﻿212 
  Scientific 
  Intelligence. 
  

  

  SCIENTIFIC 
  INTELLIGENCE. 
  

   I. 
  Chemistry 
  and 
  Physics. 
  

  

  1. 
  Mathematical 
  Proof 
  that 
  the 
  Atomic 
  Weights 
  are 
  Integers 
  

   when 
  = 
  16. 
  — 
  This 
  is 
  an 
  attempt 
  to 
  prove, 
  on 
  the 
  ground 
  of 
  

   mathematical 
  probability, 
  the 
  old 
  hypothesis 
  of 
  Prout, 
  which 
  

   was 
  advanced 
  in 
  1815 
  and 
  claimed 
  that 
  the 
  atomic 
  weights 
  were 
  

   exact 
  multiples 
  of 
  that 
  of 
  hydrogen, 
  and, 
  consequently, 
  when 
  the 
  

   latter 
  was 
  taken 
  as 
  unity 
  were 
  exact 
  whole 
  numbers. 
  This 
  old 
  

   hypothesis 
  has 
  been 
  conspicuous 
  in 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  chemists 
  for 
  

   more 
  than 
  a 
  century 
  and 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  incentives 
  for 
  

   very 
  accurate 
  atomic 
  weight 
  determinations; 
  for 
  it 
  has 
  been 
  

   always 
  evident 
  that 
  many 
  atomic 
  weights 
  were 
  at 
  least 
  very 
  near 
  

   the 
  hypothetical 
  values. 
  It 
  may 
  be 
  stated, 
  however, 
  that 
  our 
  

   modern 
  researches 
  upon 
  atomic 
  weights, 
  especially 
  those 
  of 
  

   Richards 
  and 
  his 
  co-workers, 
  appear 
  to 
  have 
  entirely 
  disproved 
  

   Prout 
  's 
  hypothesis 
  as 
  an 
  exact 
  and 
  general 
  statement. 
  

  

  The 
  author 
  of 
  the 
  article 
  under 
  consideration 
  argues 
  clearly 
  

   and 
  with 
  evident 
  accuracy 
  that 
  since 
  20 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  25 
  atomic 
  

   weights 
  (in 
  the 
  order 
  of 
  their 
  magnitude) 
  do 
  not 
  vary 
  more 
  than 
  

   01 
  from 
  whole 
  numbers 
  there 
  is 
  only 
  one 
  chance 
  in 
  one 
  billion 
  

   that 
  this 
  is 
  accidental. 
  The 
  fact 
  must 
  be 
  admitted 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  

   an 
  extensive 
  approximation 
  to 
  Prout 
  's 
  hypothesis 
  among 
  the 
  

   elements, 
  and 
  this 
  is 
  fully 
  appreciated 
  by 
  chemists, 
  but 
  the 
  

   author's 
  deduction 
  that 
  the 
  only 
  possible 
  interpretation 
  of 
  this 
  

   fact 
  is 
  that 
  all 
  the 
  atomic 
  weights 
  are 
  integers 
  cannot 
  be 
  granted 
  

   because 
  we 
  have 
  too 
  much 
  confidence 
  in 
  many 
  of 
  our 
  atomic 
  

   weights 
  to 
  admit 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  erroneous 
  to 
  such 
  an 
  extent 
  ; 
  for 
  

   instance, 
  that 
  sulphur, 
  32- 
  06, 
  and 
  potassium, 
  39- 
  10, 
  are 
  really 
  

   32- 
  00 
  and 
  39 
  00, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  even 
  more 
  difficult 
  to 
  believe 
  that 
  

   magnesium, 
  24-32, 
  and 
  chlorine 
  35-46 
  can 
  be 
  integers. 
  

  

  Fortunately 
  we 
  are 
  gaining 
  some 
  insight 
  into 
  the 
  structure 
  of 
  

   atoms 
  with 
  the 
  knowledge 
  that 
  helium 
  atoms 
  - 
  are 
  discharged 
  in 
  

   radioactive 
  transformations, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  electrons, 
  

   while 
  the 
  recent 
  discovery 
  by 
  Rutherford 
  that 
  hydrogen 
  atoms 
  

   are 
  set 
  free 
  from 
  nitrogen 
  by 
  the 
  bombardment 
  of 
  the 
  helium 
  

   atoms 
  from 
  radium 
  is 
  very 
  suggestive, 
  and 
  it 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  hoped 
  that 
  

   further 
  knowledge 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  reasons 
  for 
  atomic 
  weights 
  will 
  soon 
  

   be 
  obtained. 
  — 
  Chem. 
  News, 
  119, 
  247. 
  h. 
  l. 
  w. 
  

  

  2. 
  The 
  Activation 
  of 
  Carbon. 
  — 
  In 
  a 
  paper 
  presented 
  before 
  

   the 
  American 
  Electro-Chemical 
  Society, 
  N. 
  K. 
  Chaney 
  has 
  

   given 
  a 
  new 
  viewpoint 
  on 
  the 
  general 
  nature 
  of 
  amorphous 
  car- 
  

   bon, 
  resulting 
  from 
  a 
  study 
  of 
  defensive 
  methods 
  against 
  toxic 
  

   gases 
  used 
  in 
  warfare. 
  It 
  appears 
  that 
  there 
  are 
  two 
  kinds 
  of 
  

   amorphous 
  carbon, 
  one 
  of 
  them 
  an 
  active 
  adsorbent 
  of 
  gases, 
  the 
  

   other 
  possessing 
  no 
  adsorptive 
  capacity. 
  The 
  active 
  modifica- 
  

  

  