Abstract: Studies were made of the air-borne contamination present during the operation of reducing plutonium tetrafluoride powder to the metal. Equipment design changes were made and operation technique changes were made until the amount of contamination present during operations was well below tolerance levels.

Abstract. Experimental work was carried out to improve material conversion efficiency and to reduce handling costs inherent in the present process for production of high purity calcium. Charges up to 54 pounds were handled successfully in the equipment available. Material losses were reduced and more complete removal of alkali and alkaline earth metals was effected by controlled pressures of inert gas and by melting under positive pressure of Argon.

A good determination of the resonance absorption of uranium when admixed with various substances is necessary so that calculations can be made on the efficiency of homogeneous piles. The original experiments along these lines were undertaken by Creutz, Jupnik, and Snyder (C-116) and consisted of experiments on the resonance capture in pure U, UO2, U3O8, and one experiment on capture in a mixture of U3O8 and graphite. These experiments were done at the cyclotron in Princeton and consisted of determining the ratio of the twenty-three minute activity of uranium to an iodine monitor placed in some position with respect to the sample. By using spheres of different radii both the volume and the surface absorptions were measured. It was considered very desirable to extend these measurements to mixtures containing large amounts of graphite to uranium and also to investigate other substances containing hydrogen and deuterium. In addition it was decided to use both iodine and gallium monitors in the experiments. While the experiments were in progress, an absorption curve for uranium metal was made by Marshall using iodine and gallium detectors, which showed that there was a certain amount of overlapping of resonance levels of uranium and iodine.

It was desired to determine a method of evaporating boron to form a rather pure uniform tenacious coat of specified thickness. These coats are needed as monitoring films for neutron intensities, particularly in steel ionization cylinders. The most satisfactory method of evaporating boron employed a graphite filament. A mixture of amorphous boron and Carbenoid A was painted onto the filament which was then heated by electrical resistance method to 2300 degree C at which temperature the boron evaporated. Opaque films with purities up to 98% boron or better could be deposited by this method. Much heat was liberated by the filament, and it was found necessary to cool the steel cylinders during evaporation to prevent alloying of boron with the steel. Cathodic deposition also proved satisfactory for producing high purity films; this method has the advantage that little or no heat is produced during the process, but requires much time. Other less efficacious methods of depositing lighter films of born were developed; these are included in the following discussion.

Report discussing experiments investigating the effects of radiation and metal toxicity on the function of the liver, kidneys, adrenals, and bone marrow of experimental animals.

This report for December, 1947 describes progress in ore dressing and pyrometallurgical studies, chemical work on phosphates, and analytical work.

This report for March, 1947 describes progress regarding chemical and spectrographic analysis, chemical work, physical methods of analysis, and ore dressing and pyrometallurgical studies,

This report for January, 1947 discusses progress regarding ore dressing studies, pyrometallurgical work, chemical work, chemical and spectrographic analysis, and physical methods of analysis.

This report for May, 1947 describes progress regarding analytical work, chemical work, beta-counting methods of analysis, ore-dressing and pyrometallurgical studies, and pyrometallurgical work.

Summary: "Water containing 1.8% D2O was distributed between the two liquid phases formed with triethylamine at 20 and 35 C. The triethylamine was removed from each phase by aseotropic distillation with benzene before analyzing the water by determining its density with a quartz float. The ratios of the concentrations of the D2O in the water layer to that in the amino layer were 1.007 and 1.004 at 20 and 35, respectfully. The differences from unity are about the same as the errors of analysis."

The emf of galvanic cells at high temperatures was measured using uranium metal in equilibrium with its chloride as one half of the cell, the other half of the cell being some reference electrode such as silver - silver chloride. Several designs of cells tried are described. A value of 2.83 volts/eq. at 1170[degree]K and also at 990[degree]K is considered as the most probably value for the potential of the uranium halide couple.

Report describing results of experiments that involved injecting radioactive yttrium into animals: "The excretion, retention, and distribution of the yttrium was measured, and its effect on survival and growth was observed. The average total excretion of Y91 to the time of death (from 76 hours to 24 days) was a little less than 30 per cent of the injected dose" (p. 2).

Technical report with short reports from the (1) Physics Section I; (2) Physics Section II ; and (3) Physics Section III.