In order to follow the rapid changes in the heating effect of radium,
after removal of the emanation, Rutherford and Barnes (_loc. cit._) used
a pair of differential platinum thermometers. Each thermometer consisted
of 35 cms. of fine platinum wire, wound carefully on the inside of a
thin glass tube 5 mms. in diameter, forming a coil 3 cms. long. The
glass tube containing the radium and also the tube containing the
emanation were selected to slide easily into the interior of the coils,
the wire thus being in direct contact with the glass envelope containing
the source of heat. The change in resistance of the platinum
thermometers, when the radium or emanation tube was transferred from one
coil to the other, was readily measured.
[Illustration: Fig. 100.]
The heating effect of the radium in radio-active equilibrium was first
accurately determined. The radium tube was heated to drive off the
emanation, which was rapidly condensed in a small glass tube 3 cms. long
and 3 mms. internal diameter. After allowing a short time for
temperature conditions to become steady, the heating effect of the
radium tube was measured. The results are shown in Fig. 100. An
observation could not be taken until about 12 minutes after the removal
of the emanation, and the heating effect was then found to have fallen
to about 55 per cent. of the maximum value. It steadily diminished with
the time, finally reaching a minimum value of 25 per cent. several hours
later.
It is not possible in experiments of this character to separate the
heating effect of the emanation from that supplied by radium A. Since A
is half transformed in three minutes, its heating effect will have
largely disappeared after 10 minutes, and the decrease is then mainly
due to changes in radium B and C.
The variation with time of the heating effect of the active deposit is
still more clearly brought out by an examination of the rise of the
heating effect when the emanation is introduced into a small tube, and
of the decrease of the heating effect after the emanation is removed.
The curve of rise is shown in the upper curve of Fig. 101. 40 minutes
after the introduction of the emanation, the heating effect had risen to
75 per cent. of the maximum value which was reached after an interval of
about 3 hours.
[Illustration: Fig. 101.]
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