Mass-Spectrograph Analysis of Beryllium

Abstract

A new source of ions suitable for positive ray analysis was developed in the form of a molecular beam from a hot oven. Ions were produced in the beam by electron impact and focused on the entrance slit of the mass spectrograph by suitable electric fields. The method was applied to the study of beryllium but only ${\mathrm{Be}}^9$ was found. The experiment placed an upper limit on the existence of ${\mathrm{Be}}^8$ of one part in ten thousand.