The First Evidence of the Neutron

Chadwick, J[ames] (1891-1974)

Possible Existence of a Neutron [ The First Evidence of the Neutron ]

London: MacMillan and Co., Limited 1932. First Edition. lx,[1]-952, v-viii. (the entire volume 129, NATURE, Jan to June 1932) Black buckram. Small 4to. An ex-library copy bound in buckram with minimal internal markings, and one blank endpaper torn where it adhered to the adjacent blank endpaper. Very Good. Cloth. [15441]


The discovery of the neutron was fundamental to the evolution of Particle Physics, and its discovery revolutionized the thinking in the field. The article offered here, submitted in February as a letter to the Editor of Nature, is the first evidence of the neutron, followed in June of the same year by the more often cited paper containing detailed additional research confirming the neutron's existence (that article is often falsely identified as the first paper on the neutron). It was common for scientists, in the race for recognition and funding, to rush a shorter announcement to press in order to establish precendence for their discoveries, followed later by a more detailed technical description. The journals they submitted their discoveries to were often called "journals of record" for that reason. "In 1932, Chadwick made a fundamental discovery in the domain of nuclear science: he proved the existence of neutrons - elementary particles devoid of any electrical charge. In contrast with the helium nuclei (alpha rays) which are charged, and therefore repelled by the considerable electrical forces present in the nuclei of heavy atoms, this new tool in atomic disintegration need not overcome any electric barrier and is capable of penetrating and splitting the nuclei of even the heaviest elements. Chadwick in this way prepared the way towards the fission of uranium 235 and towards the creation of the atomic bomb. For this epoch-making discovery he was awarded the Hughes Medal of the Royal Society in 1932, and subsequently the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1935." (Nobel Prize biography) For more information, see Particle Physics, One Hundred Years of Discovery, and the Concise DSB 2nd edition.

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