Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 26th Jan., 1897-Accepted, 3rd Apr., 1897
I, FREDERICK GEORGE EDWARDS of 120 Leighton Road Kentish Town London
lo hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is
o be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
ollowing statement :—
This invention relates to the shape of the atoms' of each of the elements, there being
about seventy now known to chemists.
Twenty tetrahedrons can be built up to form a regular icosahedron. Also seventy
tetrahedrons can be made to form a regular dodecahedron with sunk pyramidal
faces. By the addition of sixty tetrahedrons (five to each pentagonal face) the
dodecahedron is formed with projecting pyramidal faces. Regular tetrahedrons do
not fit exactly but, each tetrahedron is so nearly regular that it may be supposed
each of the elements were created from regular tetrahedrons in a plastic condition..
By the addition or omission of the tetrahedrons in a balanced manner the atoms
of each of the elements can be formed; and it will be seen in all the following
examples that the centre of figure of each built-up atom coincides with its centre
of gravity. The figures are numbered to correspond with the atomic weight of the
atom represented. Two tetrahedrons are equal to one unit of atomic weight.
The atom of hydrogen may he represented by two tetrahedrons placed base to
base. An atom whose atomic weight is 2 may be represented by a central
tetrahedron having a tetrahedron attached to each of its four faces: this may be
the newly-discovered element helium. Fig. 7 (Sheet 1) shows the element, lithium
consisting of an icosahedron with six tetrahedrons omitted; these are indicated by
the hatched facets. Fig.
similarly represents beryllium with two tetrahedrons
omitted in two opposite facets. Fig. 10 represents an unknown volatile metal whose
atom is an icosahedron and which I will provisionally designate icosagon. Fig. 11
shows boron consisting of an icosahedron with two added tetrahedrons projecting
from opposite facets. In all the figures those facets are hatched where the added or
omitted tetrahedrons are not otherwise shown. Fig. 12 shows carbon with four
projecting tetrahedrons. With the models it may be shown that these atoms of
carbon can crystallize in a cubic form. Fig. 14 shows nitrogen with eight, Fig. 16
oxygen with twelve, and Fig. 19 fluorine (No. 1) with eighteen projecting tetrahedrons.
It can be seen how the atoms of fluorine having so many points would mechanically
etch glass when vibrating with heat. An atom could also be formed with twenty
projecting tetrahedrons whose atomic weight would therefore be 20, and which I will
herein designate fluorine No. 2. By adding thirty tetrahedrons to fluorine No. 2
I obtain the element chlorine Fig. 35 consisting of a dodecahedron with sunk
pyramidal faces. That the observed atomic weight of this element is 354 will be
accounted for presently. Sodium magnesium and aluminium of atomic weights 23, 24,
and 27, are formed by additions to fluorine No. 2 of six eight and fourteen
tetrahedrons respectively; while sulphur phosphorus and silicon are formed by the
same tetrahedrons, six eight and fourteen respectively, omitted from the element
chlorine. The three latter elements are represented by Figs. 32 31 and 28.
tetrahedrons omitted in these cases each expose two facets. Fig. 39 shows potassium
similar to chlorine but with eight of the twelve sunk pyramidal faces containing one
projecting tetrahedron. Similarly Fig. 40 shows calcium with ten of the sunk
pyramidal faces containing one projecting tetrahedron.
The

