The attached list of publications is submitted as a year to year and final report of progress on work accomplished under Contract AT(11-1)-159 from 1950 to 1959. Work was initiated on this project in the spring of 1950 and is still in progress as of the date of this report.

Quantitative recovery of carrier‐free 10−9 M manganese (II) is possible from weakly acidic solutions. The use of lead dioxide as either a non-isotopic carrier or a chemical displacing agent makes possible high recoveries from more acidic solutions.

The order of magnitude of the non-mesonic to mesonic ratio has been measured for several species of hyper- fragments. With this ratio as well as the branching ratio of the mesonic decays and a determination of the lifetime, it is possible to find the partial decay rates of the various modes. This decay rate should throw light on the influence of nucleons on the strangeness violation in the decay. The effect should be greater for heavy hyperfragments. The difficulty in attempts to measure lifetimes in emulsions is that the mean energy of the hyperfragments products by K mesons and Pions is so low that the moderation time is a very small fraction of the lifetime. Although the stopping power of bubble chambers is considerably less, the spatial resolution of these devices is such that the heavier hyperfragments can not be seen or identified. For these reasons, it seems possible to measure lifetimes of heavy hyperfragments only in emulsions. In an attempt to achieve higher nuclear excitation energies in interactions and correspondingly more energetic hyperfragments, a search has made for hyperfragments produced by heavy primaries from the cosmic rays.

The General Electric Test Reactor (GETR) facility is designed to irradiate the fuel specimens in a helium-cooled environment at 800 degree F and pressures from 315 to 400 psig. Thermal neutron fluxes in the fuel are of the order of 3 x 10(13) mv and the induvial test pieces, of which there are three in each facility tube, generate five kilowatts at heat fluxes slightly over 200,000 Btu per hour per square foot. Five facility tubes are provided in the reactor pool. Separate coolant lines are brought out from each facility tube to the instrumentation. The lines are then joined into one inlet and one outlet header line and are so connected to the compressors and the balance of the equipment. Axial-flow rotary compressors are used to circulate the coolant gas. Each of the facility tubes is provided with a movable cadmium neutron shutter and with suitable instrumentation and equipment to allow individual adjustment of operating conditions.

The cross sections for electric dipole photodisintegration of H/sup 3/ and He/sup 3/ at low energies are expressed in terms of the effective range parameters of the doublet n-d scattering matrix. Agreement with the experimental results is possible for either set of n-d scattering lengths.

Molten salts have been used extensively as solvents for electrochemical processes. The difficulty of removing the last traces of residual moisture from the salts has often necessitated rather arduous drying procedures. If the moisture is not removed, hydrolysis occurs upon fusion. The hydroxide ion thus produced precipitates metal ions, attacks glass, and is reduced more easily than the alkali metals, thus diminishing the usable potential range of the solvent. It was found that if rigorously dried hydrogen chloride is bubbled through the melt for twenty minutes before the argon flush, the hydroxide ion impurity is removed.

The photometric titration technique is used for the determination of weak bases using perchloric acid in acetic acid as titrant and acetic acid or acetonitrile as solvent. Differentiating titration of as many as four components in a single mixture is shown to be possible. Comparison with potentiometric titrations in the same media shows the photometric technique to be preferable in many instances where the bases to be differentiated are very similar in strength. The versatility of the photometric procedure in differentiating bases is greatly increased by the device of changing wavelength during titration of mixtures. (auth)

Classical polarography and voltammetry with other electrodes are discussed . 189 references taken from literature between mid-1957 and mid-to-late 1959 is surveyed.

An electromagnetic quadrupole lane system been developed and constructed which will be used to study the focusing of beta-rays. A current-carrying wire analog has also been developed to make preliminary studies of the accessory lane parameters.

A program for determining the behavior of concrete shear keys under dynamic loading similar to that encountered in nuclear blasts was coupled with a study of the comparative behavior of shear keys under static loading. The testing procedure gave deflection recording for the shear keys, their strength in pure shear, under transverse compression and when dowelled, stresses and strains in the embedded dowels, and the mode of failure of each specimen. From an analysis of the data obtained and a study of the combined direct and transverse stresses involved, important qualitative conclusions were drawn from the common trends in the behavior of keys. The tests proved that plain concrete keys can withstand stresses in pure shear as high as 2000 p.s.i. or more, that imposing transverse compression on them raises the ratio of their shear strength to compressive strength by about 50% in dynamic loading though by only about 5% in static loading, and that the keys exhibit much higher shear strength when subjected to dynamic loads than when stressed by static loads. The test also indicated that the strength and quality of the gravel are probably major factors governing the strength of the keys.

Crystallographic data on intermetallic Pu compounds are presented. The compounds are described in alphabetical order of the alloying compound. A table is included in which all of the Pu compounds and isotopes mentioned in the report are listed along with the corresponding references.

The Monthly Operating Report is divided into seven major sections: Summary of Report, Station Activity Schedule, Operations, maintenance, Refueling, Test Program and Training Program.

