SOME RECENT TRANSMUTATIONS 



49 



phorus appeared to be accomplished best under proper temperature 

 conditions, according to the following reactions : 



2P -f 5N"H 4 N"0 3 = (PN 2 0) 2 3 + 10H 2 O + 3N 2 . 



This is contrary to Fliickinger's results on " black phosphorus," as the 

 latter regarded this modification as arsenic, it is true, but considered 

 that the phosphorus contained arsenic. Although Fittica claimed that 

 his phosphorus was arsenic-free, Winkler 12 asserted that this could 

 scarcely be the case, according to the work of Wittstock 13 and Hjelt. 14 

 The reaction should be written as follows : 



2P + 5NH 4 N0 3 = 2H 3 P0 4 + 7H 2 + ION. 



Undaunted, Fittica 15 maintained that by varying the conditions anti- 

 mony, as well, could be produced from phosphorus. As the result of 

 the criticisms of Gyzander, 16 Noelting and Feuerstein, 17 Christo- 

 manos, 18 Gerack, 19 Arnold and Murach 20 and Councler 21 Fittica's case 

 has been regarded as not proved. 



With the discovery of the Becquerel rays, eventuating in the isola- 

 tion of radium compounds by the Curies, lines of investigation were 

 opened up leading to truly remarkable disclosures. According to the 

 agreement, certainly radium may be regarded an element, as it has a 

 characteristic spectrum and well-defined atomic weight as recently 

 verified by Madame Curie. 22 



Radium compounds give off an emanation, a gaseous body, as dis- 

 covered by Rutherford. Ramsay assigns it an atomic weight of 216.5, 

 but no definite spectrum has been assigned the emanation, although it 

 has been plotted by Ramsay and Collie. Rutherford and his asso- 

 ciates have shown that the emanation passes through a number of 

 changes giving Radium-A, Radium-B, etc. So far, definite atomic 

 values and spectral data have not been obtained for these transitory 

 disintegration products of the emanation. The lives of some of them 

 are very short. The greatest dignity we may assign them is meta- 

 element. 



The formation of helium from the emanation was first shown by 



"Berichte, 33, 1693 (1900). 



13 Poggendorfs Annalen, 31, 126. 



14 D. P. J., 226, 174. 



16 Chemiker-Zeitung, 24, 561 and 991. 

 18 Chemical News, 82, 210. 



17 Berichte, 33, 2684. 



18 Chemiker-Zeitung, 24, 943. 



19 Chemiker-Zeitung, Repert, 24, 274. 



20 Chemiker-Zeitung, 25, 131. 



21 Ibid., 25, 977 and 1029. 



22 Chemical News, 96, 127 (1907). 



VOL. IiXXII. — 4. 



V 



