Evening star., 1937-12-11

few years ago, the atom OF matter
was pictured as a miniature solar sys-
tenn with central sun made up Of
protons, or positively charged particles,
and electrons tightly bound together
and with various numbers of outer
electrons revolving around it as pla-
nets revolve around the sun. The pro-
ton and the electron, the former hav-
ing almost million times the mass
Of the latter, were the only known
fundamental particles. Then came the
discovery of the neutron, of the same
mass as the proton but neither posi-
| lively nor negatively charged, which
| was contained in the atomic nucleus.
Still later came the discovery of the
positron, or positively charged electron.
Makes Lead Into Gold.
The neutron especially has had far
reaching practical results, making
possible for the first time the realiza-
ton OF the ancient dream of the al
chemists Of transmitting the elements
including the changing of lead into
gold on a very small scale and at a
tremendous expense. Neutron bom-
bardment also may have important
results in the field of medicine.
Physicists long since has given up
the classical idea of the indestructi-
bility of matter and of the indestruc-
tibility Of energy, since it has been
proven that matter can be trans
formed into energy and since there is
high probability that energy in turn
| can be transformed into matter under
conditions that cannot be duplicated
on earth.
But they have clung tenacious,s to
the idea Of the indestructibllity of
| matter-energy-that the sum of both
which enters physical process must
come out again, either as one or the
other. That is, nothing in creation
can be completely destroyed.
An apparent contradiction Of this
found in the Washington laboratory
In transmutation of the element
lithium by bombarding it with deuteron,
or nuclei of heavy hydrogen atoms,
would be overcome perfectly by the
| existence of neutrino-a particle
without any electrical charge and of
very small mass, perhaps even smaller
than an electron.
Basic List Grows.
Everything in creation, physicists
at the Carnegie exhibition today fol-
| lowing the annual report to the trus-
| tees yesterday pointed out, can now
be considered as built up out of six
or seven basic things, instead Of the
two known a decade ago. Discovery
of each in turn has been attended
by notable practical and theoretical
results.
At the same time science has been
| forced to give up the classical picture
| Of the atom as altogether a system
of material, infinitely minute par
ticles. While they are the basic blocks
of everything material, they them
selves seem to have the properties of
energy waves.
The primary particles of matter
now stand as follows:
The electron-a particle carrying
a single negative electrical charge.
There are approximately 5000, ,0OO.-
0oo. 900, ,000, ,000, 600. .000, ,0oO, 900 u h
particles in an ounce.
The proton-a particle carrying a
single positive electrical charge, There
are approximately 10000, 900 900 ,000,-
600, 900, ,000,0 900 protons in an ounce.
The neutron-identical with the
proton in weight but without any elec-
trical charge.
Positive "Electron."
| The positron-identical with the
electron in weight but with a single
positive instead Of negative electrical
charge.
The neutrino?-a hypothetical par.
ticle carrying no electrical charge
and, If it has any mass at all, pre-
sumably equivalent to the electron
and the positron. Some physicists
have toyed with the paradoxical idea
OF a material particle without any
mass at all.
| The negative proton?-presumably
identical in mass with the positive
proton and reported today by DR.. Rob-
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results of cosmic ray measurements.
The X-particle?-presumably with
about one-half the mass of the positive
proton and assumed by Anderson anc
Neddermeyer to explain anomalous re.
suits Of other cosmic ray experiment.
in DR.. Millikan's laboratory. TIL.
X-particle and the negative protpr
may be identical, or they may be tw,
hitherto unknown primary units o1
the physical universe.
| The photon, or corpuscle of light
. package Of energy" not considered
as possessing mass and whose energ,
varies according to the wave-lengtt
of the radiation.
| Out Of these units, combined in al
sorts Of connguratpns, everything il
the universe Is made. While the pos.
sibility Of other sub-atomic units
perhaps sub-units of those namet
above, is not exhausted, no substan'
tial evidence of their existence hal
been obtained to date.