The following document is a compilation of quarterly reports from August 1946 to November of 1947 from the Biology Division of the University of Chicago.

The following report covers the literature available in the Battelle library as well as the Atomic Energy Commission (New York, N.Y.) on the processing of monazite sands for thorium and rare earth contents.

Summary: "The problem of evaporation of secondary radioactive wastes resulting from waste disposal studies at Mound Laboratoy has been studied experimentally to determine the fundamental design characteristics of a plant size unit. Emphasis, of course, was on decontamination, but the factors affecting foaming and scaling also had to be investigated and evaluated. Generally speaking, the final design is a standard type of evaporator, the only unique feature being the relation of the two effects. Where critical, as affecting performance, the particular design features have been specified."

The primary purpose of these researches was to clarify the various functions of organic substrates in bacterial photosynthesis. The following aspects were investigated; (1) metabolic pathways under photosynthetic and oxidative conditions, (2) energy transfers occurring during the metabolism in cell free extracts, and (3) the relationship between photosynthetic rate and light intensity for selected organic substrates. The results of these investigations were summarized in a paper entitled "The Application of Carbon-14 to Studies on Bacterial Photosynthesis" which was submitted to the United Nations as a contribution to the International Conference on the peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, Geneva, Switzerland, August 8-10, 1955. A reproduction of this paper constitutes a major portion of this report.

This technical report describes a simple way to calculate numerical values of K and l shell photoelectric absorption coefficients (averaged over subshells) for highly ionized atoms.

Abstract: "In experimental studies, decontamination factors of 1000 to 3000 were obtained by electrostripping deposited radioactivity from stainless steel surfaces, used as the anode, in 2% sulfuric acid at current densities as low as 0.01 amp/in.-2. Stainless steel cathodes were used. The method was successfully applied to contaminated equipment."

None

A report pertaining to the thermal-conductivity and electrical-resistivity measurements of uranium encapsulated in zircaloy-2 and surrounded with NaK as a heat-transfer material which is not in agreement with results obtained from unclad uranium.

A report about uranium alloys, fuel element development,, zirconium-uranium alloys, zirconium erosion, and the development of reactor materials.

A report about the use of clad specimens to successfully measure the thermal conductivity of irradiated uranium.

Progress report discussing projects and work completed by the University of Michigan Department of Chemistry 1957-1958.

"Equations for the heat-transfer coefficient existing at the interface of two metals in contact are discussed. The results of applying the equations (with a graphical determination of the geometric parameters) to an iron--aluminum contact are presented. A method is given for performing the graphical analysis by means of a general purpose analog computer. Data are included that were obtained by applying this method to Blanchard ground stainless steel surfaces in contact. Statistical analysis was applied to surfaces to determine the geometric properties of the contact as a function of root-mean-square roughness and method of surface preparation."

"An apparatus using a silica Bourdon gage is described for the measurement of vapor pressures or dissociation pressures with an accuracy of 0.1 mm and 0.1 deg C up to maximum pressures of atmospheric or beyond and maximum temperatures of 650 to 1250 deg C. The method is applicable to corrosive substances, to substances whose vapor pressure is sensitive to slight changes in composition, and to substances difficult to purify of volatile contaminants which affect the vapor pressure."