Thesis submitted to University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Activities in a program to determine the wetting behavior of pure metals such as Au, Ag, Ge, Al, and Cu on solid Be are reported. Results of similar investigations of binary alloys such as Be--Ti, Be-Zr, and Be--Pd are also included. The contact angles of the molten metals on Be as a function of temperature, exposure time, and atmosphere were measured. The solid-liquid interfacial reactions occurring as a function of test temperature and atmosphere were investigated, and the liquid- vapor and internal surface tensions for those systems in which interfacial reactions did not appear to occur were calculated. (J.R.D.)

The theory of thermoluminescence is reviewed. The spectral distribution of thermoluminescence and the activation energies associated with peaks of the glow curves were determined for samples of aromatic amino acids, trypsin, and spores of Bacillus megaterium irradiated by a Co/sup 60/ gamma source. All of the substances, except phenylalanine, exhibited a readily observable long-lived glow that persisted up to at least 2 hr following irradiation. Possible reaction mechanisms in the production of thermoluminescence in biological materials are discussed. (C.H.)