Evening star., 1924-03-28

| in pure color upon the screen. Thus
the presence of all the gases in the
sun is differentiated A green light
| Identifies one gas: red light another.
These may be recognized when met
ais with which we are familiar arc
heated white hot, so that they throw
out light, and the color of that light
upon a spectroscope is noted. When
a ray OF the same color is found in
a split-up sunbeam it is known thai
| the sun holds the same metal in a
| gaseous state that we have on earth.
In 1865. during an eclipse OF thS
! sun, Sir William Lockyer saw upon
| his spectroscope a streak of brilliant
yellow light. What was it? No
known metal or gas had made that
same light. 1t came exclusively from
the sun. As the Greek name of the
i sun is "helos." he called this unt
known gas "helium."
Pure science, SO often discounted
iby laymen may eventually lead to ,
! incalculable values For twenty-seyen
| years that yellow streak of the spec
| troscope had no value, because it was
| but scientific puzzle.
:: X X
| In 1895. Sir William Ramsay found
a new element in analyzing uranium.
! IL would not unite with oxygen,
therefore would not burn. When it
was studied in the spectroscope it was
bright yellow light as Jockyer'sI
"helum.' SO the sun metal was
identified upon earth-"the message
of the sun" Radum is now believed
TO be uranium from which the helium
has been given off. The helium re-
mains with the radium when the
uranium is changed to radium, but
when II leaves the radium the latter
becomes lead What alchemist Will
discover means of restoring helium
| to lead and producing radium, tho
| priceless metal which works medici-
nal miracles? Transmutation of the
clements becomes again of live in
terest to scientists. centuries after
the old alchemists had been laughed
out of court.
y = y
II has been demonstrated in receny
years that an atom-formally sup
posed to be the smallest unit OF mat
ter-is really composed of electrons
revolving around a center in orbits
as far from that center, in proper
tion to their size, as are the earth
and the other planets from the sun.
Now it is found that the helium
atoms are infinitely small and can be
so charged with electricity that they
will lombard those speeding electrons
and knock them ont of their orbits
into new combinations, CONSTITUTING
new substances. Let the skeptic AZ
Ramsay, Soddy or Rutherford, or the
scientists OF the United States bureau
of standards.
X x Il x
Heliurn has been liquefed by KAN
nerlingh Onnes of Leyden by reduc-
ing its temperature to 8 degrees
Fahrenheit from absolute zero"
Onnes has further reduced the tenn
perature to L degree above absolute
zero" hoping to solidify it, but witN
out success. 1t boils when it is owe r
| ) degrees above absolute zero, but
while it is that chilly il has been
! used to cool a metal ring around
which a current of electricity was
was kept DOWN to that OF liquid
| helium, the electricity kept up a
, perpetual motion" running around
l'that ring.
Absolute zero" is the temperature
| of the earth if all the heat of the
! grees centigrade. or $50 degrees Fahren-
| heit below ordinary zero.
! Since heuum will not oxfdize. il
! will not burn. From that quality will
/ como its availability in practical af-
; fairs. The maximum capacity of cleo
| trio generators is limited by the point
at which they heat. Air-cooline of
: tho generators has a. certain oxidEzine-
! effect. deleterfous to some metals. Ry
1 encasing generators and putting them.
| inside of their cases, in an atmosphere
OF helium gas, 1t will be possible to
] keep them cool and so double their
electric generating capacity.
Copyright, 1924. by Paul v. Collinal