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.

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."

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

A report regarding the Trachyte District, located in the Henry Mountains Area, Garfield and Wayne Counties, Utah.