page_text: Looking at any of the figures upside down is equivalent to a back view of the atom.
and by this means the position of the whole of the added or omitted tetrahedrons are
shown by the one drawing.
Fig. 65 shows zinc consisting of 130 tetrahedrons which form a dodecahedron with
projecting pyramidal faces. Copper may be represented by omitting four tetrahedrons
in opposite pairs, Fig. 63. Fig. 56 shows iron which is similar to zinc but with 18 tetra-
hedrons omitted in six triplets. The hatched tetrahedrons of Fig. 32 immediately
above are the bottom tetrahedrons of each of the triplets. Figs. 594 and 59 show
alternative modes of omitting 12 tetrahedrons from the element zinc and these may
represent the atoms of cobalt and nickel. Fig. 55 represents manganese with
20 tetrahedrons omitted; and Fig. 53 shows chromium with 24 tetrahedrons
omitted.
By adding 30 tetrahedrons to zinc (15 towards each pole) we obtain bromine
(Fig. 80) which has twelve sunk pyramidal faces besides a girdle-belt of twenty
triangular facets. Figs. 69, 72, 75, and 79, show the elements gallium, germanium,
arsenic, and selenion, intermediate between zinc and bromine and formed by the
additions to zine of 8. 14, 20, and 26 tetrahedrons respectively.
Fig. 110 (Sheet 2) shows cadmium formed by the addition of 60 tetrahedrons
to bromine in the same way as zinc was formed from chlorine so that the atom of
cadmium has twelve projecting pyramidal faces besides a girdle-belt of twenty
triangular facets. The atomic weight of cadmium is usually considered to be 112:
but as this number is the mean of somewhat discordant experiments (Dumas) I do
not consider it to be necessarily accurate.
Again by adding 34 tetrahedrons to cadmium we obtain iodine (Fig. 125) formed
by adding thirty tetrahedrons towards each of the poles, so that the atom of iodine
has twelve sunk pyramidal faces besides a girdle-belt of 40 triangular facets. It will
be shown presently how the observed atomic weight being 127 can be accounted for.
Fig. 145 shows didymium formed similarly to iodine but with a tetrahedron
attached to each of the 40 facets at the belt.
Fig. 200 shows mercury formed with exactly 400 tetrahedrons by adding 5 to
each of the 12 pentagonal faces of didymium and an additional 50 at the girdle-belt.
The last 50 each expose two facets and cover 20 facets of the 60 tetrahedrons just added,
thus forming a remarkably-shaped atom with sunk pyramidal faces (ten being
triangular and ten rectangular) besides 70 triangular facets.
====
By adding 30 tetrahedrous to mercury an unknown baloid element which we will
call xodine is obtained (Fig. 215) with six sunk pyramidal faces at each pole and a
girdle-belt similar to mercury. If xodine exists it would likely enough be associated
with the other haloids and would affect their observed atomic weights. For instance
if it were combined with chlorine in the proportion of one atom to six of chlorine
(35 × 6)+215
it would make the observed atomic weight
35-4; or if it were
12
combined in the proportion of three atoms to five of iodine whose atomic weight we have
fixed at 125 it would make the observed atomic weight=
=127.
It is plain that the observed atomic weights of other elements may be affected by
the presence of allied elements which have not yet been isolated.
(125×5)+(215 × 3)
10
Gold iridium and platinum may be formed by omissions from the atom of mercury
but osmium from its properties is evidently exceptional, if its atomic weight be
really 199, and a few of its tetrahedrons may be supposed to project beyond the
outline of mercury. Silver ruthenium and rhodium may be formed by omissions
from the atom of cadmium in a similar manner as copper nickel and cobalt have
herein been described by omissions from the atom of zinc. Indium tin and antimony may
be formed by additions to cadmium; and thallium lead and bismuth may be formed
by additions to mercury in an exactly similar manner as gallium germanium and
arsenic were formed by additions to zinc. Rubidium and strontium may be formed

page_text: by additions to the atom of bromine; while cæsium and barium may be formed by
additions to the atom of iodine in a somewhat similar manner to that described for
potassium and calcium formed by additions to the chlorine atom.
Reasoning by analogy from potassium and calcium it would be supposed that the-
atomic weights of rubidium and strontium, cæsium and barium would be 84 and 85,.
129 and 130 respectively and this may actually be the case as there are probably
allied elements of atomic weights 219 and 220 which have not yet been isolated. It
is also possible there is an unknown volatile metal formed by adding 60 tetrahedrons.
to xodine. This element which we will call zadmium would by its formation at the
poles (Fig. 245) be allied to cadınium rather than mercury and may affect the
observed atomic weight of cadmium. If the existence of zadmium were proved it:
would imply the existence of another series of metals intermediate between xodine and
zadmium commencing with the alkali metal before referred to and including thorium.
and uranium. The abnormal atomic weight of osmium may perhaps be explained in
the same manner. The modelling of the atoms of the remaining elements should."
present no difficulty provided their atomic weights have been accurately determined.
The atomic weight of argon has not yet been definitely fixed but it is evidently.
some multiple of ten and it may be represented by icosagon, fluorine, No. 2, or by-.
an alternative arrangement of calcium; or what is quite possible from its neutral..
characteristics it may prove to be a compound of fluorine No. 2 and icosagon.
The numbers arranged in the following table represent the atomic weights of the..
elements arranged to indicate their relative shapes as herein, described. The squares
indicate probable unknown elements and the circles indicate that the observed atomic:
weights are purposely altered for reasons herein specified
1

page_text: accounting for the characteristic colours of elementary substances. The metallic
lustre of metals may evidently be simply accounted for; and possibly also the
characteristic lines produced in the spectrum of each element.
I do not pretend that all the atomic models here shown or described are necessarily
correct especially where there are alternative modes of adding or omitting the
tetrahedrons or even that the atomic weights here assumed are in all cases correct :
these both require to be tested by further observation and experiment.
The models may be cast of metal or plastic material or cut out of wood or any
suitable substance and may be built up wholly or partly by separate tetrahedrons or
the whole model may be formed in one or more pieces; or one half of any atomic
model may be used to show the shape of the whole.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
The forming of models of the atoms of each of the elements substantially as
herein described consisting of tetrahedrons built up into regular forms the general
outline of which is represented by the atoms herein named hydrogen icosagon
fluorine chlorine zinc bromine cadmium iodine didymium mercury xodine and
zadmium.