautiful colors. The ap-
pearance is something like that of
a stained glass window.
Phosphorescent paint has been
used In distinguish ohiects dir,,l .