The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1922-02-24
Dream of Scientists for a Thou
sand Years Achieved by
DR.. Rutherford.
FAR : REACHING POSSIBILITIES
Remarkable Result Of Bombarding Nj
trogen Gas With the Alpha Rays Of
Radium = May Supply Unlimited
Power.

New York.-The trahsmutatiOn of
elements the dream of both charla-
tanS and scientists for nearly thou
sand years, has actually been accom-
plisbed by the recent work Of Sir
Ernest Rutherford, and his results are
generally accepted by scientists and
physicists, according to DR.. James
Kendall, associate professor Of chem
istry ut Columbia. who said, on the
other hand, that there was pot the
slightest reason to believe that the
Germans had accomplished their re-
ported feat of making synthetic gold.
Nitrogen, sodium. aluminium, chlor-
Inc, oxygen and carbon have been
transmitted. or broken up by Ruther-
ford Into hydrogen and helium, ac-
cording to DR.. Kendall.
! This was first accomplished. accord
ing to the claims of Rutherford, by
bombarding nitrogen gas with the al
Dha rays of radium. These so-called
rays are heliun atoms which are flung
out of the exploding radium atom with
an energy incomparably greater than
any pro1ectile produced artificially.
The velocity of this atom would take
1t around the world in slightly less
than a second, and the power of the
exploding atom, In proportion to size,
Is something like million times
greater than that of trinitrotoluol.
Result Of Chemical Collision.
The radium was placed so as to
drive the alpha particles into nitrogen
gas. When the alpha particle had a
head-on collision with nitrogen atom
1t tore II to pieces, so II Is asserted.
The atom supposedly has structure
somewhat resembling the solar sys-
TEN. It's center is nucleus of posi-
tive electricity, resembling the sun of
the solar system, and this is surround
ed by electrons. or charges of mega
tive electricity, presumably whirling
about the nucleus, as the planets whrl
about the sun,
The alpha particle Is believed TO
produce such disruption In the atom
as might occur. for instance. IL an
other star Of the dimensions of the
sun tore through our system, hit the
sun directly and drove II off into
space. causing the planets to shoot off
In all directions.
This occurs on scale In the neigh
borhood Of the billionth part of n
billlonth Of an inch. but 1t can be
partly measured. The alpha particles
thrown Off by radium produce scin-
citations when they strike screen. of
zinc sulphide within certain distance.
When they were used to lombard nj
trogen scintllations took place at
greater distances from the radium
than the alpha particle could alone
produce.
BY his study Of these scintillations
fr. Rutherford was able to prove TO
the ratisfaction Of men Of science gen
orally that new products were devel-
Cped by the SCATTERING Of the nitro
gen atoms and that these products
we're hydrogen and helium, atoms. His
experiments have all been in the way
Of disorganizing the more complex
atoms into simpler ones. The trans
mutation OF atoms with simple struc-
lures into those with more complex
ones has not been achieved.
Or. Kendall on Rutherford.
"RutherfDrd has reduced nitrogen.
aluminium. chlorine and sodium to hy-
drOgen and helium." said DR.. Ken
dali "He has also produced helium
atoms by tearing oxygen and carbon
10 pieces. bAt hydrogen has not re-