Manhattan District History; Book VIII, Los Alamos Project (Y) - Volume 3, Auxiliary Activities; Chapter 4, Dayton Project

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BOOK VIII, LOS ALAMOS PROJECT (Y) - VOLUMB 3, AUXILIARY ACTIVITIES Department of Energy Declassification Review 2 Classification Changed To: 3. Contains No DOE Classified Info \ Classified Info Bracketed

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BOOS VIII, LOS ALAMOS PHOJJOCT (T) CHAPTER kt DAYTOB PROJECT Paragraph Mo. Page 1. Subject and Make-Up of this Chapter K l 5. Preparations for Urchin Production U.5 (For Table of Contents ©f Appendix, see pages i , l i and i l l of that

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1. Subject and Kake-Up of this Chapter. This chapter of the Manhattan District History deals with the auxiliary activity of the Lob Alamoa Project which was call "Dayton Project"} it consisted of the work of the Monsanto Chemical Company st Sayton, Ohio, primarily concerned with the purification and production of polonium, for delivery to Los Alamos, including research in connection There is incorporated in this chapter, as an appendix, a docu I9U7, prepared by personnel of the Monsanto Chemical Company tad approved Laboratory Sirector, for that Company. Excellent descriptions of the major features of the project may he found in that document, und, to fcvoid repetition, most of the details therein have been omitted here. This part of this chapter is, in effect, therefore, an outline or summary only. It contains, however* frequent references to the appendix (and also Volume 2 of this Book 7111), which will enable the reader to turn to any of the details desired. S"urther references, principally to reports on the accomplishments of the project, located in the project files, will be found in the appendix, A Top Secret Supplement to the Historical Ksport in the appendix contains production figures* this supplement, because of Its high security classification, is not included with this chapter, but is filed in the Area Manager's Office. Both this chapter and its appendix cover the history of the Dayton Project from its inception through 31 December I9U6, when the Kcnhattan District relinquished control to the Atomic .’nergy Commission.

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2. purpose and. General Beveioyiaent. As explained in Volume 2 (the "Technics!" History of the Los Alamos Project), during: the “first period'* of the work of the Los Air.mes Laboratory, April, I9U3, to August, the radiochemists at Los Alamos were seeking means of development of an initiator for the gun assembly. They realized early in their investigations that polonium would be the beat material to u'ae, in combination with beryllium, but were in doubt as to whether polonium could be purified sufficiently to meet the tolerances for neutron backgrounds, and in consequence steps were taken to use radon ^e a possible ^substitute. This alternative was abandoned later, however, after successful polonium production was as of polonium production in the required quantities, became primarily the responsibility of the Monsanto Chemical Company (Vol. 2, par. 17.^1» H.^7). Both problems were solved by that company, in close cooperation with the radiochemiste at Log Alamos, under a contract which was ad ministered by the Chicago Area Engineer of the Manhattan District, and the plant for production of the polonium were established by the Monsanto Chemical Company on rented properties in Dayton, Ohio. When the Monsanto Company assumed responsibility for the operation of Clinton Laboratories, a new contract was made, and the operations in Beyton were continued under a modification of that new contract: Modification Ho. 2, effective 1 August 19^5t to Contract No. #35-053rj?he two successive problems, of polonium purification and

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Project was administered by the Office of the District Engineer In Oak Bidga, and the Chicago Area Engineer transferred his records to Oak Ridge The research, development and production work on polonium for the gun initiator prograa was of incalculable value in the later developsant of the initiator (or "urchin") for the implosion bomb, and was per haps essential to the success of that bomb (Vol. 2, par. 7,^1), The use of polonium for the implosion initiator is described in Volume 2 as representing a major technical achievement (Vol. 2, par. 17.3&)• At the beginning of the Sayton Project it wag known that neutron-bombarded bismuth metal was the most satisfactory source of polonium, but the material had been produced in this manner theretofore only in minute quantities in the cyclotron, tnd no method of concentration and purification had been developed. In order that all major possibilities might be explored, therefore, much of th® early research and experimentation by the .ionsanto Company was directed toward various methods of extraction of polonium from lead dioxide, which waa immediately available in residues from the radium refinery at Port Hope, Canada. The method finally developed and used in production was the neutron-ooxabarded bismuth method, revisod by /sany refinements and improvements during the period covered this history. The raw material for use in this method was produced by subjectiag very pure netallic bismuth to an intense neutron flux, first in the Clinton pile, at the Clinton Laboratories in Oak Ridge, and later, after June, 19!M?, in a pile at Hanford. (App., pp.5.Iff.) The complicated nature of the process may be illustrated briefly

