Experiments with high velocity positive ions IV—the production of induced radioactivity by high velocity protons and diplons

The production of radioactivity by artificial means has recently been achieved by Curie and Joliot who showed that after bombarding boron, magnesium and aluminium by α-particles, positive electrons were emitted, the activity decaying with period ranging from 2 to 14 minutes. By chemical test they were further able to show that the radioactivity was due to the formation of new radioactive isotopes, radio silicon, radio nitrogen, and radio phosphorus, these bodies having half lives of 14·5, 2·5 and 3·25 minutes respectively. The suggested that it ought to be possible to produce these radioactive isotopes in other ways, and in particular that by bombarding carbon with diplons the same radioactive from of nitrogen ought to be produced.