Abstract: A method for separating small amounts of scandium (1 to 10 mg.) from a gram of uranium depends upon formation of insoluble uranium peroxide while the scandium in solution is complexed with ethylenediamine-tetraacetic acid. The precipitated peroxide carries down less than 30 p.p.m. of scandium. Uranium left in solution, less than one milligram in amount, does not interfere when the scandium is precipitated as ammonium scandium tartrate and determined gravimetrically by ignition of the tartrate to the oxide.

Report discussing a proposed electron probe that is connected to the discharge current from a device called the Perhapsatron. "The Perhapsatron is an apparatus for the study of the type of magnetic containment known as the 'pinch effect.'"

Abstract: "A method for determining hydrogen in lithium hydride by heating samples with lead at 600 C, was developed. The hydrogen evolved during thermal decomposition of the hydride is purified and oxidized to water with cupric oxide at 400 C. The analysis is completed by collecting and weighing this water. Success in development of the analytical procedure has depended upon a careful design and assembly of equipment for handling samples in a dry, inert atmosphere. For seven pure hydride samples analyzed by the recommended method the estimates of the standard deviation varied between 0.12 and 0.41 percent lithium hydride (or 1.3 and 4.2 parts per thousand) for 8 to 18 determinations on each sample. The procedure is relatively insensitive to variations in certain conditions. For single-piece samples weighing 0.2 to 0.5 gram it was found to be more satisfactory than a method which uses mercury in place of lead for sample decomposition. For powdered lithium hydride samples the lead and mercury methods are equally satisfactory."

The following report follows the studies of electroplating on uranium and concurrent metallurgical clodding.

From abstract: "A method for fabricating 30-in.-long stainless steel - uranium dioxide sheet was developed and the properties of the fabricated sheet were investigated."

From introduction: "The present paper deals with a classical calculation in which some of the meson effects can be included to all orders in the meson-nucleon coupling coupling constant, in particular those having to do with the gyration of the nucleon spin and isotopic spin. Such a treatment leads to results qualitatively different from the weak coupling calculations."

Abstract: A visualized electron beam has been reflected by a conventional magnetic mirror. Visualization of the beam path from the electron gun to and including the region of reflection was achieved by the "thread ray" technique of Wehnelt. The total current passing through a magnetic mirror has been measured as a function of the beam energy and angular momentum for H₂ over a range of pressures from 0.5 to 5 microns.

Abstract: "A titrimetric method for the determination of fluoride in plutonium is reported. Prior to a steam distillation of the fluoride, the bulk of the plutonium is separated by precipitation of the sulfate. The fluoride in the distillate is titrated at a pH of 3.2 with 0.001 M thorium nitrate, using chrome azurol-S indicator. Applied to samples containing 1 to 15 parts per million fluoride, the recovery is 87% and the precision on the 95% confidence level is +/- 0.65 ppm."

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"A series of thermal neutron diffusion length measurements has been made on non-multiplying lattice of lead-cadmium alloy rods in D2O. One-inch diameter rods in square lattice spacing of 4, 9, 6, 9, and 12 inches were used. Excellent agreement was found between theoretical and experimental values of the diffusion length. The analysis o the diffusion length measurement required a correction for the epithermal neutrons entering the exponential tank. These epithermal neutrons provided a distributed source of thermal neutrons upon slowing down in the lattice."

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"In order to determine the factors involved in the scale-up of cores with concentric inlet and outlet pipes, a 48 inch carbon steel flow model, geometrically similar to a 6 foot diameter core, has been assembled and tested...Visual studies were made of dye and gas behavior in the sphere, and quantitative measurements of point residence times were obtained through the use of conductivity cells actuating a Brush recorder. Static pressure drop across the core was measured."

Report discussing experiments to determine "whether there is a uniformity in the reactions involved in the fixation of carbon during the early steps of photosynthesis or whether there may also be differences in these basic reactions. To investigate this question and to determine whether any differences, should they occur, might be correlated with phylogenetic relationships, a survey of representatives of major plant groups was made with respect to the kinds and relative amounts of the compounds into which carbon was incorporated during short-term photosynthesis."

Abstract: "Observations on the metabolism of chyle cholesterol in the rat show that exogenous cholesterol entering the systemic circulation in chyle exists in lipoproteins of low density (including chylomicrons) migrating with a high Sf rate (i.e.>400) in the ultracentrifuge. Following entry into the systemic circulation these molecules are rapidly removed from the plasma. This "clearing" of serum chyle cholesterol is a tissue phenomenon, the liver being the predominant site. Within the liver the chyle cholesterol esters are at least partially hydrolyzed; hydrolysis apparently does not occur in the plasma to any appreciable extent. After its entry into the liver exogenous cholesterol, if normally metabolized, presumably mixes with and becomes indistinguishable from cholesterol produced by endogenous synthesis."

