In regard to the production of ozone and various nitrogen oxides in air by action of x-rays or gamma rays, thre seems to be no direct experimental data which can be used. There is some data on the action of alpha particles on air and some on the action of cathode rays.

Laboratory studies have shown that the double salt, CaF2-PuF4, can be precipitated by rapid addition of hydro-fluoric acid to solutions containing 25 to 75 g Pu/1, caleium equimolar to plutonium, and 1 to 10 M HNO3. The precipitate, which is subsequently washed with water and dried to 300 degrees C in dehumidified, deoxygenated argon, can be reduced thermally by calcium to give high yields of plutonium metal.

Thirty gram patches of plutonium dioxide can be readily chlorinated by reaction with phosgene or carbon tetrachloride at temperatures of 350 and 450 C respectively. Plutonium trichloride prepared by either method can be reduced to the metal in a hermetically sealed bomb by reaction with calcium. On a twenty gram scale yields of approximately 97 per cent are obtained when a calcium-iodine booster is employed. It has been demonstrated that a method for reduction of plutonium trichloride to the metal without the use of a booster can be development.