MODERN ALCHEMY.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 30 September 1924, Page 8

MODERN ALCHEMY.

GOLD FROM MERCURY. A writer in the London Observer lecently said: “One of the most sober newspapers in Germany ha s solemnly stated that it is time to ask pardon of the alchemists of the Middle Ages for the benevolent contempt in which their money has been held during tbo past two materialistic centuries Within a fortnight Geheimrat Professor Dr. Miethe, of the Technical University in Charlottenburg, Rerlin, and his assistant, Dr. Stammreich, hope to miblish a detailed account of how they have made gold out of mercury, with such exact directions that every scientist will be able to follow their example. The only trouble at present seems that according to the most modest computations of Doctors Miethe and Stammreich, at least- £20,000,000 worth of gold marks will be necessary for outlay on mercury and electric, current before one kilogramme of this synthetic gold can be produced. Neither of them'" believe. therefore; that their method of making gold has the slightest practical value, nor do they think it likely that their system can be so modi lied' ns to make the enterprise worth while. Nevertheless, seeing the vast interest taken in the discovery by big German concerns, they have taken out a patent for their invention. Their actual pride and pleasure is centred in the value of their successful experiment by itself to the world of science—the disintegration of the atom pf mercury. If" instead of the mercury producing gold, it had produced another and baser" metal the satisfaction would have been just as great. It is interesting to note that in determining the presence of gold in the residue of the evaporated mercury, the anlaytica-1 methods of Professor Haber, who is the authority for assuming the presence of gold in sea- water, have been used.”

Dr. Meithe did not attempt to disintegrate the mercury atom by bombardment as Sir Ernest Rutherforol disintegrated nitrogen by bombarding it with “alpha” particles and so releasing‘hydrogen. While investigating the chemical composition of the residue left after use in mercury lamp, Professor Meithe found that if a current of about 170 volts was passed through a lamp filled with mercury the metal underwent a change. If the current was maintained from 20 to 200 hours the mercury wag found to contain gold. The metal that remained after the evaporation of mercury and after treatment with nitric acid consisted of fine kidney or grape-shaped crusts of bright gold polour. Analysis placed it beyond doubt as being pure gold. The scientific importance of the 'discovery is regarded as very great. It is a remarkahie confirmation of the most advanced doctrines connected with atomic theory. It establishes the fact that the mercury atom can be split up and that the product is gold, a process long held to be theoretical, hut now for the first time carried out in practice.