In addition, there is very strong evidence that the radio-active lead obtained by Hofmann contains the three products radium D, E and F together.
The changes of radium as far as they are at present known, are shown diagrammatically in Fig. 95. It is possible that further investigation will show that the transformation does not end with radium F.
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Fig. 95.
While we have shown that radium D is the parent of E, we have not given any conclusive evidence that E is the parent of F. This evidence is, however, supplied by the following experiment. A platinum plate, made active in the manner already described, was placed in an electric furnace and heated for four minutes at about 1000° C. Most of the products D and F were volatilized, but E was left behind. Since the parent matter D was removed, E at once commenced to lose its β ray activity. At the same time it was observed that the small α ray activity, left behind on the platinum plate, increased rapidly at first and then more slowly, as the activity of E became smaller and smaller. This experiment shows conclusively that E was the parent of F, the α ray product.
235. Rate of transformation of radium D. It has been
observed experimentally that each of the products of radium,
which emit α rays, supplies about an equal proportion of the
activity of radium when in radio-active equilibrium. Since, when
equilibrium is reached, the same number of particles of each of
the successive products must break up per second, this is an
expression of the fact that every atom of each product breaks up
with the expulsion of an equal number (probably one) of α particles.
Now radium D is directly derived from radium C, and, since the
rate of change of D is very slow compared with that of C, the
number of particles of D initially present must be very nearly
equal to the number of particles of radium C which break up
