Until lately gold ranked among the elementary substances of which the general properties had been well ascertained, but in regard to the atomic weights of which our knowledge was least satisfactory. That this constant should be determined as accurately as possible for gold was desirable in view of its bearing on the precise place assigned the metal in the “periodic” classification of the elements based on the ideas of Newlands, Odling, Mendelejeff, and L. Meyer. Furthermore, an exact know ledge of the atomic weight of gold might be conveniently applied in the determination of the atomic weights of some of the other elements. A practical laboratory reason for desiring to possess a trustworthy value for this constant was also presented by the facility with which gold compounds of many organic substances may be prepared, and the ease with which their composition may be ascertained by simple ignition in the air and weighing of the residual gold, the results leading to a knowledge of molecular composition when the atomic value of the weight of the metal obtained is assumed to be known. For the last three years and a half I have been occupied, during a large part of such time as has been available for original work, in devising and carrying out experiments aiming at the redetermination of the constant in question. The difficulties met with have been greater than were at first looked for, and have led to much time and labour being consumed in attempts to overcome them. About two years ago, when this work was already well under way but still in progress, there appeared the results of experiments aiming at the same end, by Kruss in Germany and by Thorpe and Laurie in England—experiments made with the care and accuracy of modern methods, and apparently deserving of much confidence. My own work, however, was continued, as we cannot have too many careful independent determinations of atomic weights by different workers, and as I had used to a considerable extent other procesess than those on which the newly published determinations were based, while the chemists named had employed, in the main, one and the same method. A preliminary notice of my work was read in the Chemical Section of the British Association at the Manchester meeting of 1887. The details of my experiments and the results which I have reached are now laid before the Royal Society.
The structure of atomic nuclei