NOT A NEW ELEMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, 14 June 1923, Page 6

NOT A NEW ELEMENT.

NEW ZEALAND (DR. ;SCOTT S INVESTIGATION. A STRANGE COINCIDENCE. London, May 4. It seems, after all, that Taranaki ironsand is not yet to yield a new element in response to the researches of scientists in Europe. It will be remembered that Dr. Alexander Scott (of the British Museum) had reason to believe that an oxide he had separated from the sand in 1913 contained the new element hafnium, recently discovered by Dr. Coster and Professor Hevesy, of Copenhagen. Considerable interest was shown in the subject in February of this year, but the substance Dr. Scott sent over to Copenhagen for spectral analysis did not prove to be the element the atomic number of which is 72.

This week I sought out Dr. Scott in his private laboratory at Maida Vale, and he explained that the whole matter had now been settled. In 1913 he had the opportunity of examining a sample of sand from New Zealand. The original bottle containing the sample, by the way, was branded “Maketu,” and not “Taranaki.” This was found to consist of almost exactly 75 per cent, of magnetic iron oxide, and 25 per cent, of titanium. The titanium dioxide, on further examination, was found to contain a minute amount of some similar substance which was not attacked or rendered soluble by the reagents which should dissolve both titanium and zirconium oxides. The accumulation of small quantities was carried on intermittently until a quantity of about 1.4 grams of a pale buff-coloured powder was collected in a fair ( state of purity. When the disclosure was made that the new element number 7’2 had been discovered, Dr. Scott hastily put his •substance to the test. “I had no time,’ he said, “to subject it to more than the one test. The first step in my investigation gave me the result I wanted. The test certainly said ‘yes.’ Had I had time to subject the substance to further purification, I should have found that further tests would have said ‘no.’ I should have realised dhat the first was merely coincidence. It was a strange coincidence, however.” Dr. Scott then sent his specimens over to Dr. Coster and Professor Hevesy. In their first analysis they were unable to detect any of the haf- | nium lines. “They have since subjecti ed my specimens,” said Dr. Scott, “to a I most searching and**prolonged examinaI tion, both by means of X-ray and by i optical spectral analysis in the hope of i finding in them some of the other missI ing elements, and in particular that of atomic number 75, but without, success. They concluded as the result of their examination that the chief constituents are oxid’es of iron and titanium along ' with traces of other elements, all prej viouslv known.” j Dr. Scott received this report last i month, together with his preparations, ! and at once set to work to unravel the i mystery. The details of this lengthy i fin'd exhaustive examination would not 'be understood ercept by the trained I scientist. “The very refractory sub- ' stance in the New Zealand sand,' Dr. hseott sum?, up his investigations, “may ibo regarded as titanium dioxide in which part of the titanium is replaced bv silicon. Insoluble and refractory substances similar to that obtained by me have been found by other workers with titanium minerals. When I have obtained a larger supply of New Zealand sand from the same source I hope to be able to make a more complete analysis and examination of this substance than is possible with the small amount I now possess.”