Jii.v, 1912. 



KNOWLEDGE. 



257 



water.* After removing the copper, spectroscopic 

 analysis revealed the presence of a considerable 

 quantity of Sodium, together with traces of Lithium. 

 In the case of copper nitrate the gas obtained showed 

 the presence of .Argon, but no Helium. 



.\nother series of experiments have been carried 

 out by Sir William Ramsay alone and in conjunction 

 with Mr. F. L. Usher on the action of Niton on 

 solutions of compounds (not containing carbon) of 

 Silicon, Titanium, Zirconium, Thorium and Lead.t 

 In everv case, save that of lead, carbon dioxide was 

 produced. Sir William Ramsay also obtained carbon 

 dioxide bv the action of Niton on a solution of 

 bismuth perchlorate. 



In all these cases it will be noted that the element 

 obtained is of a lighter atomic weight than that 

 which is disintegrated, and that, save in the case 

 of the transmutation of bismuth into carbon, the 

 element produced is always one occurring in the same 

 column of the Periodic Table as that from which it is 

 obtained. Thus Helium (3-99>, Neon (20-2), Argon 

 (39-88). and Niton (222-4) occur together in 

 column 0; Lithium (6-94), Sodium (23-00), and 

 Copper (63-57) in column 1 : and Silicon (28-3). 

 Titanium (48-1), Zirconium i')0-6), and Thorium 



(232 • 0) in column 4. No case has yet been observed 

 in which an element appears to be transmuted into 

 one of higher atomic weight ; though there is no 

 inherent reason, if we can "degrade" elements, 

 w hv we should not be able to build them up. 



Professor Rutherford and Mr. Royds, who have 

 also examined the action of Niton on water, question 

 the validity of Sir William Ramsay's conclusions, 

 and suggest that the presence of Neon in his 

 experiments was due to leakage of air into the 

 apparatus, t But in a further experiment by Ramsay, 

 described at a recent meeting of the Chemical 

 Society, the quantity of Neon obtained, compared 

 with that of .\rgon, was far in excess of what 

 would have been present had it been due only 

 to leakage. No one can read the accounts of 

 Sir William Ramsay's experiments without being 

 impressed by the careful attention bestowed to those 

 small details whose neglect spells error. The first 

 step onl\- has been made into a new realm of science, 

 and no doubt conclusions will have to be modified 

 as progress is made. But, taken as a whole, these 

 experiments do indicate that the transmutation of 

 the elements is not merely an idle dream, as was at 

 one time supposed. 



■' Journal of the Chemical Society. Vol. XCI (1907), pages 1593 et seq. The transmutation of copper into lithium is disputed 



by Madame Curie and Mademoiselle Gleditsch. 



+ Journal of the Chemical Society 11909), Vol. XCV, pages 624 et seq.: and Chemical Neu-s (1909), Vol. C, page 209. 



; Philosophical Magazine (1908) [6], Vol. XVI., pages 812 et seq. 



A NEW SIDERE.AL WATCH. 



A CORRESPONDENT writes : — It may interest your readers 

 to know that the Waltham Watch Company have lately 



placed on the 

 market an ex- 

 cellent sidereal 

 watch. (See 

 Figure 290.) 

 The movement 

 is in every way 

 first class and 

 fully jewelled, 

 and when tested 

 by transit ob- 

 servations the 

 rate is ex- 

 ceedingly close. 

 The seconds 

 dial is large 

 and plain so 

 that, using Her- 

 schel's method 

 of counting, 

 time may be 

 easily taken to 

 about a fifth 

 of a second 

 for each wire. 

 .\ professional 

 astronomer 



Figure 290. «""'^ ^'"^ '* 



just the thing for a deck watch to carry about with 

 him, whilst it would serve every purpose of the amateur 

 and obviate the 

 necessity for a 

 sidereal clock. It 

 has, of course, 

 a compensation 

 balance, and is 

 corrected for 

 temperature and 

 for all five posi- 

 tions. It is in 

 a dust - proof 

 screw case and 

 costs £lO. 



The same 

 Company are 

 also making an 

 eight - day lever 

 chronometer 

 (see Figure 2911 

 mounted in a box 

 with gimbals. 

 It has only been 

 out a few months 

 or so. It is sent 

 out duly rated 

 to mean time, 

 and costs £\2. Figure 291. 



