The major problems in this determination are the extraction of X from the sample and the isolation of the extracted X. The application of various analytical methods to these two problems indicates that the current method of analysis yields values which may be as much as 15% high. The current method of analysis is subject to positive and negative errors. The magnitude of these errors varies with techniques and with sample composition. The recommend method, although longer, is believed to be free of these errors, but a radical change, say 100 fold, in the composition of the sample would certainly require further investigation.

This report gives a short summary of the work done in the following fields for the month of January 1948: (1) 184-inch cyclotron; (2) 60-inch cyclotron; (3) synchrotron; (4) linear accelerator; (5) experimental physics; (6) theoretical physics; (7) isotope research; (8) chemistry; (9) medical physics; and (10) health physics and chemistry.

While investigating the relative yields for the many reactions resulting from the irradiation of antimony with 200-Mev deuterons in the Berkeley 184-inch cyclotron several previously unreported isotopes of tellurium and antimony were encountered. The tellurium fraction when followed on a thin mica window counter could be resolved into half-life periods of 2.5 hrs, 6.0 days and a small amount of a long-lived component. The 2.5 hour period has not been further characterized with respect to mass number or mode of decay other than to note that the radiation is predominantly electrons. The 6.0-day period is accompanied by positrons which were shown to be due to a 3.5 minute antimony daughter which is undoubtedly the same activity assigned to Sb{sup 118} by Risser, Lark-Horowitz and Smith. The positron energy was found to be 3.1 {+-} 0.2 Mev by absorption in berylllum and from the end point of the energy distribution curve taken with a low-resolution beta-ray spectrometer. Gamma activity is also present with this period. The 6.0-day tellurium showed a high abundance of x-rays, little or no conversion electrons and some gamma-ray activity which could be due to the 3.5 minute antimony daughter. The tellurium fraction contained another component of 4.5-day …

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The authors have observed tracks which they believe to be due to mesons in photographic plates placed near a target bombarded by 380 Mev alpha particles. For a 10-minute exposure in the cyclotron, about 50 meson tracks are found along the 3-inch edge of a photographic plate. The mass has been determined by measuring the bending in the magnetic field and the range in emulsion. From the first 50 meson tracks measured they find a mass of 313 {+-} 16 electron masses. It is highly probable that these mesons are the heavy mesons described by Lattes, Occhialini, and Powell.

The effects of backscattering upon self-absorption correction curves are demonstrated. Data are given for the backscattering powers of several substances for the beta radiations from C{sup 14}, and for se1f-absorption of samples of barium carbonate and wax, containing C{sup 14}, mounted on aluminum.

The theory of high energy nuclear stars depends on a theory of nuclear transparency and on a theory of nuclear evaporation. The transparency can be computed on the basis of a model proposed by R. Serber as soon as the interactions between the nucleons and the incident particle are known. The evaporation can be computed on the basis of the statistical model of the nucleus as soon as the nuclear entropy and binding energies of the evaporated particles are known. The calculations have been formulated with approximate values for the above interactions, entropies, and binding energies; and by means of various mathematical methods: a method of averages, a method of reaction integrals, and one using diffusion equations. Probability distributions have been obtained for the number of prongs per star, and distributions are being computed for the energy and angle of a prong. The results are in qualitative agreement with the observations on photographic emulsions described in Part I.

The exchange loss of radioactivity from solid samplos of barium carbonate through the agency of carbonic acid and its ions has been investigated under a variety of conditions. It is concluded that the losses observed are greatly dependent upon the method of sample preparation, in particular the nature or any heat treatment which the sample materials undergo.