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by enumerating the various steps listed in the final flow chart, for the production procedure in use from September l$h$ throughout the year from Scrub Pcwderj (f) Jieiuoval of Silver from Solution; £g) Assay of Solutions (J) Calorimeter Assay of Plated Foil; (k) Gams, Assay of H a t e d The first shipment of polonium to Los Alamos was made on 15 2!he development of production methods, and the research work involved, are ably described in Chapter V of the Appendix, i'he hazards produced by polonium, to which laboratory and pro duction workers were exposed, have been described briefly in Volume 2. ■They are in many ways parallel to those produced by plutonium and are nearly, if not quite, as dangerous per unit of radioactivity (Vol. 2, P«0P. 9.33* and Supplement to Vol. 2, par, 6,IS). Polonium has high alpha activity and spreads around a laboratory very readily. It was virtually impossible to work with polonium and avoid entrance of the material into the system, but polonium Is also eliminated rapidly and does not settle in dangerous concentrations in the bone, as do radium and plutonium. (Vol. Great care was exercised on the Dayton Project to protect workers from the polonium hazards (as well as other hazards incident to

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their work), insofar as the current knowledge of these hazards would permit. At the very beginning cf the project, after consultation with Colonel Stafford L. Warren and Colonel H. X>. Friedell, of the Medlcel Section of the Manhattan District, safety treasures were instituted. Estimated safe tolerances were established end nemns were developed for detecting the presence of polonium in the human body. Between April, the health efforts of the Project. (App., Chap. VII*) Respite the great increase in output during the year 19^ , health conditions were vastly improved in the period (App,, p.5.31). The safety tolerances under which the project was operating were based on analogous estimates only, with no definite experimental data to bt’Ck then up. This becarae the subject of considerable concern to those in charge, and it was felt that a program of biological research on polonium should be instituted at Dayton. The Monsanto Company, after extended investigation and after consultation vlth a specialist in in dustrial toxicology, presented to the District Engineer a plan for such a program. This progress was approved in principle and authorised by the 5. Preparations for Urchin Production* The initiators for the gun assembly, end the initiators for factured at Tjos Alamos, with polonium produced in Dpyton Incorporated in urchin initiators was moved to the new laboratory on DP Bast Site, «nd, particularly during 19**6, the methods and techniques were steadily im-

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proved, despite? the d;aigi»rou« haaards and the difficulties involved in this vork. As stated in Volxiai# 2, the initiators finally produced had nou.tron backgrounds only one-third of the best of those produced during the war, (Vol. 2 Supplement, per, 6,17, 6 * 1 0 During 19*46, in line with the Mmtnttm District’s program for conversion of the r«os Alamos Laboratory to a peace-time basis, plans were started to transfer the manufacture of the urchin initiators to the Monsanto plant In Dayton, sad this transfer had b«en almost accomplished by 31 December VjUG. Monsanto personnel obtained full information from Los Alamo8 end from Equipment sannf<rctureraj materials end equipment were tad the design of dry-boxing for all the he*ardous operstlona was vigorToward the latter part of 19^5* the Manhattan District bsgan consideration of plans for the construction of a new polonium production plant, to supersede the plant then in operation in Sayton, Partly be cause of the Importance of the polonium production snd the key position of this material In relation to the manufacture of bombs, and partly because it was desired to test the possibilities of plant construction with protective cover, the pirns contanplatsd that the new plant would be built underground. It was therefore not practicable or desirable to use a rented site, as was done for the plant in Dayton. At first it was proposed that the now plant would be designed by the Clinton Tiaboratorles *nd would be erected at the Clinton Engineer 'orkf?, but this propose! was finally ab??ndonad, for various reasons,

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to move to Cak 2idget sad coneurn at the introduction of polonium coatejainaUon in the neighborhood of a plutonium plant. of the now plant, for construction soraewher® in the Dayton area, the Miami shurg, Ohio, about 15 Miles southwest of Dayton. The firm of Clffele and Vallet* of Detroit, Michigan, was engaged as Architect-^agi»eer* and heg&n work on 24 September Their contract was signed 2<S December l$UC, to be effective as of j September l$&6. The plant was to 'o® an underground structure, proof against a 2000 lo., armour-piercing, jet-assisted bomb,. and was also to he protected against biological and August l'yU6 *nd he saoved to trie project in September. The iiaxon Con struction Cowpeay, Inc., w&* selected as the construction contractor and although their contract i;jas not signed until ah Pebruary I9U7, it becaiae effective as of 22 November 1$U6. These contracts were negotiated in the District isingineer* a Office in Oak Ridge. (App., Chap. IX.) ceptioa through December I9U6, when the period covered by the .iuihattsn District idstory terminated, amounted to #3*666*507* exclusive of surplus material furnished by the Government (App., p.1*./"). principally concerned with tho iayten Project, in addition to the The Manhattan District, on 19 July 19^6, authorised design ’he total expenditures for the Dayton Project, from its in*

