Physical and inorganic Chemistry. Studies are reported on: volatile complexes of ZrCl/sub 4/ and HfCl/sub 4/ with POCl/sub 3/; reaction of UCl/sub 4/ with LiAlH/sub 4/; preparation and properties of metal uranates and polyuranates; heats of solution of UO/sub 2/(NO/sub 3/)/sub 2/ hydrates; absorption spectra of Np in HClO/sub 4/, and separation of Np and Pu chlorides by a flow method. Process Chemistry. Extraction of Th from Mailiackrodt U raffinate was studied. Nuclear Chemistry aad Radiochemistry. Invesigations were carried out on: organic tritium; exchange reactions of U ions in solution; exchange reactions of Fe in aqueous solutions: Tc recovery from old Hanford slugs; (a,2n) cross section of Pa/sup 231/; and spontaneous fission counting U/sup 236/ and Pu/sup 238. (T.R.H) l822 Nuclear Chemistry and Radiochemistry. Measurements of the half- lives of Ac/sup 227/ and RaD(Pb/sup 210/) were continued. The effective pile neutron capture cross sections for U/sup 236/ were determined by measuring the activity of the resultant U/sup 237/ with an end window geiger counter. A study of ion chambers for tritium analysis is presented. Procedures were developed for the determination of tritium and C/sup 14/ in onganic compounds. Physical and Inorganic Chemistry. An investigation of the electrochemistry of Np in …

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Tests were made to determine the straight run limitations of the Beth-Flo Gentile Flow Tube. The effect of surface roughness on tube performance was also investigated. The permanent head loss of the tube was determined.

Correlations of alpha-decay energies in terms of mass number and atomic number have been made for all of the alpha-emitting species now numbering over 100. For each element isotopes show increase in alpha-energy with decrease in mass number except in the region of 126 neutrons where there is an explainable reversal. This reversal has the effect of creating a region of relatively low alpha-energy and long half-life at low mass numbers for such elements as astatine, emanation, francium, and possibly higher elements as had been noted already for bismuth and polonium. Methods and examples of using alpha-decay data to define the energy surface in the heavy element region are discussed. The regularities in alpha-decay are used for predictions of nuclear properties including prediction of the beta-stable nuclides among the heavy elements. The half-life vs. energy correlations show that the even-even nuclides conform well with existing alpha-decay theory, but all nuclear types with odd nucleons show prohibited decay. The reason for this prohibition is not found in spin changes in the alpha-emission but in the assembly of the components of the alpha particle, and this theory is discussed further in terms of observations made on nuclides having two or more alpha-groups. …