Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-19

For DR.. Donald H. Andrews of
Johns Hopkins University has tranSpoSed the
vibrations Of chemical atoms, written them
music and played them modernistic musical
chords and runs.
The melody of the gasoline that runs your
auto is frankly reminiscent Of jazz-it reminds
one Of the Rhapsody in Blue"
water, played by Dr. Andrews, is a pleasing
ripple on the upper notes of the piano, like
waterfall, clear and sparkling.
and seductive
Every chemical substance sings song of its
own which can be written and played as music.
BY this fact new source OF thematic material
is opened up to the composer.
BY reversing the process the skeptical chemist
may find that favorite melodies or chords can
be translated into chemical fOrmulae.
The analysis Of familiar music, In the light
Of Dr. Andrews idea, should give interesting
results. It may be that the love songs Of q
Mozart opera are the transposed spectra Of
sugar. and that the agonized discords Of
Strauss merely depict the chemistry Of
stomach ache The passion Of a Wagner scene
may turn out to be . powerful drug.
One Of the most important fields Of scientific
research today Is the probing Of the chemical
constitution Of matter In this sector Of science
DR.. Andrews has been working He has been
studying the way in which substances are put
together, how the separate atoms Of their mole
cules vibrate when they give on light end
other radiations.
Every httIe atom has vibrations all It's own.
The rainbow spanning the Summer sky gives
scientific evidence Of the vibrations Of the
atoms.
Every color Of light has its own period Of
vibration. The many -hued bands In the rain-
bow, which is q natural spectrum, each originate
In matter Of certain vibration rates.
Artificial rainbows are produced when Light
passes through triangular piece Of glass like
the ornaments on old-fashioned chandeliers.
Closely inspected these spectra show lines
running across them.
PHYSICISTS have given lot Of attention TO
those lines, for they give a means Of telling
what sort of vibrations are going on in the light
and in the substance they come FROM They
can be photographed and thus recorded.
spectrum photograph is a sort Of finger
print Of the lght-producing atom or molecule.
Each line or color in the spectrum corresponds
to a definite rate Of vibration in the substance.
Different colored lights differ only in frequency
or number Of vibrations.
BY measuring the distance between the va
rious lines the scientist can tell exactly what
contortions the parts of the nght-emitting
molecule are undergoing.
Several methods of cross questioning the
molecule are employed. DR.. Andrews has been
especially Interested in the kind Of spectrum
that recently won the Nobel prize for its dis
coverer-Sir Chandrasekhara v. Raman.
Raman used the idea that Q substance may
reveal its secrets more easily under the influence
Of light not It's own. This method has the
advantage Of telling about the vibrations Of
whole atoms which form part Of the molecule.
The Raman spectrum Of alcohol, for instance,
ID the rainbow scattered from the substance
when strong hight from . mercury arc or other
lamp plays ON It.
The lines Of the mercury spectrum are found
Do have shifted because Of the action q the
alcohOl molecules on the mercury light The
amount Of the Sl1ift gives o measure Of the