Technical report with short reports covering (1) Effect of radiation on water and aqueous systems; (2) Effect of neutrons on graphite; (3) Effect of radiation on solid compounds; and (4) Scattering, stopping-power, ion-pair production, etc.

Abstract. a method of recovering thorium from slag from the bomb process of producing thorium has been developed. HCl and NaOH are the only chemicals required in quantity. Materials required for a representative slag are given.

Technical report containing short articles on (1) Determination of physical constants for U233; (2) Determination of decay chain of U233; (3) Extraction of U233; (4) Extracting solvents for uranium; (5) Factors affecting the extraction uranium and thorium by organic solvents, especially ether; and (6) Analysis of ore samples for protoactinium.

Abstract. thorium can be precipitated as a salt of p-dimethylaminoazophenylarsonic acid at a pH of about 1.5. the precipitate, collected on a sintered glass filter is washed with dilute ammonium hydroxide to dissolve the dye. the amount of thorium is determined by measuring the concentration of the dye spectrophotometrically at a wavelength of 450 millimicrons. Zirconium, which interferes, can be separated and determined using the same reagent in strong hydrochloric. the behavior of thorium metal upon treatment with various acids and upon fusion withKHSO4 is described. three satisfactory procedures are given for dissolving the metal with sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, and by a potassium hydrogen sulfate fusion. The laboratory was presented with the problem of analyzing for a large number of elements in O2 metal. the results of a systematic study of methods for effecting solution of the metal are offered here since they may be of some interest and use to other laboratories. The four methods which effected complete solution of the metal are (1) Sulfuric acid method; (2) Fusion method; (3) Phosphoric acid method; and (4) Nitric acid-hydrofluoric acid method.

Abstract. In the first section of this technical report a new method of extracting uranium from thorium nitrate solution is discussed. This method consists of extracting an aqueous solution of thorium nitrate, nitric acid, sodium sulphate, and potassium thiocyanate with hexone. By this procedure, using an equal volume of hexone it is possible to extract 83 percent of the uranium while only 0.3 percent of the thorium is extracted. other experiments show that even greater separations are possible. In the second section of this report the use of antipyrine in solvent extraction procedures is discussed. Experiments are described in which 90 percent of the uranium is extracted while the thorium is extracted to the order of 3 to 5 percent.

Technical report with short reports on (1) Effect of radiation on water and aqueous systems; (2) Gas evolution from uranyl solutions; (3) Effect of radiation on solid compounds; (4) Instruments; and (5) Scattering.

Introduction. the colorimetric determination of iron based on the formation of the colored ferrous-1,10-phenanthroline complex has been used successfully by a number of investigators. In this technical report, its adaptation to the routine determination of iron in cerium, thorium, and beryllium metals and their compounds is described.

Abstract. Spectrographic procedures for determining small amounts of the common contaminants in beryllium and its compounds are described. Suggestions relative to the preparation of synthetic standards are also given.

Abstract. The separation of uranyl nitrate from aqueous solutions of 0.635 M thorium nitrate, 3 M nitric acid and 3 M calcium nitrate by extraction with organic solvents has been investigated. Solvents which gave good separations were 2-tthyl hexyl acetate, ethyl benzoate, n-butyl either and beta-beta- dichloroethyl ether. In general, higher esters, ethers and alcohols are better for separating uranium from thorium that the lower homologues. Several solvents were tested at lower nitric acid concentrations. Dibutyl cellosolve gave a very good separation when the solution was 0.1 M nitric acid. Of the solvent mixtures studied that of equal parts of n-butyl ether and dibutyl cellosolve gave a good separation.

Introduction. It has been known for a long time that thorium is precipitated by oxalic acid in acid solutions, but a survey of the literature showed no study of the limits of the acidity and oxalic acid excess which yield quantitative results. V. I. Spitzin reports on the solubility of thorium oxalate in varying concentrations of several acids, but the effect of an excess oxalic acid is not included. Since solutions are sometimes presented for analysis that contain more than the recommended two per cent mineral acid, it would be advantageous to be able to quantitatively remove the thorium without otherwise altering the solutions. This was especially of interest in solutions containing bismuth, since it was hoped that some amounts of thorium could be precipitated in nitric acid solutions containing large quantities of bismuth. In removing the bismuth, first by a bismuth oxychloride precipitation, thee is every opportunity for carrying of the thorium.

Technical report with six sections describing the process: (1) The reaction of HN)3 with HSCN; (2) The distribution of nitric acid between hexone and water; (3) The distribution of HSCN between hexone and water; (4) The solubility of thorium sulfate in various extraction solutions; (5) The distribution of protoactinium and fission elements between hexone and aqueous thiocyanate solutions; and (6) Separation of uranium from thorium by extraction into hexone as UO2(SCH)a.

Technical report describing two experiments performed to compare the amounts of fission gases swept out of UNH solution with those amounts swept out of PU solution under idential condiditons. The charge wire technique was used. The essential date and the results are given in tables in the report.

Abstract. The physico-chemical methods of determining nitric acid and thorium nitrate in solutions containing these two materials were investigated. Conductimetric titration with sodium hydroxide can be used to determine nitric acid accurately. the titration of thorium nitrate requires a separate standardization of the base however, since a basic salt is precipitated rather the normal hydroxide. The titration of thorium is reproductible however, so and empirical standardization can be used. The measurement of the specific gravity and refractivity of the solutions provides a method of determining the concentrations in terms of these two variable. Equations for the concentrations in terms of specific gravity and refractively are given, both in pure solutions and in those saturated with methyl isobutyl ketone.

