﻿172 
  ANNUAL 
  EEPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  192 
  9 
  

  

  we 
  compare 
  the 
  hydrogen 
  atom 
  to 
  a 
  penny-in-the-slot 
  machine, 
  nothing 
  

   less 
  than 
  500-poimd 
  notes 
  will 
  work 
  the 
  radioactive 
  nuclei. 
  

  

  Yet 
  radiation 
  of 
  the 
  wave 
  lengths 
  just 
  mentioned 
  ought 
  to 
  be 
  just 
  

   as 
  effective 
  in 
  rearranging 
  the 
  nucleus 
  of 
  radium-jB 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  

   longer 
  wave 
  length 
  is 
  effective 
  in 
  rearranging 
  the 
  hydrogen 
  atom. 
  

   At 
  least 
  such 
  radiation 
  ought 
  to 
  precipitate 
  the 
  disintegration 
  of 
  

   radium-i?. 
  Whether 
  it 
  could 
  ever 
  be 
  effective 
  in 
  forming 
  radium-5 
  

   out 
  of 
  radium-(7 
  and 
  atoms 
  of 
  helium 
  (or 
  a- 
  and 
  /3-particles) 
  is 
  a 
  

   somewhat 
  different 
  question; 
  possibly 
  other 
  conditions 
  of 
  which 
  

   nothing 
  is 
  known 
  must 
  be 
  fulfilled 
  in 
  addition 
  to 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  

   radiation 
  of 
  the 
  appropriate 
  wave 
  length. 
  

  

  Probably 
  also 
  the 
  radioactive 
  nuclei, 
  like 
  those 
  of 
  nitrogen 
  and 
  

   oxygen, 
  could 
  be 
  broken 
  up 
  by 
  a 
  sufficiently 
  intense 
  bombardment, 
  

   although 
  the 
  experimental 
  evidence 
  on 
  this 
  point 
  is 
  not 
  very 
  definite. 
  

   If 
  so, 
  each 
  bombarding 
  particle 
  would 
  have 
  to 
  bring 
  to 
  the 
  attack 
  

   energy 
  equal 
  at 
  least 
  to 
  that 
  of 
  one 
  quantum 
  of 
  the 
  radiation 
  in 
  

   question, 
  and 
  this 
  requires 
  it 
  to 
  move 
  with 
  an 
  enormously 
  high 
  

   velocity. 
  

  

  In 
  passing, 
  we 
  may 
  notice 
  that 
  processes 
  of 
  the 
  general 
  type 
  we 
  

   have 
  just 
  been 
  discussing 
  form 
  the 
  hope 
  of 
  those 
  modern 
  alchemists 
  

   who 
  aspire 
  to 
  obtain 
  gold 
  by 
  the 
  transmutation 
  of 
  other 
  metals. 
  In 
  

   its 
  widest 
  form, 
  their 
  ambition 
  is 
  to 
  combine 
  the 
  electrons 
  and 
  protons 
  

   of 
  base 
  metals 
  with 
  the 
  third 
  atomic 
  ingredient, 
  namely, 
  electromag- 
  

   netic 
  energy, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  form 
  atoms 
  of 
  gold. 
  Any 
  success 
  they 
  may 
  

   achieve 
  will 
  probably 
  result 
  in 
  a 
  gain 
  of 
  knowledge 
  to 
  abstract 
  science 
  

   rather 
  than 
  of 
  wealth 
  to 
  themselves, 
  since 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  ingredients 
  they 
  

   must 
  necessarily 
  use, 
  namely, 
  energy 
  or 
  radiation, 
  is 
  so 
  expensive 
  as 
  

   to 
  render 
  the 
  final 
  product 
  excessively 
  costly. 
  It 
  would 
  need 
  at 
  least 
  

   an 
  appreciable 
  fraction 
  of 
  an 
  ounce 
  of 
  energy 
  to 
  produce 
  an 
  ounce 
  of 
  

   gold, 
  and 
  with 
  electric 
  power 
  at 
  even 
  a 
  farthing 
  per 
  unit, 
  energ}^ 
  

   and 
  radiation 
  cost 
  11,000,000 
  pounds 
  per 
  ounce. 
  Whatever 
  the 
  

   gold 
  standard 
  may 
  have 
  to 
  fear 
  on 
  the 
  political 
  side, 
  it 
  would 
  appear 
  

   to 
  be 
  thoroughly 
  impregnable 
  on 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  physics 
  and 
  chem- 
  

   istry. 
  

  

  Every 
  wave 
  length 
  of 
  radiation 
  has 
  a 
  definite 
  temperature 
  associated 
  

   with 
  it, 
  namely, 
  the 
  temperature 
  at 
  which 
  radiation 
  of 
  this 
  particular 
  

   wave 
  length 
  is 
  most 
  abundant. 
  We 
  recognize 
  this 
  when 
  we 
  speak 
  of 
  

   a 
  red 
  heat 
  or 
  a 
  white 
  heat, 
  and, 
  although 
  we 
  do 
  not 
  do 
  so, 
  we 
  might 
  

   quite 
  legitimately 
  speak 
  in 
  the 
  same 
  way 
  of 
  an 
  ultra-violet 
  heat 
  or 
  an 
  

   X-ray 
  heat. 
  The 
  wave 
  length 
  and 
  the 
  associated 
  temperature 
  are 
  

   connected 
  through 
  the 
  well-known 
  relation 
  : 
  

  

  xr= 
  0.2885 
  cm. 
  degree 
  

  

  