large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_02_asimov_64kb_60
large/12904/worldswithinworlds_v1-3_1904_librivox_64kb_mp3/worldswithinworlds_02_asimov_64kb
English
12904
The sun radiated vast quantities of energy but that apparently was its nature and was no more to be puzzled over than the fact that the earth rotated on its axis. THE SUN RADIATED VAST QUANTITIES OF ENERGY BUT THAT APPARENTLY WAS ITS NATURE AND WAS NO MORE TO BE PUZZLED OVER THAN THE FACT THAT THE EARTH ROTATED ON ITS AXIS
formed. In 1916 the American chemist Gilbert Newton Lewis (1875-1946) carried this notion farther. Atoms could cling together not only as a result of the outright transfer of 1 or more electrons, but through sharing pairs of electrons. This sharing could only take place if the atoms remained close neighbors, and it would take energy to pull them apart and break up the shared pool, just as it would take energy to pull 2 ions apart against the attraction of opposite charges. In this way the vague notions of atoms clinging together in molecules and being forced apart gave way to a much more precise picture of electrons being transferred or shared. The electron shifts could be dealt with mathematically by a system that came to be called “quantum mechanics” and chemistry was thus made a more exact science than it had ever been before. The Energy of the Sun The most serious problem raised by the law of conservation of energy involved the sun. Until 1847, scientists did not question sunlight. RT NEWTON LEWIS EIGHTEEN SEVENTY FIVE NINETEEN FORTY SIX CARRIED THIS NOTION FARTHER ADAMS COULD CLING TOGETHER NOT ONLY AS A RESULT OF THE OUTRIGHT TRANSFER OF ONE OR MORE ELECTRODES BUT THROUGH SHARING PAIRS OF ELECTRODES THIS SHARING COULD ONLY TAKE PLACE IF THE ATOMS REMAINED CLOSE NEIGHBORS AND IT WOULD TAKE ENERGY TO PULL THEM APART AND BREAK UP THE SHARED POOL JUST AS IT WOULD TAKE ENERGY TO PULL TWO IONS APART AGAINST THE ATTRACTION OF OPPOSITE CHARGES IN THIS WAY THE VAGUE NOTIONS OF ADAMS CLINGING TOGETHER IN MOLECULES AND BEING FORCED APART GAVE WAY TO A MUCH MORE PRECISE PICTURE OF ELECTRON'S BEING TRANSFERRED OR SHARED THE ELECTRON SHIFTS COULD BE DEALT WITH MATHEMATICALLY BY A SYSTEM THAT CAME TO BE CALLED QUANTUM MECHANICS AND CHEMISTRY WAS THUS MADE A MORE EXACT SCIENCE THAN IT HAD EVER BEEN BEFORE THE ENERGY OF THE SUN THE MOST SERIOUS PROBLEM RAISED BY THE LA LAW OF CONSERVATION OF ENERGY INVOLVED THE SUN UNTIL EIGHTEEN FORTY SEVEN SCIENTISTS DID NOT QUESTION SUNLIGHT
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