Abstract
IN his letter in NATURE of March 20 Mr. Soddy states that “granting the possibility of the existence of groups of elements with identical chemical properties and spectra, the only known direct manner in which the existence of the members of these groups could be separately recognised is radio-active evidence.” I should like to suggest that another possible method of distinguishing such elements is provided by their characteristic X-radiation. According to Rutherford, the γ-radiation emitted by a radioactive element is identical with its characteristic X-radiation; is the γ-radiation of thorium D identical with the characteristic X-radiation of thallium, or the γ-radiation of radium D with the characteristic X-radiation of lead? From such experimental results as I can discover after a brief search, it would appeal that the answer to this question is in the negative.
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CAMPBELL, N. The Radio-Elements and the Periodic Law. Nature 91, 85 (1913). https://doi.org/10.1038/091085b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/091085b0
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