360 Scientific Intelligence. 



SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE. 



I. Chemistry and Physics. 



1. On Neon and Metargon, companions of Argon in Atmo- 

 spheric Air. — On the lGth of June, Ramsay and Travebs an- 

 nounced to the Royal Society the discovery of two new elements 

 associated with argon in atmospheric air. Having about 18 liters 

 of argon available, this was allowed to enter a small bulb im- 

 mersed in liquefied air boiling under reduced pressure. The argon 

 readily liquefied; and after 13 or 14 liters had disappeared, por- 

 tions of the residual gas of about 50 or 60 cc (which evidently 

 must contain the light gas suspected to be present) were collected, 

 sparked with oxygen over soda, and the spectrum examined. It 

 was found to be characterized by a number of bright red lines, 

 among which one was particularly brilliant, and a bright yellow 

 line, the green and blue lines being numerous but weak. The yellow 

 line had a wave-length of 5849*6 ; so that it is not identical with 

 that of sodium, helium or krypton, though resembling it in inten- 

 sity. These wave lengths are as follows: Na (DJ 5895*0; Na 

 (DJ 5889-0; He (D 3 ) 5875*9 ; Kr (D 4 ) 5866*5; Ne (D 6 ) 5849*6. 

 Hence the authors propose the name "neon" (new) for the new 

 gas. By means of a bulb of 32*35 cc capacity, the density of this 

 neon was found to be 14*67. Since to bring it to its proper place 

 in the periodic system, a density of 10 or 11 is required, the gas 

 examined, if the density of argon be 20 and that of pure neon be 

 10, would contain 53*3 per cent of it.* That this gas — which 

 appears to be the substance hinted at in Ramsay's Toronto ad- 

 dress — is really new seems to be proved, not only by its spectrum 

 and by its low density, but also by its behavior in a vacuum tube. 

 Unlike helium, argon and krypton, it is rapidly absorbed by the 

 red-hot aluminum electrodes, and as the pressure falls the appear- 

 ance of the tube changes irom a fiery red to a brilliant orange; a 

 phenomenon shown by no other gas. Moreover, it is monatomic. 



During the liquefaction of the argon, a considerable quantity 

 of a white solid was observed to separate, in part round the sides 

 of the tube and in part beneath the surface of the liquid. On 

 distilling off the liquid argon, this white solid evaporated very 

 slowly, so that finally it remained alone in the bulb. This bulb 

 was then connected with merGury reservoirs and two fractions of 

 about 70 or 80 cc each, consisting of the gas from the volatilized 

 solid, were collected. In a vacuum tube, this gas showed a very 

 complex spectrum. With low dispersion, it appeared banded ; 

 but with a grating, equidistant single bright lines appear through- 

 out the spectrum, with fainter ones intermediate. The bright 

 lines in the green are: first band, 5632*5, 5583*0, 5537*0; second 

 band, 5163*0, 5126*5. In the first blue band 4733*5, 4711*5; 

 second blue band, 4604*5 ; third blue band (1st order), 4314*0 ; 



* On subsequent fractionation, the density decreased to 13-7. 



