The Radio-elements and the Periodic Law

Abstract

AT a meeting of the Royal Society on February 27th, Mr. F. Soddy made a verbal communication which was published under the above title in the Chemical News of the following day. The importance of the conclusions which are drawn justifies an examination of the evidence on which they rest. I do not approach the question unsympathetically, and I am quite willing to take some risks, but, when asked to accept a theory, I like to draw a distinction between a guess, a reasonable generalisation, and a well-established conclusion. If Mr. Soddy only wishes to put forward a theory which is not inconsistent with the facts so far as they are known at present, I have nothing to say, but if he claims anything approaching to experimental proof, some critical comment may be forgiven.