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Colonel 3. ft, Kirkpatrick, Deputy district iSagineer? Director, la charge of research (alee, Deputy Chief of Division 0 of Dr, C. A. Hochwait, Director of Central Research and Project Assistant Director of Central Research, June 13^5, to November I9U5S Dr. C. Feraellus, Professor of Ihergauic Chemistry, on leave os’absence froai Purdue University5 Assistant Laboratory Director, August, luadajaental Easearch, August, 1$U^% to July, I9*$f Assistant Laboratory

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Copy 1 - Dro Carroll A 0 Hochwalt it 3 - Dro J. Jo Burbage 11 4 - Dr0 Ro Ao Staniforth Chief, Operations Branch, United States Atomic Energy Commission, Dayton Area, INrTL ir litt NE RGY ACT >

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Par. So. Paffa No CHAPTER II » CONCEPTION 07 THE 3-6 Sequence of Events 3«3 3-7 Additional Space Needed 3*3 5-2 The Lead Dtojeide Procensea 5*2 Co The Kiln Process 5*3

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Co Purification and Electroplating 5«S.2 2. Removal of Silver 3*13 a.. Assay for Quantity 5,17 ho Assay for Quality 5»2I 2. Light Element Impurities 5-21 a. History of Heutron 3o Heavy Element Impurities 5-23 5-5 Chronological 51 ov Charts 5-26 CHAPTER VI - GENERAL BBSEARCH

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CHAPTSR VII H3&LTH-PHTSIGS AM) CHAPTER VIII - FOUSIDATIOH FOR «Y» WORK History of Urchin Production b. Transfer of Activities Indicated Co Eecruitmont end Training 4* Search for Location Original Officers of the Dayton Project ■&. Assistant Project Director do Outstanding Figures

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1-1« General. <» The fashion among historians in recent years has been to depart from attempts to divide history into sharply defined periods* They prefer to describe it as a seamless robe in which the pattern of individual lives is discerned with difficulty, leaving the things that stand out as long run trends and basic forces. 1-2o Purpose* - The purpose of this report is to describe the scientific and technical progress directed toward the governmental use of energy from atomio nuclei by the Central Research Department of the Monsanto Chemical Company, located in Dayton, Ohio. It is neither a fully documented official history nor a technical treatise* It pre supposes an elementary knowledge of atomio re sear oh and a familiarity with related pertinent scientific information.. 1-3* Origin* «*■A General Account of the Development of Methods of Using Atomic Energy for Military Purposes under the Auspices of the Uo S. Government as presented by the 1945 Smyfch report on page 92, par. 7.48, "Organization of Project1* states, "Later the Monsanto Chemical Company did aowe work on problems arising in connection with the Los Alamos work*" It is here that this report begins* 1-4* Style. - It is to be noted that there is little correlation between the space devoted to the work of a given group and the ability or importanoe of that group* Also, some developments of great technical importance are of little general interest* others, both interesting and important^are still undergoing development. Wherever the term Unit 1, Uhit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4 or Unit 5 is used, it refers to the Trait described as a part of Monsanto’s Central Research Department at Dayton, Ohioo

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to Daco 31# 1946, the date of inception to th© effective date of this in chronological op topical ordesTc. documents in Unit 3 P Central Files*

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CHAPTER II « CONCEPTION OF THE DAYTON PROJECT Director of Monsanto Chemical Company in charge of research, has furnished some interesting facts leading up to the establishment of the Dayton a. Early in 1943P as Deputy Chief of Division 8 of NDRC, he had gone East with James Conant and Richard Tolman to witness the test of a new under-water explosive. During their brief association his com panions took pains to investigate his background without arousing suspicion. Shortly thereafter he received a telephone call from Brig. Gen. Groves requesting a conference in Washington at his earliest convenience. At the time he had no idea what the significance of this might be. However, on entering the General’s office, he found Conant there also. After swearing him to secrecy they revealed the plan to build an atomic bomb. He and Conant spent the day discussing the technical aspects of the question and the probabilities of success. b. It appeared that the amount of chemistry involved In the project had been underestimated. They urged him to become codirector of Los Alamos with Oppenheimer and to be responsible for the chemistry of the entire project. To aid him in reaching a decision, a two-day conference mas set up at Los Alamos between Conant, Groves, Oppenheimer and himself. To accede to their request would have involved a leave of absence from Monsanto. For various reasons a compromise proposal seemed better. This put Thomas …