Untitled

Hokitika Guardian, 30 November 1933, Page 4

In a broadcast lecture on “The transmutation of the atom,” Lord Rutherford said there seemed little prospect of 'Obtaining by these processes a new source of power. Having dispelled the popular theory that the transmutation of the atom may cause an explosion which will destroy the universe, ho said the results of the experiments on transmutation were not only of fundamental importance to science in giving ns new knowledge of the structure of nuclei but had a considerable bearing on problems of cosmica! physics. In the furnace of the sun and other hot stars the electrons, protons, neutrons, and atoms present must Ikj endowed with high average, velocities owing to thermol agitation. The information to be gained in our laboratories On the efficiency of various trues of jmcnci.es in transforming atoms might help us to throw light

on the reason for the relative abund-

auce of different element in our earth, n'" l l':u'j in the sun, from which the earth is believed to he derived. Describing important experiments carried out in the University of California, Lord .Rutherford said that Professor . Lewis Imd succeeded there in obtaining quantities of heavy hydrogen in nearly a i pure state. This heavy hydrogen had the same chemical properties as ordinal- hydrogen, hub the water formed from it had a density of 10 or 11 per cent higher than ordinary water, and also had a different boiling and freezing point. “When we consider the large part that hydrogen plays in the structure of organic molecules,” Lord Rutherford added, “I need not emphasise, the extraordinary interest of this discovery both to chemistry and physics.”