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At the end of the war it became apparent that the teamwork of government and scientific institutions, which had been so effective in wartime work, must somehow be perpetuated in order to insure the continued progress of nuclear science in peace time. The enormous expense of the tools needed to pursue the next steps in this research -- nuclear reactors and high energy accelerators -- and the shortage of scientifically trained personnel pointed towards the establishment of a cooperative laboratory. Such a laboratory, using government funds, could carry out a comprehensive research program that would benefit the many interested research groups throughout the country. As a result of the wartime programs under the Manhattan District, centers of research in nuclear science were already active at the Radiation Laboratory in Berkeley, California, at Los Alamos in New Mexico, at the Clinton Laboratories in Oak Ridge, Tennessee and at the Argonne Laboratory in Chicago. No analogous nuclear research laboratories, however, had developed in the Northeast, and since so much of the nation's scientific talent and industrial activities are concentrated in the northeastern states, it was proposed that a new laboratory be established near New York City. As a result of this plan, …

The heaviest of the known elements is curium, which was recently discovered by Seaborg and his associates. This new element can be produced by the alpha particle transmutation of plutonium by the following reaction: {sub 94}Pu{sup 239} + {sub 2}He{sup 4} {yields} {sub 96}Cm{sup 242} + {sub 0}N{sup 1} This isotope of curium is radioactive and decays by the emission of an alpha particle to form plutonium 238 which, in turn, is also radioactive. Curium 242 has a half-life of 150 days, and its radioactive daughter, plutonium 238, has a half-life of 50 years. This isotope of plutonium decays by the emission of an alpha particle to form uranium 234 which has a half-life of 233,000 years. Shortly after the organization of the Atomic Energy Project, it became apparent that formidable problems would be presented as the result of the release of nuclear energy. One of the most urgent of these was the hazard presented by the production of large quantities of the radio-elements created by the fission of uranium and the coincidental formation of neptunium and plutonium. In an attempt to evaluate the potential danger presented by these radio-elements from the chain reacting pile, a large series of metabolic …

Isotopes formed in the bombardment of {sub 33}As{sup 75} with 190 Mev deuterons range in atomic number up to 24 (or more) mass units lighter than As{sup 75}. Identification of these isotopes was based on chemical behavior and half-life determination. Relative yields have been calculated and show that 80% of the observed reactions produce isotopes within 8 mass units of As{sup 75}. Three new isotopes have been observed: 9.5 d. Se{sup 72} (K), 44 m, Se{sup 71} ({beta}{sup +}), and 52 m, As{sup 71} ({beta}{sup +}).

Dibenzanthracene, labeled in the 9 and 10 positions with carbon fourteen has been administered to mice intravenously and by stomach tube as an aqueous colloid, and intraperitoneally, subcutaneously, and by stomach tube in tricaprylin solution. The distribution of radioactivity in the mice at various time intervals after administration of the carcinogen has been determined. The radioactivity is rapidly eliminated, largely through the feces, and ordinarily very little is absorbed. The distribution and rate of elimination depends upon the mode of administration. There is an appreciable quantity of radioactivity in tumors produced several months after a single subcutaneous injection of dibenzanthracene. There appear to be no detectable effects from the radiation of the labeled carcinogen.

A process hns been developed for impregnating graphite with U/sub 3/O/ sub 8/ in connection with the proposed use of such material for fuel rod elements in the Daniels' High Temperature Pile. The process as developed consists of five steps: Fabrication of the graphite in the desired shape; Pretreatment of the graphite by boiling in water and then firing in helium at 800 deg C; Impregnating the graphite by first evacuating the pretreated material and then admitting an aqueous uranyl nitrate solution whose concentration is etermined by the final uranium content desired in the raphite; Drying the impregnated graphite slowly under quilibrium conditions; and Conversion of the uranyl itrate to U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ by firing in helium at 800 deg C. By this process fuel rod elements have been made which contain as much as 19% U/sub 3/O/sub 8/ distributed uniformly throughout the graphite. The considerations leading to the choice of this process are discussed in this report, together with the alternate procedures which were investigated. (auth)

This is a monthly progress report on the following programs: (1) 184-inch Cyclotron; (2) 60-inch Cyclotron; (3) Synchrotron; (4) Linear Accelerator; (5) Experimental Physics; (6) Theoretical Physics; (7) Isotope Research; (8) Chemistry; (9) Medical Physics; and (10) Health Physics and Chemistry.

