On July 14, 1949, and office memorandum was written about operations of a reprocessing building on the Hanford Site being suspended due to the mishandling of some plutonium powder. The letter describes the process of decontamination of the building surfaces, and the ventilation of the rooms of that building. It also describes the problem with the ventilation fans due to increased temperature and pressures.

This is a progress report from Brookhaven National Laboratory for the period July 1 through December 31, 1949.

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The following items of equipment have been completed: Two Scaler Multipliers, EO-18 and EO-338, undergoing test and adjustment. One Thyratron Heater Control for Scioto Laboratory. One Pilot model switch box for Group 16 hoods at Scioto Laboratory. One Pilot model patch box used as auxiliary to the present switch boxes. Installation of electronic equipment and sorting and cataloguing of stock at Scioto Laboratory has been started. The Y Section induction heaters have been installed electrically. With the present setup in the WD Building, it has been necessary to recycle all the solution which passes through the pH chamber on the clariflocculators. Sufficient tests have been run on the Berkeley Decimal scaler to indicate that, by using a pre-emplifier, it will be a satisfactory replacement for the scaler multiplier. Reworking of B-wall tubes has been held up pending the delivery of neon gas. Further investigations have been made on the frequency compensated constant voltage Sola transformers. Three automatic potential controllers have been modified in accordance with investigations of Group 10. The program of preventative maintenance on automatic potential controllers has resulted in a marked reduction of service calls and down-time for the operating group.

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As authorized by purchase order No. 11-2532 dated March 11, 1949 of the Kellex Corp., the first sample of a 4 inch three jaw type connector for Job 11 was fabricated. The design of the connector was per Crane Co. drawing DR-25126-D except vertical mounting. The materials were per Crane Co. drawing A-24491-C. As instructed in verbal conversation with Dr. D.D. Jacobus and as requested in Mr. J.J. Cuniffe`s letter of May 6, 1949, and Ingersoll-Rand Company`s 1 1/4 inch 534 impact wrench with suitable socket to fit the hexagon head of the operating screw of the 4 inch connector was procured on loan to make some preliminary tests. Engineering drawings are listed in a second report on the data base.

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This report details events of importance reported by the Hanford Operations Office for the week ending July 6, 1949.

This report details events of importance reported by the Hanford Operations Office for the week ending July 13, 1949.

The relationship of respiration to photosynthesis in barley seedling leaves and the algae, Chlorella and Scenedesmus, has been investigated using radioactive carbon dioxide and the techniques of paper chromatography and radioautography. The plants are allowed to photosynthesize normally for thirty seconds in c{sup 14}O{sub 2} after which they are allowed to respire in air or helium in the light or dark. Respiration of photosynthetic intermediates as evidenced by the appearance of labeled glutomic, isocitric, fumaric and succinic acids is slower in the light than in the dark. Labeled glycolic acid is observed in barley and algae. It disappears rapidly in the dark and is maintained and increased in quantity in the light in C0{sub 2}-free air.

A program was initiated to determine the thermal rupture characteristics of KS graphite under steady-state operating conditions simulating the thermal conditions of an uninhibited rocket reactor. The maximum thermal stress calculated using room-temperature properties was 3090 psi. The maximum net specific power obtained was 5.2 Btu/cu in.-sec. (B.O.G.)

This paper describes a means of determining tritium oxides in urine relying upon the production of acetylene from the active water with subsequent measurement of the ionization caused by the tritium beta particle.