NO. II 



STRUCTURE OF THE ATOM PARSON 



27 



is the main bulwark of the hypothesis of atomic numbers. According 

 to the present theory, it must be remembered, there are missing from 

 our observation on the earth's crust six theoretically possible ele- 

 ments, containing two to seven magnetons in the atom, which should 

 occupy the gap between H (1) and He (y). But it appears, on con- 

 sideration, that even if such elements existed they would be inactive 

 (with the exceptions mentioned below), because two to seven mag- 

 netons can form groups of much lower magnetic energy when alone 

 in a positive sphere than in the presence of groups of eight, which 

 must scatter them towards the surface of the atom. 



The configuration inside the first two of these hypothetical atoms 



would be 



(u) 



\ / Proto- 



\ 'be, 



and 



beryllium 



, and in the third 

 Proto-boron 



probably 



, perhaps with the four magnetons at the 



Proto-carbon 



corners of an irregular tetrahedron (see §6). The last two of these 

 have no magnetic moment and therefore no attraction for other mag- 

 netons at a distance ; also they could not unite stably with H atoms 

 even when brought into contact, for the intra-atomic forces beween 

 the magnetons are too strong to allow them to separate for such a 

 purpose. The first atom, Proto-beryllium, has a moment, and it 

 might combine with one H atom (for the two magnetons are too 

 strongly attracted together to be able to act separately) ; but it 

 would not be expected to part with a magneton to make up a group 



The 



of eight in another atom — as the H atom does in H-fCl 



probable behavior of Proto-beryllium can 

 be compared with that of Beryllium by con- 

 sidering the diagram for the atom of the 

 latter. Thus the only kind of combination 

 that seems possible for these proto-atoms is 

 where a group of eight is made up within 

 the atom itself. This would be impracti- 

 cable except for atoms containing as many 



