Evening star., 1949-02-11
Stars, Men and Atoms
Exploding Oxygen Found
In Atomic Experiments
Discovery May Open the Door
to New Forms of Elements
By Thomas r. Henry

A new exploding form of oxygen. the gas
of life, which shoots out atomic cannon balls
has just been produced in Atomic Energy
Commission laboratories.
1t Is of particular significance because It
is the result of a new natural phenomenon
which the commissions physicists cannot
understand. but which may open the doors
to many new forms of elements.
OF all the oxygen in creation. 99.8 per
cent is OILS. This is an absolutely stable
form, the breathing of which is essential
to plant and animal life. Within the last
few years. however, five other forms have
ben identified One. O-18. constitutes all
the remaining two-tenths per cent. It also
is a stable form. but can be separated due
to its greater weight and has proved Of great
value in biological studies
New Isotope Discovered.
There are the mereSt traces of the other
four forms. Two Of them are radioactive.
After short life span they emit electrons
with weak velocities and change into other
elements Among the oxygen isotopes listed
has ben O-17. constituting less than two
hundredths of per cent of the total abun-
dance of the element. 1t is altogether too
rare to be of any use whatsoever 1t Is nom
radioactive and presumably the minute
traces in existence will remain the same
forever
In the commissions radiation laboratory
at the University of California. physicists
bombarded the heavier element f1uorine
with deuterons the nuclei of the atoms OF
heavy hydrogen. The result was trans
mutation into radioactive form Of nitro
gen. the gas which constitutes the greater
part OF the earth's atmosphere. This trans
mutation was expected, but the next step
amazed the experimenters.
The nitrogen quickly decayed into a new
type of oxygen. 1t has precisely the same
weight as the entirely stable OH of nature.
but 1t was strongly radioactive and instead
OF feeble electrons it shot out heavy neutrons
OF the same sort produced in atomic fission.
An entirely new type of sotope had been
discovered. 1t might be the start of long
chain of radioactive substances of the same
weight as stable substances. producible by q
new kind of transmutation.
Neutron Emitters Rare.
For the present, the commissions physi-
ciSts are concerned primarily with finding
out what happens. At the best they can
hope to produce only barely measurable
traces of the new form of exploding oxygen.
and whether it will ever be of value in bio
logical experiments is somewhat question:
able.
In all the long list of radioactive isotopes
produced since the commissions atomic
ovens went into operation. neutron emitters
are very rare. There is no other instance
among the lighter elements.
In the same laboratory. the commission
reports. another entirely new phenomenon
has been found which as yet defes any logi-
cal explanation. Various elements when
bombarded with protons. the heavy posi-
lively charged particles of the atomic nu-
cleus. begin to shoot off nuclei of heavy hy-
drogen. This may open the way to new means
Of transmutation and the production of other
unexpected substances like the new radio
active oxygen II.