Show radioactive radio active atoms used in plant experimentation tagging atoms by using the cyclotron to make the atoms radio ac tive is one of the newer tools of plant research by tracing an irradiated or tagged I 1 chemical as it moves within the plant scientists of the department of agriculture and the ohio agricultural experiment station think they will be able to explain some fundamental questions not answered yet they hope for explanation of such puzzles as the formation and action of chlorophyll the green coloring matter of plants and how starch is formed from the carbon dioxide the plant draws from the air and water from the soil and how and where starch changes to sugar with the cyclotron machine dr J D sayre of the agricultural research sea ach administration explains it is possible to make many chemicals temporarily radioactive radio active in much ch the same way that radium is radioactive radio active A delicate laboratory tool the geiger counter is so sensitive to radiations that it registers the presence of a single charged atom this combination permits the tracing of tagged atoms as they move within a plant fortunately even after irradiation atoms still combine chemically in the same way that normal atoms do thus if a scientist uses an irradiated chemical phosphorus for example in a solution around the roots of a plant he can use the counter to measure the number of irradiated phosphorus atoms passing up the stem of the plant by extending such studies of tagged atoms it should be possible to find out where in the stem or leaves or fruit of a plant the phosphorus ceases to move this would point out a an area worth study to discover whether the phosphorus had entered into a new chemical combination and the nature of the new combination A man wise in plant ell chemistry emis might then be able to answer some baffling questions |