The secret of the atom was dis-sussed by, Professor Sir Ernest Rutherford, of Cambridge University, in a recent lecture at the Col-toge of Science, South Kensington. Professor Rutherford devoted his remarks to a consideration of the question of whether it was possible alter.or disturb the atomic structure.
Scientific men, he said, were generally agreed that the essential structure of the atom could be best explained on the assumption of the nucleus atom," that is to say, shat the atom consists of a posisively charged nucleus. surrounded by a number of electrons, 80 arranged as to make it electrically neutral.
On that assumption, where was the best point of attack? We could remove one of the outer electrons m a variety of ways, but the atom always automatically recovered its balance. It became apparent that nothing we cowd do to the exterior xas likely to affect the structure.
The attack on the electron in that direction had no prospect of sus-less, and the ly Way was to at-cack =the nucleus itself. Unfercuriately it was very small and very heavily guarded, so that it was not easy to select agencies that could 3 an effect upon it.
There was, however, every rea~ son to believe that if one could get 2t the nucleus of the atom, there athing to prevent one break-He was of the opinion that force require to do so need very great. but there were difficulties still in the ing this task.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.