Evening star., 1941-07-05
Of Stars, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Laboratory, Field
And Study
By Thomas r. Henry.

There is about s25 1000, 900 900 100000
worth of gold, at present prices, in the
| sea
| For billion years it has been washed
from the continents and entered into
| solution in sea water with a concentra-
ton of a few parts per billion. A recent
| estimate is that every cubic mile of the
| oceans contains, on an average, $25 000,-
900 worth
This gold can be extracted, but at
| cost at least five-fold the value of the
| precious metal recovered The system
| used has been essentially that of electro
| plating. An electric current is passed
| through water and the gold is supposed
| to collect at the cathode, or negative
| terminal. The success has been so slight
and the cost so heavy that most efforts
| to gather the oceans rich harvest have
been abandoned after a few months.
One trouble has been that the con-
centration of gold at the cathode was
far less than was expected. Now comes
Prof. Colin G. Fink of Columbia Uni
verSity, a member of the Division of
Chemistry of the National Research
Council, with a report to the American
Chemical Society of a discovery which
brings the successful extraction of gold
a step nearer.
DR.. Fink sought the reason for the
disappearance Of the gold and discovered
for the first time that when this metal
passes out of or into solution two dis
iciIo ia
IN solution first goes into infinitely small
particleS-so-called "colloidal gold"-and
only later into crystalline gold, the form
in which it is generally known The
electroplatlng method has failed be-
cause the gold was taken out of the
water in collodal form and dropped away
from the cathode before it had time to
become crystallized, so that it could be
recognized and recovered as a metal.
With the process understood, DR.. Fink
says, the remaining problem is to find
some inexpensive way of Transforming
the colloidal gold into the crystalline
form. He now is experimenting with
high frequency currents and also with
electron bombardment of the cathode, a
system which has been developed in
Ankara, Turkey.
An electrochemical method" DR..
Fink reports, now arrests and definitely
Identifies the intermediate. colloidal
state of gold. Aside from the funda-
mental, theoretical significance Of this
discovery there are a number of prac-
teal results to be expected. We have
advanced one step closer TO the COM
mercial recovery of gold from sea water"
There are natural panic starters who
must be kept out of the Army
They have been recognized in most
European armies-eSpecially the Ger
man-as the most dangerous sort of
soldiers. according to a report by DR..
William H. Dunn of Cornell Medical
College of a study conducted under a
Macy Foundation grant
They are very difficult to detect, says
Dr.. Dunn, since many Of them are
superior physical specimens and have
good intelligence. About the only means
Of diagnozing such cases open to draft
board physicians or Army officers is a
thorough knowledge of the past histories,
which is seldom at hand
These "psychopaths. he says, "are
of particular Importance in the type of
warfare that is now being waged They
have great capacity for spreading
psychic infection among both troops
and civilians. Entire detachments can
fall into the trap of panic set by their
dissemination of dangerous suggestions
growing out of their impreSsionability
In the state of psychic tension which
the enemy now tries to produce among
the opposing armies and civil popula-
ton these persons serve a most useful
purpose The pathological liars and
swlndlers also are apt to play an i'm
portant role in the general state of
credullty and lack of critical judgment
which the enemy tries so hard to pro-
duce before pressing home their attack
They may be almost as effective as
enemy agents and, of course, may be-
come such, though probably not very
dependable ones"
In actual fighting they NAV constitute
even graver danger, DR.. Dunn points
out. They are explosive and excitable.
They may, "by impulsive dare deviltry,
careleSsneSS, or simply resentment of
restriction draw fire that will endanger
their comrades or cause the loss. by
their undisciplined behavior, of valuable
military equipment. At other times this
same impressionability or excitability
may produce illusions or hallucinations
OF danger with consequences that may
actually be dangerous to their fellow
soldiers. This may be particularly true
While they are out in listening posts
during raids. These same traits make
it extremely difficult for them to stand
long stretches of trench or position war
fare. At times the monotony NAV drive
them into extraordinary carelessness, At
others they may become so unable to
bear the situation that they attempt
desertion in the face of the enemy or
make suicidal attempts"
DR.. Dunn has searched German mill
tary literature to find out what is done
with them in the Reich armies. Those
who have a predominantly cheerful
mood, some of the German authorities
stress, may be useful under skillful and
understanding leadership as shock
troops, but they qualify this by saying
that their unreliability and capricious-
ness cannot be underestimated Such a
man may be decorated for bravery one
day and court martialed for cowardice
foI,l l.. l.;