Evening star., 1937-09-07
STARS, MEN AND ATOMS
Notebook of Science Progress in Field.
Laboratory and Study.
BY THOMAS X. HENRY.

A newly found radioactive element
bare traces Of which exist in Nature. NAV
be essential in the growth process OF
living things.
A finding of potentially far-reaching
Importance was reported to the Ameri-
can Chemical Society, meeting in Ro-
chester, N. Y, yesterday by DR.. A. Keith
Brewer Of the Department OF Agricul-
ture. DR.. Brewer. a member of the staff
of the fixed nitrogen laboratory at
American University, has been deter
mining, by means of device known as
the mass spectroscope, the relative
abundance Of different forms of the
abundant element potassium in Nature
He found that the radioactive form
of potassium is more than normally
abundant in certain animal and plant
tissues, especially during the period of
growth and development. While he did
not attempt to interpret his findings
there Is possibility that he may have
hit upon Natures growth dynamo.
and T. Ivan Taylor of Columbia Uni
versity announced the discovery of q
chemical method by means of which q
five per cent increase in the normal con-
centration of this radioactive potassium
can be obtained in the laboratory, thus
making possible q more intensive study
OF its properties.
The two developments together may
0F
in biological chemistry with the intro
duction of an element in the mechan-
ism of life hitherto unsupported.
Potassium is one of the 90 elements
the irreducible materials from which all
things are formed.
1t is abundantly distributed in the
earth and is one Of the essentials of
fertilizers. This element is one of the
chief ingredients of potash, from which
1t derives its name. Potash is abundant
in wood ashes, the fertilizing value of
which is we'll known to all gardeners
and which used to have a wide use in
soap making. The wood was burned in
q pot-hence the name potash"
1t long has been known that the ele-
ment is essential to life. 1t constitutes
the most abundant alkali substance in
~SSAA PiAAeo oiAN oiiiiAdio. Olllll lCSClltiy
1t was supposed that there was only one
Kind of potassium-that is that all potas-
SUM atoms had the same weight, ap-
proximately 80 times that of the basic
atom OF hydrogen. Within the past few
years it has been found to exist in three
forms-potassum 80, which is by far the
most abundant: the far rarer potassium
81, and the extremely rare potassium 40.
The last, however scarce, is of ex-
ceptional Importance. 1t is one of the
radioactive elements, shooting off two
electrons to become the familiar potas-
SUM SO. Potassium Al also may be
mildly radioactive. 1t is akin to uran-
ium, actinium, thorium and radium,
which have played SO important a part
IN the history Of the earth and the life
upon it.
DR.. Brewers essential contribution by
means OF the mass spectroscope at the
Department of Agriculture laboratory
has been the finding that these different
kinds OF potassium are uneuually dis
tr1buted in Nature. The ratio OF potas-
SUM 80 to potassium Al in the earth is
approximately IA to one. There is
considerable increase of al" in sea
water, still further increase in sea
weed and still more in animal bone
tissue
In some way, it is apparent, living