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A comparison of the decay constants of Be{sup 7} in beryllium oxide and in beryllium fluoride has given {lambda}{sub BeO}-{lambda}{sub BeF{sub 2}} = (+1.375 {+-} 0.053)10{sup -3}{lambda}{sub BeO} thus showing a definite effect of the chemical binding on the radioactive decay constant.

At the spring, 1949, meeting of the National Academy of Sciences(l) a preliminary account was given of some observations of mesons produced by the 335 Mev x-ray beam from the Berkeley synchrotron. The present paper is a progress report of this work; no claim is made for completeness, but sufficient new data are available to make publication at this time worth while, especially since some of the numerical results given in the earlier report require revision. The x-ray beam, produced by the impact of 335 Mev electrons on a 20 mil thick platinum target, has a width at half maximum of 0.0135 radian (about 1 inch at 6 feet from the target). In all but the earliest experiments the beam was further defined by a 1 inch hole in a lead block, then passed through a piece of carbon which served as the meson source. The x-ray intensity at one meter from the target was about 3500 r per hour (measured behind 1/8 inch of lead) under the best running conditions; the average was about half this. The actual exposures at the carbon meson source (6 feet from the target) ranged from 500 to 2000 r in the later runs. …

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

This report summarizes the radioactive contamination measured at the Hanford Works and immediate plant areas for the quarter April, May, and June, 1948. Topics discussed are: Meteorology; airborne contamination; contamination in the Columbia and Yakima Rivers; and contamination in rain, drinking water, vegetation, and in Hanford Wastes.

This progress report discusses activities for the P Division for the month of May 1949. The nominal operating level for both B and F Piles was 275 megawatts (MW) throughout the month except for outages listed under Area Activities. The D Pile operated at 275 MW until May 23 when the nominal level was raised to 290 MW in the first step of the program covered in Production Test No. 105-260-P to evaluate the feasibility of operating piles at higher power levels. A total of 44 tons of metal, at an average concentration of 285 megawatt days/ton (MWD/ton), was discharged from the piles during the month. Considerable difficulty was experienced during the month with stuck tubes containing Class IV (alpha-rolled, triple-dipped, randomly transformed) metal. A total of nine tubes with concentrations in the range of 320--370 MV/ton was encountered. As a result of these difficulties with the Class IV material, future discharges of this type metal will be limited to concentrations in the range 300--320 MWD. Approximately one ton of Class V (alpha-rolled, triple-dipped, completely transformed) metal was discharged at a concentration of 368 MV/ton for test purposes. Inspection of this material indicated that all the slugs were in satisfactory …

This report is a short communication concerning the performance of pilot plant sand filters at Building 292-B at Hanford Atomic Products Operation. (VC)

Records show that difficulty has been encountered with the discharge of two tubes in B Pile, twelve in the D Pile, and fifteen in the F Pile during the period from initial start-up until March 15, 1948. In sixteen cases the tubes have been replaced, six of the tubes which were in the fringe have been made air tubes, four did not warrant replacement, and three are to be replaced in the future. General statistics for these twenty-nine tubes are presented with additional details in this report.

The test unit is to simulate the conditions existing in the ``active``section of a pile process tube. This section is loaded with 64 slugs each of length equal to 4.3767 inches, giving an overall active length of 23.34 feet. The figure of 4.3767 inches is the overall length of the aluminum can, rather than that of the slug proper. The calculations tabulated on the accompanying data sheet are representative of the conditions of operation of the ``maximum performance tube`` in the pile. The resistance of a heater element with the specified wall thickness is such as to give a total heating of 552 Kw (corresponding to an 800 mw operating level) with a current of 13,000 amperes flowing through the tube. The heating distribution is a sine curve with a maximum heating of 33.56 Kw/ft. at the center. No attempt will be made to simulate the heating distribution in the aluminum end cap.

Activities for the month of February are as follows: (1) calculations of reactivity and temperature limits; (2) calculations of operating levels of D pile if reduced in size; (3) symposium on power coefficients; (4) test of new vertical (safety) rods; (4) metal quality studies; (5) status of process tube ionization chamber failures; (6) reactivity balance of each of operating piles; (7) graphite testing; (8) water activity calculations; (9) pile shielding; (10) radioactivity of titanium; and (11) critical mass experiments.

