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This report covers the examination of thirteen process tubes seven from F Pile, three from C Pile and three from D Pile. Five of the thirteen tubes were removed because they were leakers, four from F Pile and one from C Pile. One tube from F Pile and one from D Pile were removed. Reactor Section had requested the removal of two from F Pile to check for external corrosion. Two tubes, small diameter old pile annulus, were removed from C Pile under PT 105-519-E, ``Raising Permissible Outlet Water Temperatures of Certain Tubes at C Pile.`` Two tubes were removed from D Pile under PT 105-525-E, ``Effects of Water Quality on Operations.`` Visual inspection was made of the inside and outside surfaces of the tubes before and after cleaning in a cold 10 per cent nitric acid solution. Samples varying from one to four inches in length were taken from each section for metallurgical examination to determine depth of pitting, wall thickness, and spot check the 72-S cladding thickness. These determinations were made at selected points in each section on what appeared to be the area of severest attack.

This document presents a summary of work and progress at the Hanford Engineer Works for February 1955. The report is divided into sections by department. A plant wide general summary is included at the beginning of the report, after which the departmental summaries begin. The Manufacturing Department reports plant statistics, and summaries for the Metal Preparation, Reactor and Separation sections. The Engineering Department`s section summarizes work for the Technical, Design, and Project Sections. Costs for the various departments are presented in the Financial Department`s summary. The Medical, Radiological Sciences, Utilities and General Services, Employee and Public Relations, and Community Real Estate and Services departments have sections presenting their monthly statistics, work, progress, and summaries.

Travel to Battelle Memorial Institute to discuss the results of subcontract research on the extended surface fuel element program and to review progress on the consolidation of Horizons` electrolytic thorium. Nickel-plated uranium samples, press-clad with 30-mil thick aluminum at 6, 10, and 15 thousand psi, have been on corrosion test for periods of 10 to 31 days. Six specimens from the 6,000 psi group have failed by undercutting after 21 to 31 days; this is another good record. Pinch welds have proved very effective as a means of sealing corrosion samples. Two 9--10 pound virgin ingots and three smaller remelts were made by consumable electrode arc melting of Horizons` electrolytic thorium. Physical and chemical data on the remelts are being obtained. Diffusion coefficients have been determined, at two sets of time-temperature conditions, for two diffusion couples of aluminum and a 0.5 w/o thorium in aluminum alloy, after high temperature annealing. The data show that the rate of interdiffusion of thorium and aluminum is very slow. These results are discussed.

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The Monsanto Research Corporation, Mound Laboratory Analytical Capability report is intended to fulfill a customer need for basic information concerning Mound Laboratory's analytical instrumentation and techniques.

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1. Acetyl thioctic acid has been prepared chemically and i t s chromatographic and acetylating behavior i s described. 2. A C{sup 14} -containing substance has been found in Scenedesmus, photosynthesizing in the presence of a-C{sup 14}-pyruvate, which has properties suggesting that it i s acetyl thioctic acid. 3 . A C{sup 14}-containing substance has been found in Aerobacter aerogenes, metabolizing a-C{sup 14}-pyruvate, which shows the properties of a labile conjugate of thioctic acid with some relatively polar groups. 4. Acetyl thioctic acid i s formed in vitro when light acts on a solution of thioctic acid and pyruvate.

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1. Pyruvic and hydroxypyruvic acids a r e metabolized by Scenedesmus. 2. The products of metabolism of pyruvic -2 -C{sup 14} and hydroxypyruvic-2 -C{sup 14} acids a r e essentially identical to those of C{sup 14}-O fixations. 3. Lipids a r e rapidly formed i n the light from both substrates. In the dark the major products a r e intermediates of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. 4. Zt does not appear likely that f r e e hydroxypyruvic acid is a photosynthetic intermediate, 5 . Tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates a r e formed from exogenous pyruvate a s fast in the light a s in the dark.

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In order to produce a substantially oxide-free chloride. a specialized technique, based on the chemical characteristics of the ammonium thorium chloride complexes, has been found optimum. The procedure involves the formation of a solution of thorium chloride and ammonium chloride, evaporation of the solution to form a hydrated ammonium thorium chloride complex, dehydration of the complex by low-temperature drying, and ignition of the complex, after inter-mixture with an alkali chloride, to remove ammonium chloride and to form a thorium alkali chloride mixture for electrolysis. (L.T.W.)

The desirability of operating the Purex columns at higher temperatures, 50 to 70 deg C, made it necessary to obtain data on the stabiliyy of solverts at these higher temperatures. Since the present diluent will not be entirely safe at the upper temperature limit, a number of diluents with higher flash points were investigated. (J. E. D.)

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The spectrum of electrons arising from the decay of the negative mu meson has been determined. The muons are arrested in the gas of a high pressure hydrogen filled diffusion cloud chamber. The momenta of the decay electrons are determined from their curvature in a magnetic field of 7750 gauss. The spectrum of 415 electrons has been analyzed according to the theory of Michel. The shape parameter, {rho}, is found to be 0.64 {plus_minus} .10. The significance of this result in terms of the beta interaction is discussed.

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