The following report describes the high pressure and temperature homogeneous reactor experiment which has been started at Los Alamos, as well as the hazards and safety aspects for the experiments.

The usual method of removing surface oxide from plutonium metal samples, by electrolytic cleaning in a mixture of ethylene glycol and phosphoric acid, is not satisfactory for preparing samples for oxygen determination. Samples prepared in this way give erratic oxygen values. This report describes a new method of electrolytic cleaning, using a 20 ~ aqueous potassium carbonate solution as the electrolyte. The sample is placed in a rotating tantalum cup which is made the anode. Electrolysis for two minutes at 4.5 volts is usually sufficient. Samples cleaned by the new method give lower and more consistent oxygen results than those prepared in the old way. The new method is also neater and more convenient.

Am III and Pu III have been recovered on a plant scale by extraction with tributyl phosphate from slag and crucible and other recovery solutions. Process losses were 0.03% Am and 0.01% Pu. The product stream contained 0.08 gram Am per liter and 0.15 gram Pu per liter. The final solution cleanup to allow discard (total alpha activity equivalent to less than 10(-4) gram Pu per liter) was accomplished by tributyl phosphate extraction of Pu III under conditions of low acidity and high nitrate.