Do Plants Assimilate Argon?

Abstract

IT is a well-known fact that some plants are able to assimilate nitrogen from the atmosphere and form compounds. Now, as argon cannot be induced—at least up to now—by any known process of inorganic chemistry or physical science to enter into a combination with one or more of the known elements, it occurred to me whether that peculiar power which produced the cell is not able to form combinations with argon. The experiment to grow suitable plants in an atmosphere of pure argon, or argon mixed with pure oxygen, on a bed of pure sand, &c., would easily settle the question.