"A series of shock tube studies demonstrate that two types of pressure gauges respond to dust carried with shock waves by indicating an increase in dynamic pressure. This contribution to the dynamic pressure is approximately the product of the dust density and the square of the dust velocity under the experimental conditions. Besides this information studies give insight into the interaction of a square shock wave with dust when that dust is placed in a plane before and parallel to the shock front. It is found that the shape of the pressure wave is little changed except for a rounding of the front. The dust, after accelerating, is carried as a pulse with the mass flow velocity of the air."

The following report is a collection of data and results from studies of zirconium alloy corrosion.

Report discussing the progress made on various research projects at North American Aviation during the quarter from January to March 1954.

Progress is reported on (1) direct cycle boiling reactor studies, (2) solvent extraction, (3) fluoride volatilization separation process, (4) elevated temperature separations, (5) fluidization studies, (6) development of analytical techniques, (7) processing and utilization of radioactive wastes.

Experiments performed by the Laboratory with the Borax Reactor at the National Reactor Testing Station have demonstrated that a boiling reactor possesses inherent safety characteristics which have not previously been included in the estimation of reactor hazards. Other operating characteristics of Borax were also sufficiently attractive to justify the development of boiling reactors for package power and central station power plant applications. Accordingly, a proposal was made to the Atomic Energy Commission that Argonne design, construct and operate a pilot-scale boiling reactor (BER) as part of the Commission's five year program for development of power reactors. Tentative approval for this project has been granted. The primary objective of the BER is to establish the feasibility of operating a boiling reactor in conjunction with a turbine generator on a scale which can be extrapolated to large sizes. A preliminary evaluation of hazards is hereby submitted for the purpose of determining site requirements for a 20 mw reactor of this type. Because the construction of the reactor would be expedited and its usefulness as an operating experiment greatly enhanced, it is suggested that the reactor should be constructed at the DuPage site of the Laboratory. If the inherent features of safety of …

The following quarterly report covers the period of January, February and March of 1954, discussing medical and health physics such as: the metabolic properties of various materials, biological studies of radiation effects, lipoprotein studies, health chemistry, and health physics.

The capillary trap method for the determination of carbon in metals (LA-1128) has been modified to give a fivefold improvement in sensitivity (0.1 microgram of carbon per millimeter). Samples from pure uranium buttons gave standard deviations ranging from 1.4 to 3.2 p.p.m. Varying sample size, in the range from 100 to 250 milligrams, did not affect the results significantly. The time required for an analysis is about 13-14 minutes. The method should be equally useful for plutonium.

Critical mass measurements on graphite-tamped, heterogeneous oralloy-graphite systems have been made as a safety guide for certain oralloy casting procedures. Various concentrations were obtained by alternately stacking 10.5 in. diameter oralloy and graphite plates. In the relation Oralloy critical mass = constant x (fraction of oralloy in the core volume) -n values for the exponent, n, in the neighborhood of 0.70 were obtained.

A glass vacuum manifold and ionization chamber are evacuated and filled to atmospheric pressure with hydrogen and tritium. The hydrogen and tritium are evolved by dropping liquid, urine or water, on calcium metal and dried by passing through a suitable freezing bath. The current produced by the beta activity due to tritium is measured with a vibrating reed electrometer. The method has a precision of +3 per cent between the ranges of 100 and 1500 pc of tritium per liter. From O to 100 pc of tritium per liter the precision is +-5 to 10 per cent. The glass vacuum manifold has been constructed to fit in an aluminum suitcase which contains all the auxiliary equipment for the determination except the vacuum pump, vibrating reed electrometer, and the freezing bath solutions. The apparatus is sturdy and readily transported. The procedure is simple and adapted for use by untrained personnel.

This paper is issued in two volumes: LA-1664 and LA-1665. In LA-1664, the fundamental properties of a shock in free air are described, including the reasons for failure of similarity scaling. The results of an analytic solution for strong shocks are presented, which permit a determination of the energy in a shock wave from its rate of growth without recourse to similarity assumptions; from it the scaling laws for both homogeneous and inhomogeneous atmospheres are explicitly shown. The total energy is evaluated in a machine calculation for the blast wave and from this evaluation, the free air wave form for all hydrodynamic variables is presented. The general nature of the laws governing thermal radiation from atomic bombs is deduced, a new figure of merit for thermal radiation is suggested to replace the concepts of “thermal energy” and “critical calories,” which are considered ambiguous. Partition of energy is considered negligible in most cases of interest; the waste heat concept is reconsidered and the failures of scaling to TNT are regarded primarily as a failure of the ideal gas law. LA-1665 is concerned with preparation of height of burst curves. In the reflection process over ideal surfaces, the usual subdivision into regions …