82 SCIENCE PROGRESS 



radium salts enclosed in glass, may be summarised briefly. 

 Becquerel has shown that yellow phosphorus changes into the 

 red modification, while mercuric chloride, in presence of oxalic 

 acid, undergoes reduction. Hardy and Wilcocks have found that 

 iodine is liberated from iodoform. The former has noticed that 

 globulin is coagulated ; Dryer and Hanssen state that, of a 

 large number of proteins examined, only vitellin is coagulated. 

 Jorissen and Ringer have shown that hydrogen and chlorine 

 combine slowly; Berthelot has proved that iodine is liberated 

 from iodic acid, though not to such an extent as from iodoform. 

 Nitric acid is decomposed. Creighton and Mackenzie have just 

 published an account of their research on hydriodic acid, in 

 which they show that /3 rays increase the rate of decomposition. 

 If the /? rays are absorbed, the 7 rays remaining produce a 

 greater effect, but neither light nor /S rays produces any effect 

 in absence of oxygen. 



The action of a and /8 rays on glass and precious stones with 

 production of colour changes and phosphorescence has been 

 dealt with sufficiently in Part I. 



The Curies observed that oxygen is converted into ozone. 

 The statement has been repeatedly confirmed. The action is 

 probably to be attributed to a particles. So also is the pro- 

 duction in small quantity of hydrogen peroxide in water con- 

 taining emanation dissolved in it (Ramsay and Cameron). 



Ramsay has noticed that dry oxygen in contact with mercury 

 attacks it when emanation is present. Moist oxygen does not. 

 The phenomenon is, no doubt, connected with the formation 

 of ozone. 



Ramsay and Cameron have just published a detailed account 

 of the action of radium emanation on water and on certain 

 gases. The apparatus was a modification of that shown in 

 fig. 2 ; the capillary tube l was replaced by a measuring tube 

 such as those shown in fig. 3, a and b. 



The emanation, along with excess of hydrogen, was separated 

 from the radium bromide solution as previously described. 

 With the liquid or gas on which its action was to be 

 tested, it was frozen solid at — 185 in the bulb j, by means 

 of liquid air ; the excess of hydrogen was pumped away. An 

 alternative method was to add the emanation directly to the 

 pure gas under observation, along with hydrogen or oxygen, 

 according as one or other of these was among the products of 



