Becquerel[[214]] found that white phosphorus is changed into the red variety by the action of radium rays. This action was shown to be due mainly to the β rays. The secondary radiation set up by the primary rays also produced a marked effect. Radium rays, like ordinary light rays, also caused a precipitate of calomel in the presence of oxalic acid.
Hardy and Miss Wilcock[[215]] found that a solution of iodoform in chloroform turned purple after exposure for 5 minutes to the rays from 5 milligrams of radium bromide. This action is due to the liberation of iodine. By testing the effect of screens of different thicknesses, over the radium, this action was found to be mainly due to the β rays from the radium. Röntgen rays produce a similar coloration.
Hardy[[216]] also observed an action of the radium rays on the coagulation of globulin. Two solutions of globulin from ox serum were used, one made electro-positive by adding acetic acid, and the other electro-negative by adding ammonia. When the globulin was exposed close to the radium in naked drops, the opalescence of the electro-positive solution rapidly diminished, showing that the solution became more complete. The electro-negative solution was rapidly turned to a jelly and became opaque. These actions were found to be due to the α rays of radium alone.
This is further evidence in favour of the view that the α rays consist of projected positively charged bodies of atomic dimensions, for a similar coagulation effect is produced by the metallic ions of liquid electrolytes, and has been shown by W. C. D. Whetham[[217]] to be due to the electric charges carried by the ions.
124. Gases evolved from radium. Curie and Debierne[[218]] observed that radium preparations placed in a vacuum tube continually lowered the vacuum. The gas evolved was always accompanied by the emanation, but no new lines were observed in its spectrum. Giesel[[219]] has observed a similar evolution of gas from solutions of radium bromide. Giesel forwarded some active material to Runge and Bödlander, in order that they might test the gas spectroscopically. From 1 gram of a 5 per cent. radium preparation they obtained 3·5 c.c. of gas in 16 days. This gas was found, however, to be mainly hydrogen, with 12 per cent. of oxygen. In later experiments Ramsay and Soddy[[220]] found that 50 milligrams of radium bromide evolved gases at the rate of about 0·5 c.c. per day. This is a rate of evolution about twice that observed by Runge and Bödlander. On analysing the gases about 28·9 per cent. consisted of oxygen, and the rest hydrogen. The slight excess of hydrogen over that attained in the decomposition of water, they consider to be due to the action of oxygen on the grease of the stop-cocks. The radio-active emanation from radium has a strong oxidizing action and rapidly produces carbon dioxide, if carbonaceous matter is present. The production of gas is probably due to the action of the radiations in decomposing water. The amount of energy required to produce the rate of decomposition observed by Ramsay and Soddy—about 10 c.c. per day for 1 gram of radium bromide—corresponds to about 30 gram-calories per day. This amount of energy is about two per cent. of the total energy emitted in the form of heat.
Ramsay and Soddy (loc. cit.) have also observed the presence of helium in the gases evolved by solution of radium bromide. This important result is considered in detail in [section 267].
Physiological actions.
125. Walkhoff first observed that radium rays produce burns of much the same character as those caused by Röntgen rays. Experiments in this direction have been made by Giesel, Curie and Becquerel, and others, with very similar results. There is at first a painful irritation, then inflammation sets in, which lasts from 10 to 20 days. This effect is produced by all preparations of radium, and appears to be due mainly to the α and β rays.
Care has to be taken in handling radium on account of the painful inflammation set up by the rays. If a finger is held for some minutes at the base of a capsule containing a radium preparation, the skin becomes inflamed for about 15 days and then peels off. The painful feeling does not disappear for two months.
Danysz[[221]] found that this action is mainly confined to the skin, and does not extend to the underlying tissue. Caterpillars subjected to the action of the rays lost their power of motion in several days and finally died.