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Show SMALLER THAN THE ATOM Men of Science Now Talk of the Ion as the Least Quantity That Can Be Imagined. For a long tlmo tho atom was spoken spok-en of nB being the smallest thing In tho world, so small Indeed that II could not bo seen with tho most pow erful -magnifying glass. A molecule Is tho smallest part of any material It Is supposed to bo mado up of atoms of various elements. Thus a molecule of water s mado up of ono atom ol oxygon and two atoms of hydrogen Now wo hear that tho atom may be broken up into fragments' called Ions Tho Iqn is both tho smallest quan tlty of matter and tho smallest quau tlty of electricity cnpablo of exlstlnf In a freo stnto. It Ib so small that 'II enough electricity to generato tho hydrogen in n toy balloon wero to be obtalnod by counting out tho Ions, 100 to tho minute, tho task would occupy 100,000,000 persons 4,000,000 years. And yet thoso Ions havo beon Isolated Isolat-ed and measured In tho laboratory ot Prof. R. A. MUllkon of tho Unlvorslty of Chicago. Prof. MUllkon has modified modi-fied and Improved upon tho methods ot previous experiments. Whereas those used for their experiments a fog of tiny wntor pnrtlcles, whoso average aver-age slzo and weight could bo calculated, calcu-lated, as well aa the avorago electric chargo on each, Mllllken Isolates- and observes a droplet of oil, which he controls and experiments upon as easily easi-ly aa ono might measure and test a block of stool.' This droplet serves ns a trap for flying Ions, tho nccoaslon ot which to tho drop Is at once detect ed by a sudden change In Its bohavlor. |