Physics
Scientific paper
Jun 1928
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1928phrv...31..940h&link_type=abstract
Physical Review, vol. 31, Issue 6, pp. 940-945
Physics
Scientific paper
Since the present theories of the atom indicate that an electron is attracted by the atom nucleus, they also suggest that the principal difficulty in accomplishing the addition of an electron is in obtaining such (unknown) conditions as make the attraction effective. Electrons with a velocity corresponding to 138,000 to 145,000 volts were caused to strike the surface of liquid mercury. The mercury served as an anti-cathode in an x-ray tube. (This work was done before the electron tube of Coolidge was available.) When the experiments were begun it was not expected that positive results would be attained, since either the voltage may be too low, or the number of electrons shot into the surface (4×1021) too small, but it was thought to be of value to show this to be true. The addition of an electron to the nucleus of an atom of mercury should give an atom of gold. Since no gold was found in the exceedingly sensitive tests used, it is shown that either less than one in a billion of the electrons attached itself to an atom nucleus, or else all or a part of the nuclei produced were not sufficiently stable to endure for the period (24 to 48 hours) of the tests.
Harkins William D.
Kay Webster B.
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