Activities covered in this report for the month of January are as follows: (1) power coefficient test of the F Pile; (2) control rod calibration; (3) investigations into reactivity gains possible by zoning the pile for metal charging; (4) polonium production under emergency conditions: (5) analysis of process tube ion chamber failures; (6) measurements of the thermal neutron flux in various pockets of the E Test Hole of the F Pile; (7) reactivity balance of each of the operating piles at beginning and end of this report period; (8) graphite studies; (9) pile shielding; (10) radiation measurements on a simulated D-R rod guide and rod; and (11) calculation of radioactive isotopes expected in cooling water.

The available information on the ionic and radiochemical composition of current and aged bismuth phosphate process wastes is tabulated here for the convenience of those concerned with metal recovery. In addition to its application in the design of research and development experiments, the compilation may serve to suggest specific needs for additional analytical data. For convenience in chemical calculation, molar compositions have been calculated for the ionic constituents based on the g/1 values usually reported. The dates of radiochemical analyses required for decay calculations should be available from the Analytical Sections at ORNL and HW.

This report gives the weekly status for the B, D, and F piles. Also given is the reactivity status at the end of the week for each pile. Process water control and pressure drop studies are discussed. Finally a brief discussion is given of the graphite expansion problem.

The meetings divided into two parts, with reviews of work being done in radiobiology at the University of California by various members of their staff as part one, and, as part two, a meeting conducted by Dr. Shields Warren for Laboratory Directors and their representatives. For the most part papers which were reviewed were summarized material which has appeared in the literature and gave progress to date. Since the purpose of the meeting itself was more for the informal directors meetings, results of the latter are here abstracted.

On June 23, 1947, a hole was discovered in the earthen fill near the T Plant R-19 stairwell directly above the path followed by the underground waste lines from the canyon. Jetting of all canyon wastes to the 241 Buildings was stopped and the canyon process shut down. This report discusses repair and characterization procedures for the soils and waste line pipe.

This document contains raw laboratory data concerning the testing done at the Columbia River at the Hanford Site.

This site description of the Hanford Reservation from February 1943 gives size, topography, geology, population, water supply, railroad, highway, power, meteorological, and valuation information. Maps are included.

Progress was reported from the 300, 100, and 200 Areas. It covered the X pile, aluminium corrosion, graphite purity, fuel element fabrication, bismuth phosphate extraction and decontamination processes, waste disposal from bismuth phosphate processing, control rod systems for Site W, shielding problems at the Site W separation plant, fuel element failure detection, power distribution in the Clinton pile, reactor instrumentation for Site W.

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 …

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This report addresses the biological effects of radiation on man.

Soon after the discovery of fission, Meitner, Bretscher and Cook found differences in the decay of various chemical fractions separated from uranium irradiated with slow neutrons and thorium irradiated with fast neutrons respectively and suggested that a difference existed in the distribution of fission products in the two cases. In 1940, Turner suggested that the distribution in various modes of fission should be investigated. The fact that elements such as tin, cadmium, palladium, and silver were found in fast neutron and deuteron fission of uranium and thorium before they were found in slow neutron fission of uranium suggested that the middle region of the distribution was raised as the energy of the incident particle was increased. Since the compound nucleus formed in the fission of thorium with alpha particles is U{sup 236}, the same compound nucleus formed in the fission of U{sup 235} with neutrons, it is of interest to study the fission of thorium with alphas and compare the resulting distribution of fission products with that found with uranium with slow and thorium with fast neutrons. Any difference between the various results where the same compound nucleus is formed must be due to differences in energy content and possible …

The fission distribution of fission of thorium with alpha particle of average energy 37.5 Mev has been measured by the chemical method. The distribution found shows that the characteristic dip in the fission yield mass spectrum has been raised to within a factor of two of the peaks compared to a factor of 600 in slow neutron fission of U{sup 235}. The raise in the deip has caused a corresponding lowering in fission yield of these elements at the peaks. The cross section for fission of thorium with 37.5 Mev alphas was found to be about 0.6 barn, and the threshold for fission was found to be 23 to 24 Mev.

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