reached a constant value. By drawing a steady stream of air through the vessel the value of the current was much reduced. It was also observed that the radiations could apparently pass through large thicknesses of paper, which completely absorbed the ordinary α radiation.
In an investigation of these peculiar properties of thorium compounds, the writer[1] found that the effects were due to an emission of radio-active particles of some kind from the thorium compounds. This "emanation," as it was termed for convenience, possesses the properties of ionizing the gas and acting on a photographic plate, and is able to diffuse rapidly through porous substances like paper and thin metal foil.
The emanation, like a gas, is completely prevented from escaping by covering the active matter with a thin plate of mica. The emanation can be carried away by a current of air; it passes through a plug of cotton-wool and can be bubbled through solutions without any loss of activity. In these respects, it behaves very differently from the ions produced in the gas by the rays from active substances, for these give up their charges completely under the same conditions.
Since the emanation passes readily through large thicknesses of cardboard, and through filters of tightly packed cotton-wool, it does not seem likely that the emanation consists of particles of dust given off by the active matter. This point was tested still further by the method used by Aitken and Wilson, for detecting the presence of dust particles in the air. The oxide, enclosed in a paper cylinder, was placed in a glass vessel, and the dust was removed by repeated small expansions of the air over a water surface. The dust particles act as nuclei for the formation of small drops and are then removed from the air by the action of gravity. After repeated expansions, no cloud was formed, and the dust was considered to be removed. After waiting for some time to allow the thorium emanation to collect, further expansions were made but no cloud resulted, showing that for the small expansions used, the particles were too small to become centres of condensation. The emanation then could not be regarded as dust emitted from thorium.
- ↑ Rutherford, Phil. Mag. p. 1, Jan. 1900.
