THE ALUMNI JOURNAL 19 



Another conception of the atom is, that it is an individualized 

 mass of positive electricity, throughout which is disseminated a 

 great number of specks of negative electricity, otherw^ise called 

 Electrons or Thompson's corpuscles. All of these electrons are fly- 

 ing about furiously within the atom, repelling, encountering, and 

 bombardins: each other in a most terrific manner, but on account of 

 the mass or stroma of positive electricity present around them, 

 they are to a great extent maintained within certain spheres of 

 activity. 



In measurement according to Lodge the electrons are said to be 

 only one-thousandth of the diameter of an atom of Hydrogen. It is 

 estimated that about 800 electrons are present in an atom of Hydro- 

 gen. Thus 800 electrons is the least number that any element can 

 obtain, because Hydrogen is the unit for all chemical considerations. 



The atomic weight of Hydrogen being i, and having for its 

 electronic content 800, then Li. with an atomic weight of 7 would 

 have an electronic content of 5,600. C. being 12 would have 9,600, 

 Sodium at 23 would have 18,400, Br. at 80 would have 6,400, Cae- 

 sium at 132.7 would have 106,160. Bi. at 208 would have 167,120, 

 Uranium at 232 would have 185,600. Radium at 238 would have 

 190,400. As can be readily observed, the greater the atomic weight, 

 the ereater the electronic contents of the atom. In other words, 

 the greater the atomic weight the greater is the atom of that ele- 

 ment, crowded with these flying and bombarding electrons. The 

 elements of low or comparatively low atomic weight, not being 

 excessively crowded with these very active negative particles of 

 electrons, there is not the liability of collision with each other, and 

 consequently the atom is a more stable one, and there is no apparent 

 manifestation of radioactivity. But in the case of those elements 

 having high atomic weights, like L^ranium, Caesium, Thurium and 

 Radium, which have from 100,000 to about 200,000 of these elec- 

 trons, crowded and jammed into one single atom, the collisions, 

 mutual bombardments are so rapid and terrific that the eruption of 

 Vesuvius in its most active state could not be called a circumstance 

 as compared with the state of disturbance which is present within 

 one tiny atom of any of these radioactive elements. 



