A beginning has been made in the mental construction of such a model by Professor Sir J.J.
Thomson.

To attempt a description of his reasoning and his results is beyond the scope of this book.[14] [14] The subject is discussed in Sir J.J.

Thomson's _Electricity and Matter_.
The facts that the emanation from radium compounds spontaneously gives off very large quantities of energy, and that the emanation can easily be brought into contact with substances on which it is desired to do work, suggested to Sir William Ramsay that the transformation of compounds of one element into compounds of another element might possibly be effected by enclosing a solution of a compound along with radium emanation in a sealed tube, and leaving the arrangement to itself.

Under these conditions, the molecules of the compound would be constantly bombarded by a vast number of electrons shot forth at enormous velocities from the emanation.

The notion was that the molecules of the compound would break down under the bombardment, and that the atoms so produced might be knocked into simpler groups of particles--in other words, changed into other atoms--by the terrific, silent shocks of the electrons fired at them incessantly by the disintegrating emanation.