INFLUENCED BY RADIUM. CREIGHTON 47 



the influence of radium, where the content of glucose tends 

 toward a constant asymptotic value, the simplest explanation is 

 that the new product is not being formed, and we have an ordin- 

 ary example of equilibrium between the amygdalin and its 

 products of decomposition. If the new product is being 

 formed two suggestions present themselves to account for the 

 continued constancy of the glucose present: (1) that the rate of 

 formation of the new substance is very small, but that in time 

 the numbers in column five of the table would begin to drop 

 also; (2) that the whole system reaches a state of equilibrium, 

 and the amount of glucose will remain constant however long 

 the time. 



In order to ascertain whether the glucose was transformed 

 into a simple substance or a complex one, by the action of 

 radium, the effect of the latter on solutions of glucose in Water 

 and dilute hydrochloric acid, and on solutions of pure cane 

 sugar in dilute hydrochloric acid was next studied. 



Solutions of glucose and cane sugar of various strengths 

 were experimented upon for different lengths of time, the 

 change being measured by means of the polari scope. It was 

 found that in no case was the change in the solution under the 

 action of radium any different from that which was not 

 influenced by radium, which seemed to show that the substance 

 into which the glucose was changed in the amygdalin solution 

 was not likely a simple one. 



Action of Radium on Brass. 



As has been mentioned before, the radium used in these 

 experiments was enclosed in a narrow glass tube, which was 

 held in the end of a hollow brass rod. The radium had been 

 kept in this brass rod for about a year previous to these experi- 

 ments. Some time after being nlaced there it w r as observed 

 that the end of the brass rod, at which the radium was, began to 

 be discoloured, and finally turned a deep grey. This discoloura- 



