﻿106 
  Amount 
  of 
  Radium 
  present 
  in 
  Sea-Water. 
  

  

  The 
  results 
  obtained 
  bj 
  me 
  were 
  : 
  — 
  

  

  Sample. 
  Collected 
  over 
  water. 
  Over 
  mercury. 
  Mean. 
  

  

  1 
  1-0 
  ; 
  0-89 
  ; 
  0-73 
  0-66 
  082 
  

  

  2 
  1-03 
  0-38 
  0-71 
  

  

  3 
  0-75; 
  1-74; 
  1-83 
  1-67 
  I'oO 
  

  

  4 
  0-38; 
  0-28 
  0-75 
  0-47 
  

  

  5 
  0-71; 
  0-47 
  0-51 
  056 
  

  

  6 
  1-83; 
  1-60 
  1-25; 
  134 
  1-50 
  

  

  Mean 
  94 
  

  

  Eauge 
  : 
  about 
  0*5 
  to 
  1'5. 
  

  

  The 
  high 
  readinor 
  for 
  number 
  3 
  may 
  perhaps 
  be 
  due 
  to 
  

   the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  HCl 
  and 
  distilled 
  water 
  were 
  left 
  for 
  6 
  days 
  

   in 
  the 
  collecting-bottle. 
  Number 
  6 
  was 
  collected 
  but 
  a 
  few 
  

   miles 
  from 
  land. 
  It 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  my 
  result 
  agrees 
  very 
  

   well 
  with 
  my 
  previous 
  value 
  0*6, 
  but 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  agree 
  with 
  

   the 
  value 
  16 
  found 
  by 
  Professor 
  Joly. 
  I 
  publish 
  this 
  result, 
  

   therefore, 
  with 
  some 
  diffidence, 
  but 
  after 
  taking 
  every 
  pre- 
  

   caution 
  in 
  my 
  power 
  to 
  eliminate 
  error. 
  At 
  first 
  sight 
  it 
  

   may 
  seem 
  a 
  matter 
  of 
  small 
  importance 
  whether 
  there 
  is 
  

   9x 
  10"^^ 
  or 
  1*6x10"^^ 
  gram 
  of 
  radium 
  per 
  gram 
  of 
  sea- 
  

   water. 
  That 
  is 
  not 
  the 
  case. 
  The 
  amount 
  of 
  radium 
  in 
  the 
  

   ocean 
  affects 
  the 
  question 
  of 
  the 
  ionization 
  of 
  the 
  atmosphere 
  

   over 
  the 
  ocean 
  with 
  all 
  the 
  consequent 
  problems 
  of 
  cloud 
  

   formation, 
  atmospheric 
  electricity, 
  and 
  propagation 
  of 
  electric 
  

   waves 
  by 
  wireless 
  telegraphy. 
  It 
  also 
  enters 
  into 
  the 
  problem 
  

   of 
  penetrating 
  radiation. 
  Moreover, 
  it 
  has 
  a 
  direct 
  con- 
  

   nexion 
  with 
  the 
  interesting 
  results 
  of 
  Joly 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  amount 
  

   of 
  radium 
  present 
  in 
  deep-sea 
  deposits, 
  and 
  possibly 
  with 
  

   the 
  amount 
  determined 
  by 
  Strutt 
  in 
  sedimentary 
  rocks 
  such 
  

   as 
  chalk 
  or 
  limestone. 
  

  

  A 
  measurement 
  was 
  also 
  made 
  of 
  the 
  radium 
  present 
  in 
  

   the 
  water 
  of 
  the 
  River 
  St. 
  Lawrence. 
  This 
  water 
  is 
  supph'ed 
  

   to 
  the 
  City 
  of 
  Montreal 
  without 
  any 
  filtration 
  or 
  treatment, 
  

   and 
  my 
  sample 
  was 
  taken 
  from 
  a 
  tap 
  in 
  the 
  Chemistry 
  

   Building. 
  No 
  great 
  reliance 
  can, 
  therefore, 
  be 
  placed 
  on 
  the 
  

   result, 
  0'25. 
  Joly 
  found 
  4*2 
  for 
  the 
  water 
  of 
  the 
  River 
  Nile. 
  

   Thus 
  we 
  both 
  found 
  only 
  four 
  times 
  as 
  much 
  radium 
  in 
  the 
  

   ocean 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  rivers 
  named, 
  although 
  our 
  relative 
  values 
  

   are 
  as 
  17 
  to 
  1. 
  This 
  seems 
  to 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  radium, 
  and 
  

   presumably 
  the 
  accompanying 
  uranium, 
  find 
  their 
  way 
  some- 
  

   what 
  rapidly 
  to 
  the 
  deposit 
  on 
  the 
  bed 
  of 
  the 
  ocean, 
  for 
  the 
  

   ratio 
  of 
  other 
  salts 
  in 
  sea- 
  and 
  river-waters 
  respectively 
  show 
  

   a 
  vastly 
  greater 
  ratio. 
  Further 
  measurements 
  of 
  the 
  amount 
  

   of 
  radium 
  in 
  river- 
  water 
  are 
  needed, 
  but 
  the 
  quantity 
  is 
  small 
  

   and 
  difficult 
  to 
  measure. 
  

  

  