232 ANNUAL KEPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1[)25 



RADIUM STATISTICS 



The mines of Joachimstahl up to 1022 had produced 2:'* irranis of 

 radium. We may estimate that the European total up to the begin- 

 ning of the Belgian entrance in the field was about 60 grams. 



All the previous manufacture of radium was greatly surpassed by 

 the American production which amounted almost to a monopoly. 

 According to Mr. K. L. Kithill, one of the directors of the American 

 works at Denver, there had been taken from carnotite IGO to 165 

 grams of radium.^ 



Since the Societe Miniere of Haut Katanga began to put its radium 

 on the market, most of the other Avorks have ceased operations. The 

 great Avorks built by the Americans are idle awaiting the exhaustion 

 of the Belgian minerals before starting up again. We have no in- 

 formation upon the possibility of such a weakening in their pro- 

 duction, since the Societe Miniere of Haut Katanga jealously keeps 

 secret all the results of its prospecting. 



HoAvever that may be, the Avorks at Oolen, from which the first 

 tube of radium appeared on the market in August, 1922, produced 

 that year 15 gi-ams of radium. During the folloAving year they pro- 

 duced at the rate of 4 grams per month, and therefore up to the end 

 of 1924 had produced 11') grams of radium. HoAvever, such a pro- 

 duction is ahead of the market demand and they had to slow up or 

 accumulate reser\'es; in fact, according to the financial journals its 

 sales Avere limited during 1924 to 22 grams. 



From all this, it seems as though Ave Avould be near the truth in 

 stating that the amount of radium actually noAV available, including 

 the Belgian stocks, should be about oOO to 310 grams, having a value 

 of more than 300.000,000 francs. 



In 1923 the hospitals and medical institutions of the United States 

 of America owned a total of more than 120 grams of radium; 

 another much smaller quantity was in the hands of the scientists in 

 the uniA^ersities and scientific institutions. America therefore has 

 more than one-half of the radium available at present. 



If Ave could gather the 300 grams of radium Avhich has been iso- 

 lated, for the purpose of separating its emanation, avc could obtain 

 20 cubic millimeters, susceptible of giving 31 kilogram calories per 

 hour. 



How has the price of radium A^aried? The folloAving table gives 

 the price in dollars per milligram of the elementary radium since 

 1904: 



* These IGvi gnams have betn determined from the amount of radium, sometimes in the 

 .anhydrous and sometimes in Ihc hydrated salt, so that the liirnres should he sensibly 

 reduced as well as all statistics derived from them. 



