Radiations from the Sulphate of Quinine While under the supervision of Ernest Rutherford in 1903, Gates also researched the phosphorescent and conductive properties of quinine, and whether these properties are also present in other radioactive substances. This work was based on that of Le Bon, and detailed a series of experiments detailing the effects of various tests on samples of heated quinine and comparing them to known tests on the known properties of other radioactive materials, resulting in 5 distinct conclusions. Radiation from quinine is only apparent when accompanied by great temperature change, is inconsistent during the change, and ends shortly after the temperature change. Temperature change does not affect the rate of discharge of electricity between plates exposed to the radiations from the active elements, and the radiation from said plates does not deteriorate appreciably with time. Maximum ionization cannot be reached with quinine radiations even in a strong magnetic field, while a comparatively weak field will have this effect on radium and other active elements. Quinine radiations are largely absorbed in 2–3 mm of air, and can be absorbed far sooner than that, while even the least penetrating radiations from the active elements will pass through at least several cm of air with no appreciable loss in intensity. Quinine radiation can be completely blocked with a very thin sheet of aluminum, which does not affect the rays of uranium, radium, or thorium. While the rate of ionization due to radon radiation is independent of the direction of the field they are generated in, ionization from quinine radiation changes dramatically when the field is reversed. Using these conclusions, Gates was able to assert that ionization from quinine radiation is completely different from that of active elements, resulting from molecular actions rather than he spontaneous projection of charged masses from the atom. The Conductivity of the Air Due to the Sulphate of Quinine In 1909, Gates researched and published her PhD thesis, a 12-page work, entitled "The Conductivity of Air Caused by Certain Chemical Changes", on the affect that heated quinine has on conductivity. In this paper Gates thoroughly researched the phenomenon where heating quinine raised the conductivity of the surrounding air in a series of controlled tests, expanding on her previous work in On the nature of certain radiations from the sulphate of quinine. Gates eventually concluded that while quinine did indeed have the reported effect on air conductivity,