Technical report describing the purification and separation by distillation of UO2F2 from D2O. In the experiment which is discussed 2,129.6 lbs of UO2F2 were dissolved in 6,605 lbs of D2O. The average isotopic purity of the D2O decreased during the distillation from 99.77% to 99.73%. The dissolved impurities were less than those present originally in the heavy water.

Abstract. Thorium peroxide was precipitated from thorium nitrate solutions containing varying amounts of sulfate ion and of hydrogen ion. The washed solids were analyzed both wet and dry. Analyses were made for thorium, peroxide oxygen, sulfate, nitrate, and water contents. X-ray powder photographs of the dried samples by W.H. Zachariasen showed the presence of only two phases. When precipitated from high sulfuric acid, the solid phase was isomorphous with Th(OO)SO4.3H20. More weakly acid solutions whose sulfate content was varied over wide limits [SO4--/Th(IV) (in solution before precipitation) = 0.005 to 67.0] yielded a solid, isomorphous with thorium peroxide nitrate and containing 3.0 to 3.8 peroxide oxygen atoms for each thorium atom. The sulfate content of this latter phase varied continuously between the limits SO4--/Th(IV) = 0.34 to 0.01 with nitrate ion present when the sulfate content was very low. This continuous variation in composition is in agreement with the previously proposed structure of this phase.

Abstract. to estimate the oxygen picked up by thorium in casting a rapid method of running the acid insoluble content was developed. the quickest procedure consists of reacting with mixed acids, fuming with perchloric and filtration to separate the "free" thorium from the "combined". The precipitate is ignited and weighed as thorium dioxide.

.Technical report describing the transference experiments. The carrying of zirconium and columbium by ferric hydroxide has a very marked dependence on pH. In the experiments it was noticed that the concentration of Zr activity in various solutions changed with time This indicated that the Zr was being adsorbed on the glass. The carrier free trace is adsorbed on glass. This effect must be considered in experiments with Zr tracer in glass apparatus.

Abstract. A summary of the effect of metal, carbon, silicon, and oxygen impurities upon the various sulfide refractories is given and the proper procedures for elimination of the impurities are discussed. CeS which is properly prepared can be handled in air without danger of catching fire or appreciable oxidation. 650 satisfactory crucibles have been made to date using sulfides which were screened and pressed in air with less than 0.5% oxygen pickup. The other cerium and thorium sulfides are even more inert to oxidation than is CeS. Phase diagram possibilities are discussed for the cerium and thorium sulfide and oxy-sulfide systems. Further study of the ThS has shown that ThS crucibles are the highest melting and least volatile of the sulfide crucibles and ThS may be used for remelting of some metals up to 2000 degrees C. ThS crucibles appear to be the most suitable containers for metal reductions.

Abstract. Fluorides and other halides are hydrolyzed completely by passing a rapid stream of superheated steam over the sample near 1000 degrees C in a specially designed platinum reaction tube. The steam and hydrogen halide are condensed by cooling, and the resulting distillate titrated with standard sodium hydroxide solution. The fluorides and chlorides of the light metals, hitherto thought of as very difficult to hydrolyze, are mixed with U3O8, or other metallic oxides, which reacts with the products of hydrolysis, thus shifting the equilibrium so that the reaction is complete in a comparatively short time. A description of the apparatus, including photographs, the recommended method of procedure, hydrolysis rate graphs, and suggestions for further applications of the method are given.

Abstract. It has been established that heating samples of graphite during exposure in a pile decreases substantially the observed changes in the elastic modulus and electrical resistance caused by the irradiation. The functional relationship between the percentage changes observed and the temperature of exposure resembles the relationship between the final percentage changes and the temperature of heat treatment after exposure (cf. report CC-1668). Anomalous results reported previously for higher temperatures in CC01669 are now shown to be attributable to a destructive influence on the graphite, probably oxidation of samples exposed in air.

Abstract. In order to anticipate radiation - chemical effects in solutions of active lanthanum, various solutions and suspensions containing lanthanum were irradiated with an electron beam. Separation of lanthanum from barium by the alcoholic HCl method is not rendered less efficient by radiation, although considerable gas evolution occurs. Suspensions of lanthanum as hydroxide and as ferrocyanide are not appreciably solubilized by radiation. Lanthanum oxalate is decomposed by radiation, is partially thrown into solution, and finally dissolves completely when all the excess oxalate ion in the solution has been destroyed.

Abstract. Methods for determination of both uranium and nickel in solutions of these metals are described. Alloys can be dissolved in nitric acid treated with citric acid to complex the uranium, and the nickel precipitated as nicked dimethylglyoxime. The uranium is reduced and titrated with standard ceric sulfate. These methods are for the determination of macro amounts of uranium and nickel with errors on the order of 0.1%.

Introduction. Some forty different uranium compounds have now been given diffraction study at Ames. Reports of these investigations are scattered in the Project literature; many have been reported in a sentence or two as a note along with chemical or metallographic reports. To make the results of this crystal structure work more available this summary of the Ames work has been compiled. (A similar summary has already been published from the Chicago laboratory.)

Introduction. the conventional procedures of analysis for uranium and manganese can be employed in the analysis of alloys of these metals. The alloys are reacted with perchloric acid and hydrogen peroxide, fumed to remove any chloride ions, diluted to volume and aliquots analyzed by redoximetry.