Letters Received to H.H. Barker, July 16, 1928

UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI 18 COLUMBIA DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY July 16, 1928 Mr. H. H. Barker United States Radium Corporation 535 Pearl Street New York, N. Y. My dear Barker: I am sorry that I did not answer sooner your letter about the proposed experiments with Dr. Flinn. I had hardly real- ized that you and Dr. Flinn were arranging your vacation plans pending an answer, for I had written that any date after August fifth would be agreeable to me. I shall drop Dr. Flinn a line today and I hope that he will send me an outline of the proposed experiments so that we may do a little preliminary work here. I may add that the scintillation method of detecting small quantities of radium emanation in expired air does not appear to me as a very sensitive test. At least we have not, thus far, been able to devise any optical arrangements which will make this method more sensitive than the ordinary ionization method. We have a microscope with a very large field such as is used in the Cavendish Laboratory for counting scintillations. It has a field of nine square millimeters, but a very simple calculation will show that the number of scintillations which will fall on this small area, when the expired air under test is contained in a closed vessel, will be ex- ceedingly small. I hope that you will have a fine vacation. Please advise me where you are going so that in case I want to drop you a line in a hurry there will be no delay. With very kind regards, I remain Sincerely yours, Herman Schlundt Herman Schlundt HS/BB