willey marckwald must'a had a hell of a large beaker!!

From: donald j haarmann (donald-haarmann_at_worldnet.att.net)
Date: 07/29/04 

Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2004 18:44:40 GMT

Radiotellurium. W[illy] Marckwald. Ber., 1905, 38, 591-594. (See this J., 1903,
49, 1146)
In:— The Journal of The Society of Chemical Industry. 5 [24] 252. March 15,
1905.

Working with a large quantity of crude tellurium, obtained from about 15 tons of
Joachimsthal pitchblende, the author-succeeding in preparing about 3 mgrms. of
radiotellurium, many times more active than the product prepared confirming the
view that radiotellurium is an individual radio-active substance, not identical with
Curie’s polonium. Doubtless, the latter product, like Geisel’s polonium, contains
radiotellurium, but is a mixture, not an individual substance.

[Shortly thereafter his cleaning lady inadvertently trashed da 3 mgrms.!!

[More – Willey got an F on this lab as “radiotellurium” is in truth polonium
previously discovered by the Curie’s.] 

-- 
donald j haarmann
---------------------------------
The explosion removed the windows,
the door and most of the chimney.
It was the sort of thing you expected in
the Street of Alchemists. The neighbours
preferred explosions, which were at least
identifiable and soon over. They were better
than the smells, which crept up on you.
                   Terry Pratchett