﻿Action 
  of 
  the 
  Radium 
  Emanation 
  upon 
  Water. 
  813 
  

  

  the 
  transformation 
  of 
  emanation 
  into 
  neon, 
  in 
  presence 
  of 
  

   ■water, 
  as 
  indisputably 
  proved, 
  and, 
  if 
  a 
  transformation 
  be 
  

   defined 
  as 
  a 
  transformation 
  brought 
  about 
  at 
  will, 
  by 
  change 
  

   of 
  conditions, 
  then 
  this 
  is 
  the 
  first 
  case 
  of 
  transmutation 
  of 
  

   which 
  conclusive 
  evidence 
  is 
  put 
  forward." 
  

  

  Mine. 
  Curie 
  and 
  Mile. 
  Gleditsch* 
  have 
  recently 
  repeated 
  

   the 
  experiments 
  of 
  Cameron 
  and 
  Ramsay 
  with 
  reference 
  to 
  

   the 
  transformation 
  of 
  copper 
  into 
  lithium, 
  and 
  have 
  obtamed 
  

   no 
  certain 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  production 
  of 
  lithium. 
  

  

  With 
  the 
  aid 
  of 
  the 
  radium 
  loaned 
  by 
  the 
  Vienna 
  Academy 
  

   of 
  Sciences, 
  we 
  have 
  made 
  experiments 
  to 
  see 
  whether 
  neon 
  

   is 
  produced 
  when 
  the 
  radium 
  emanation 
  disintegrates 
  in 
  the 
  

   presence 
  of 
  water. 
  Thanks 
  to 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  the 
  absorbing 
  pro- 
  

   perties 
  of 
  charcoal, 
  the 
  detection 
  of 
  a 
  minute 
  quantity 
  of 
  

   neon 
  is 
  now 
  a 
  comparatively 
  simple 
  matter. 
  Coconut 
  char- 
  

   coal 
  at 
  the 
  temperature 
  of 
  liquid 
  air 
  absorbs 
  all 
  gases 
  except 
  

   neon 
  and 
  helium. 
  The 
  spectroscopic 
  test 
  of 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  

   neon 
  is 
  unmistakable 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  its 
  very 
  characteristic 
  

   spectrum 
  of 
  a 
  bright 
  line 
  in 
  the 
  yellow 
  and 
  a 
  group 
  of 
  bright 
  

   lines 
  in 
  the 
  red. 
  Since 
  there 
  could 
  be 
  no 
  possible 
  doubt 
  

   that 
  neon 
  was 
  present 
  in 
  the 
  experiments 
  of 
  Cameron 
  and; 
  

   Ramsay, 
  the 
  question 
  arose 
  whether 
  the 
  neon 
  observed 
  could 
  

   have 
  been 
  derived 
  from 
  the 
  air; 
  for 
  Struttj 
  has 
  recently 
  

   shown 
  that 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  neon 
  can 
  be 
  spectroscopically 
  

   detected 
  in 
  -^ 
  c.c. 
  of 
  atmospheric 
  air. 
  Cameron 
  and 
  Ramsay 
  

   state 
  that 
  in 
  their 
  experiments 
  it 
  was 
  impossible 
  to 
  avoid 
  a 
  

   small 
  leakage 
  of 
  air 
  into 
  their 
  apparatus 
  during 
  the 
  week 
  or 
  

   more 
  that 
  an 
  experiment 
  was 
  in 
  progress. 
  

  

  Before 
  beginning 
  the 
  main 
  investigation, 
  a 
  number 
  of 
  

   experiments 
  were 
  made 
  to 
  determine 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  neon 
  

   that 
  could 
  be 
  detected 
  spectroscopically. 
  The 
  apparatus, 
  

   already 
  described 
  for 
  the 
  purification 
  of 
  the 
  emanation 
  J, 
  was 
  

   used 
  for 
  this 
  purpose. 
  The 
  arrangement 
  will 
  be 
  clearly 
  seen 
  

   from 
  fig. 
  1. 
  

  

  The 
  whole 
  apparatus 
  was 
  first 
  completely 
  exhausted 
  by 
  

   means 
  of 
  a 
  mercury-pump. 
  A 
  known 
  volume 
  of 
  air 
  contained 
  

   in 
  a 
  small 
  burette 
  over 
  mercury 
  was 
  introduced 
  into 
  the 
  

   reservoir 
  R 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  the 
  mercury 
  trough. 
  The 
  stopcocks 
  

   A 
  and 
  B 
  were 
  closed 
  and 
  C 
  opened, 
  and 
  the 
  mercury 
  raised 
  

   to 
  the 
  level 
  D 
  by 
  raising 
  the 
  reservoir 
  S. 
  The 
  stopcock 
  A 
  

   was 
  opened 
  to 
  allow 
  the 
  gas 
  to 
  expand 
  into 
  the 
  reservoir 
  E 
  

   of 
  capacity 
  about 
  30 
  c.c. 
  and 
  then 
  closed. 
  To 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  E 
  

   was 
  attached 
  a 
  small 
  spectrum-tube 
  F, 
  of 
  length 
  about 
  7 
  cms., 
  

  

  * 
  Acad. 
  Sciences, 
  Aug-. 
  10, 
  1908. 
  

  

  t 
  Proc. 
  Roy. 
  Soc. 
  A. 
  Ixxx. 
  p. 
  572 
  (1908). 
  

  

  % 
  Rutherford, 
  Phil. 
  Mapr. 
  Aug. 
  1908. 
  

  

  