The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-06-18
NEW DISCOVERIES
STARTLE: EUROPE
Two Great Dreams of Sci
ence May Be Realized
by EngGshman

PARIS VIII two great
dreams Of the scientific world one
of ancient science and one of mod
ern scieuce--be realized through the
work Of one man?
VIII the hope OF medieval al
chemists to change base metals into
gold--termed "crozy" by all schools
of up-to-date hemlstry-become
once more q recognized possibility?
VIII atomic energy, more power
full and more full of possibility for
good and for evil than any other
force yet known to man, be leashed
ns steam and electricity have been
leashed, each in its turn?
The scientific world OF Europe.
most conservative in the world, has
had its entire point OF view violently
revolutionized by the discoveries OF
an EnElishman. Sir Ernest Ruther-
ford. which Charles Nordmann.
writing in the Matin. characterizes
as more important for the future OF
humanity than anything Lloyd
George ever did or ever could do.
II has been determined that the
atoms which go to make up chemi-
cal ements--oXygen sulphur. lead.
iron, gold and so forth-are not
composed Of essentially different
material, as hitherto supposed. but
Of the same basic substance. differ
emily arranged. Each atom is like
a little solar system, with a central
sun known as the nucleus of the
atom around which revolve little
worlds known as electrons. which
are identical in all elements
Rutherford has discovered that
the atomic nucleus is made up, in
the case OF heavy elements, OF an
extremely stable-that is, unchange-
able-YhiXture OF nuclei OF hydrogen
and Of helium. the latter four times
as heavy as the former.
II appears to he, therefore, the
number of these heli"m nuclei that
determines the atomic weight Of the
metal, and, az is well known. each
metal has its own definite atomic
weight.
These atomic nuclei of which we
speak, each sun in its own solar
system, have. I'm heavy metals, a
diameter of less than a ten-thou-
sandth Of mlllionth of a millimo-
ter, which is about a five -millonth
of the diameter of the entire atom.
Rutherford experimental to try
to disorganiZe one OF these tiny So
lar systems. He determined to shoot
II to pieces. II took him long time
TO find Little Bertha" small
enough for the bombardment.
Finally he hit upon the element
known as radium alpha. The cleo
| irons of this element travel at a
| rate of more than nine thousand
miles a second, or 10000 times the
| speed of a rifle ball. Mass to mass
| the energy released by this element
/ is four hundred million times that
/ OF n rifle ball.
Rutherford. by means of a highly
/ technical and ingenious instrument
which he invented and which might
/ be called his gun" managed to
| shoot the radium clectrOns at the
atomic nuclei OF various elements
/ He succeeded in changing the
makeup OF those of six elements:
/ nitrogen, boron, flourine. sodium,
| aluminium and phosphorus.
In the case Of aluminium Ruther-
! ford actually succeeded in releasing
/ atomic energy, the most powerful
| force in the universe, so far as t.
! known.
In addition, he so broke down the
character OF the element that his
experiment was practically the
transmutation so painfully and
vainly attempted by the alchemists
OF yore He proved at least that the
heavier metals can be lightened
perhaps changed into lighter metals
and opened the way for the discov-
cry In the future OF a way 10 ac-
complish the reverse.
Modern economies teaches that Il
manufacture gold is a false ideal
the gold would quickly become val
ueless. II IS, therefore, rather
Rutherford's contribution 10 the ef-
fort TO chain atomic energy and the
chemical as philosophical dcduc-
tions which can be made from his
discoveries that are Of real value
and which the scientific world Is