282 Prof. Orme Masson on the 



as yet, to the other. For convenience of reference and 

 notation, if for nothing else, it is just as necessary to have a 

 name for positive electrical atoms as for the electrons. 



Though the hydrogen nucleus has been identified with the 

 positive particle, it would not be well to adopt a name 

 specially indicative of the fact ; for hydrogen has no mono- 

 poly in these particles, which are also present in the nucleus 

 of every other atom. Moreover, the electron is just as 

 essential a constituent of hydrogen itself, though not of its 

 nucleus, as is the positive particle. 



The outstanding characteristic of the electrons is that 

 they mainly determine the electro-chemical characters of the 

 atom ; so they are well named. The outstanding charac- 

 teristic of the positive particles is that they mainly determine 

 the mass of the atom. I therefore suggest that they should 

 be called barons (fioipos, weight) *. 



If this name be adopted, we can conveniently symbolize 

 the baron as b, using e for the electron. We thus have, in 

 what follows, 



fr = one baron (charge +1, mass 1), 



g = one electron (charge —1, mass negligible). 



A may stand for the mass of any elementary atom with 

 the atomic number N. 



* Footnote by Professor Rutherford : — 



At the time of writing this paper in Australia, Professor Orme Masson 

 was not aware that the name "proton " had already been suggested as 

 a suitable name for the unit of mass nearly 1, in terms of oxygen 16, 

 that appears to enter into the nuclear structure of atoms. The question 

 of a suitable name for this unit was discussed at an informal meeting of 

 a number of members of Section A of the British Association at Cardiff 

 this year. The name a baron " suggested by Professor Masson was 

 mentioned, but was considered unsuitable on account of the existing 

 variety of meanings. Finally the name "proton" met with general 

 approval, particularly as it suggests the original term " protyle " given 

 by Prout in his well-known hypothesis that all atoms are built up of 

 hydrogen. The need of a special name for the nuclear unit of mass 1 

 was drawn attention to by Sir Oliver Lodge at the Sectional meeting, 

 and the writer then suggested the name'- proton." 



Professor Orme Masson sent the present paper for publication through 

 the writer, and in order to avoid the long delay involved in corre- 

 spondence, his paper is printed in its original form. If the name 

 " proton " is generally approved, it is merely necessary to change the 

 symbol " b " into " p " in the chemical equations given in the paper. 



It should be pointed out that a somewhat similar type of nomenclature 

 for the constituents of atoms has been suggested in the interesting paper 

 of Professor W. D. Harkins, entitled " The Nuclei of Atoms and the 

 New Periodic System" (Phys. Review, xv. p. 73, 1920). 