It has been suggested in the past that special numbers of neutrons or protons in the nucleus form a particularly stable configuration.{sup1} The complete evidence for this has never been summarized, nor is it generally recognized how convincing this evidence is. That 20 neutrons or protons (Ca{sup40}) form a closed shell is predicted by the Hartree model. A number of calculations support this fact.{sup2} These considerations will not be repeated here. In this paper, the experimental facts indicating a particular stability of shells of 50 and 82 protons and of 50, 82, and 126 neutrons will be listed.

The procedure for estimation of heats of formation of compounds is illustrated by discussion of compounds of several of the elements of the actinide series. The procedure is particularly suited for lanthanide and actinide elements because of the similarity of the ionic radii and types of bonding.

This quarterly report discusses the following topics: (1) the metabolic properties of plutonium and allied materials; (2) biological studies of radiation effects; (3) biological effects of radiation from external and internal zones; and (4) health chemistry.

As work on the Columbia Basin irrigation project on the Columbia River is in the initial stages, the question of the effect of this project of the mineral content of the Columbia River has been raised. As an increase in dissolved mineral matter would seem to be likely, it was felt that quantitative estimate of the magnitude of this increase would be important, specifically with reference to the retaining of the demineralization plant at 100-D Area. Accordingly, a study has been made of the probable effect of the irrigation project on the chemical characteristics of the Columbia River.

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Much of the cloud chamber work has been directed toward obtaining the angular distribution of protons bombarded by deuterons from the 184-inch cyclotron. The observations have been restricted to those protons arising from neutrons of energy greater than 65 Mev. The cloud chamber used for this work is of 16-inch diruneter and employs a magnetic field of 14000 gauss. The chamber is filled with hydrogen at a pressure of 1/2 atmosphere; the vapor used is water and alchohol. Nearly 800 proton tracks were measured and calculated before analysis of the data indicated that the measuring procedure should be revised. They gave the angular and energy distributions shown in Figures 1 and 2. The discrepencies between the theoretical and experimental energy distribution of the neutrons shows that serious errors were being made. As a first check of possible sources of error, random parts of the data were remeasured. They indicated that errors in the measurements of the angles were being made that gave a mean deviation of about {+-} 2{sup o} in the beam angle and {+-} 4{sup o} in the dip angle. These errors were largest at large scatter angles. In addition, a more serious error occured in the measurements …

A scheme of glucose degradation has been validated by the use of intermediates of known isotopic composition. In this scheme: glucose {yields} lactic acid {yields} CO{sub 2} (C-3,4) + acetic acid {yields} CO{sub 2} (C-2,5) + acetone {yields} iodoform (C-1,6) + acetate (C-1,6; 2,5), it was found that (a) in the oxidation of lactic acid, approximately 4.7% of the acetic acid was oxidized to CO{sub 2}; and (b) under the conditions prescribed, BaCO{sub 3} from the degradation of Ba acetate contained approximately 1.5% of the activity of the methyl group.

Three individuals were inadvertently exposed to polonium. Activity determinations on the routine weekly urine samples submitted by the individuals revealed counts of 174, 734, and 2190 c/min/50 ml respectively. An investigation was immediately launched to determine the source of the exposure, since there was no report of a spill or accident involving active material. By the process of elimination, the time of exposure was narrowed down to a time when two of the individuals were engaged in the denitration of a polonium solution in a small kettie inside a hood when a leak developed in the kettle. The active solution was transferred from the kettle to a carboy. All three individuals were present during the transfer period. Two wore respirators, rubber gloves, and smocks over their coveralls while the third stood well behind and watched the procedure. However, it was concluded that an inhalation exposure resulted. A medical study of each case was instituted and data are summarized. No immediate toxic effects were observed. (C.H.)

A test dose of Zr{sup 95} was given to a female patient which had a metastatic reticula endothelial tumor at the distal portion of the left femur. A comparison of the deposition of Zr{sup 95} showed greater uptake 24 hours after administration than any of the normal tissues investigated.