Dilute solutions of uranium, thorium, zirconium, and columbium chlorides in LiCl-KCl eutectic melts were made by anodic dissolution of these metals. After equilibrium was reached between the solution and the metal, the electrode potential was measured relative to a AgCl reference electrode. The nature of the metal ions in the equilibrated melt was determined either from the slope of the isothermal plots of potential versus the logarithm of concentrations, or by using Faraday's law. It was found that in the temperature range of 760 to 830 degree K, U3+, Th4+, Zr4+, and Nb3+ are predominant species existing in the uranium chloride, thorium chloride, zirconium chloride and niobium chloride melts respectively. For niobium chloride melts of higher concentrations that that shown above, other species of niobium ions, notably Nb4+, coexists with Nc3+ in appreciable amounts. The results are explained on the basis of the magnitude of the free energy of formation of the chlorides of these metal ions of different valence states and the tendency for these metal ions to form complex ions wit the chloride ions in the melt.

Phase 1 of the AEC contract AT(30-1)-2176 consists in developing a light intensifier which includes a fiber optic faceplate in the output end. The vacuum side of the faceplate shall be coated with an aluminum-backed P15 phosphor and shall have an effective radiating diameter of 1". The execution of this phase depends primarily upon developing a satisfactory technique for sealing the fiber optic faceplate to a suitable container. During the delay which has occurred between the ordering and the actual delivery of the components, a program was set up to develop the sealing technique and a satisfactory technique was evolved. Phase II entails the development of a light intensifier tube with a fiber optic faceplate on both the input and output. The photocathode fiber optic faceplate arrived and was found to have one small area which was not completely vacuum tight. The manufacturer is correcting the problem.

A device to extend the operation of a beam extraction system is described for low energies where the radiation loss per turn is ineffective. The device consists of a noisy radiofrequency field which excites the radial betatron oscillation

Data obtained in test of Bureau of Mines electrocerium are presented. The cerium was subjected to spectrochemical analysis, x-ray diffraction analysis, thermal analysis, metallographic tests, and high-pressure experiments.

Thorium bismuthide when crystallized from a solution i bismuth results in large platelets which may be as large a 1 centimeter in diameter. A slurry of these platelets is difficult to pump through pipe lines and filters. The particle size can be reduced by (1) very rapid cooing (approximately 1000 degree C per second) or (2) ultrasonic treatment. The latter, much easier to attain in large scale, gives equiaxed particles of thorium bismuthide.

A method is described for the production of single‐crystal films of copper at temperatures as low as −40°C. This method utilizes the epitaxy of copper on rock salt. A thin layer of copper is evaporated on a single crystal of salt at 350°C. Then a thick layer is evaporated at the low temperature. Films grown by this method have been examined using x‐ray and etching techniques. It was found that some of these films had single‐crystal regions of 1 mm diameter and larger. These crystallites had [100] directions within 1° to a normal to the film surface.

This is the fifty-fourth progress report of the Laboratory for Nuclear Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Progress reported covers the period for Physics and Chemistry through April 30,1959. Progress is reported on: (1) Chemistry of the fission elements group, (2) Nuclear chemistry (inorganic) group, (3) Nuclear chemistry (organic) group, (4) Cosmic ray group, (5) High energy accelerator physics group, (6) Bubble chamber group, (7) Liner acceleratory group, (8) Rockefeller generator group, (9) ONR generator group, (8) Radioactivity group, (9) Cyclotron group, (10) Theoretical group, (11) Personnel listing.

To summarize one finds that for diffusion in a temperature gradient by a vacancy mechanism one must have E(M) < E(F). No such restrictions occur for interstitial diffusion. The spatial vacancy distribution is very nearly the equilibrium distribution if dislocations are present. If no dislocations are present then one could obtain E(M) by measurement of the spatial distribution.

Since the inauguration of the Off-Site Animal Investigation project n 1957, there has been one annual report rendered as of 30 June 1958. this is the second annual report dated as of 30 June 1959. The objectives of the project have been unchanged during the past year. These are (1) to enhance the Nevada Test Site/off-site rancher relationship through an active investigation project in their interests, and (2) to provide further information as to the status of the off-site animals in their environment, with special emphasis on their radioactive isotope uptake from fall-out. isotope uptake of the animals is being emphasized as well as the gross and microscopic histopathological examinations. Two year's existence in an area of radio-contamination where a full fission spectrum of isotopes can be found, where radiation background reading range from 1/2 mr per hour to 1 = per hour, has produced no noticeable effect on the animals.

Current regulation of a Bitter type electromagnet powered by a 10 kw. motor-generator set has been achieved by control of the generator exciting field. An error signal, obtained by comparing the voltage drop across a series resistor in the magnet circuit with a reference voltage, is fed back with appropriate amplification to the grids of series tubes in the generator field supply. Magnetic fields from 400 gauss to 10 kilogauss in a fixed gap (1.5 in. width and 3.5 in. diameter) are obtainable with regulation to 3 parts in 104 over the major part of this range.

This technical report covers five areas: (1) High-speed computer program; (2) Mathematical methods; (3) ILLIAC use and operations; (4) IBM 650 use and operation; (5) General laboratory information.

This technical report covers five areas: (1) High-speed computer program; (2) Mathematical methods; (3) ILLIAC use and operations; (4) IBM 650 use and operation; (5) General laboratory information.