Status of University of California Project

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THE DIST ENGR USEG GAK RIDGE, TENX. Project 48- 184 in& cyclotron project: - Thorton: The assembly of this instrumerA, i s now i n progress and operation pected t o begin early in Cctober. The 184" cyclotron will accelerate deuterons t o 200 W , abcut five times the present energies obtainable with heavy particles. Cloud chambers, particle counters and the photographic plate technique will be used t o observe the results of the high enerey bmbardrnsrrt of various target naterials. Pheonamena which are interchange cf protons and neutrons, production of d tip le disintegrat h e production af mesotrons and negative protons, tions, ami the possible formatior, af hitherto Warn nuclear particles. Also to be undertaken r?ill be investigations of the laws of scattering of high energy parti clc s as a mans of urderstwding nuclear forces. Linear acceleratcr - Gvarez: The war - accelerated resewch Fn the production of high energy - high frequency oscillaLuors has made possible the reconsideration of constructing of high energy linear acti vi ties are being directed toward the construction of a 40 foot section which will accelerate protons t o energies of approximately 40 W. Following satisfactory operation of t h i s unit attention will be directed t o the synchonieatfon of many such sections to allow the accelerations Work was b&un on instrument, last October a d present acof protons t o energies of 1,OOO,OOO,OOO volts. Among the many problem

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which have been satisfactorily solved 8-e the beginnhg of this program and whose solution lends optimism t o the succesd of the program are the follming: the feasibility of locking many high pwered self - excited o a cUt or s in phase t o drlve a high Q cavity, the design of the drift tube type resonator, the dtudy of f o i l focusing on theoretical and practical grounds, sparking der vacuum aonditions as a limited design consideration, possibility of phasing several 40 foot tanks together, the operation of many radar sets for extended periods of ti=, possibility of eh pli fy hg the electrical circuits driving radar Bets, the mechanical design of the accelerator system and the possibility of a new super - kjgh - powered oscillator to replace the many radar sete. Synchrotron - EcE-EiUant The constmction of the building t o house the new 300 hBV synchrotron should be substantially complete by the erd of Sptember. Design of all major portions of t h e mgnet and vacuum chamber have been completed and contracts have been l e t far a l l outside construction work. Delivery of the magnet p a r t s is expected about 1 January 1947 and of the vacuum chamber p r t s about 15 Novmber 19l+bm present shhedule it.appears that operation of the synchotron will probably commence during February 1947. Experimental work will then be undertaken t o evaluate the perform ce of the machine and t o Lay the groundwork for design of a Larger unit ahould that p--e deairable. 'Hork dll be undertaken to deflect the electron beam outside the machine t o permit direct observation of electrons as well as X-ray effgcts. ex per b nt a planned using the X-rays atxi elect mn s produced are the following: Studies of mesotrons by means of a cloud chamber including mesotron production a t various X-ray ard elsctron energies, msasuremellt, of mass a d velocity and investigations of nuclear reaetions inducted by

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electrons in various substances (c) %arch for fission in Va riOU8 elemex&s lrduced by X-rays and electrons (d) Studies of shower phenomena Nuclear chemistry - G. T. Seaborgt The Frmnediate program of the nuclear chembtry gmup i s largely concermd with the chemical ard nuclear properties af the heavy elements. of a l l possible isotopes of elements above lead ard par.-ticularly above ticular interest Is the fissionabflUy of both short-lived and long-lived ieotopee, Some isotopes of very high fisdon cross-aection have already . This consists of t he preparation been found. The other nuclear properties are o f importance in exteading t h e knowledge of nuclear properties in th heavy elemnt region, the immediate importance of which is due to the production of many of t b a e isotopes during p i l e operation, The studies include furtbr work on isotopes of americium ard curium and the search forel em nt 97 and higher All ched cal properties of the heaviest elements are part af the program d t h particular emphasis placed on those of.odd atomic number such as Pa, Np, Am and elanent 97. The chemistry of curium w d ' a h o receive further fnvestAgation, one phase of vhich arLU be t h e isolation The chemistry under way includes t h 3 chemical properties of t h e heavy elaments in solution, method8 of separating tb elsmahts from each other 8nd from ffersion products, investigation of dry c0mpoU;ds mch ae halides ani oxides, and the preparation of metals, a part of a transitLon series of elements probabl$ starting with actinium, One of the goals I n connection with thea ctinide series work studies will also be mde d

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t h e rare earth or lanthanide series. I n cooperation with the physicists the nuclear chermlatry group will study the ndclear transfmmtions brarght about by the high energy particles to be produced in the several accelerators presently under The design af special electronic equipment t o cope with the nuclear work is also part of the program I ~ o t o p eresearch program - B. J. bioyer: For the aolution of probhas i n many categories af research i n nuclear physics d biology it i s convenient o r necessary t o have separated isotopes. of research in which separated isotopes are most useful are the measurement af neutron capture and scattering cross sections resonances, hvestigations of induced radioactivities, studies of nuclear energy levels and moments a k the enhzrrce;nent af desired activities for tracer and Among the types To further t h i s type GF work the XC nagnet and i s asscciated equip,?lent have been operating since Septe,nber 1945 in producing samples of separated isotopes, Sarrples of separated isotopes of 10 elements have thus far been prep red, determination of tk excitetion functions of bismuth, gold and arsenic General program for this group i s the using alpha particles, deuterons a d protons. Simultaneously with thle study of the excitation function of bismuth an at tap twill be made t o l dent if y new isotopes of el em nt 85. Cloud chambers - R. B.. Brodet Cloud chambers give a visual picture of nuclear reactions. They are th best known devices for explorhg unknown territory and hill be used i n discovering what ia happen- in the initial experhrP,a with the 18411 cyclotron, the synchrotron ami

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Four cloud chambere with magnetic fields are planned. Thee of them are 16" in dia mter and varia bu depth from 6" up, have their magnetic fields eupplied by Helmholtz coils which when pulsed Will give fields af 10,000 oersteds. The fourth cloud chamber w i l l be i n canjunction with the Helmholtz coils will have a field cf 15,000 oersteds. These three will by 6'' deep i n sensitive volume and by using iron The establishment and the work of t h e carbon fourteen laboratory were first motivated by t h e necessity far more Morntation concerning the nature d' the procees af recovery of cells and tia sue from radiation damage. This requires the study of the pUrdamerlt,al metabolism of both nom1 and damaged cells and tissue. By far tb most useful single tool in mch a study bs the availability of mta bo lites labeled with isotopic metabolites marked i n designated positions. either of two methods depending upon the particular substance desired. The first method is the direct conversion i n the laboratory of radioactive carbon dioxide (or cyanide) i n t o the desired compounds. The second method is that af biosynthesis making use of tk ability of plants, microorganisms and amimal6 t o achieve the conversion. Both these at hods af attack a r e be- developed. The problem thus defined is the synthesis o f these labeled This m y be accompli&& by I n recent months a second powerful motive for this same mrk has appeared. distx5bution committee of the Ahhattan District that the distribution It has beoome apparent t o the isotopic of radio carbon as barium carbonate is both mter i al ard time, The synthetic version of this material intoa useful never encountered, For this reason it most inefficient and wastefil of problems involved in the consubstance are of a type heretofore appears within t h e scope of the District to develop the methods af this conversion ard supply the carbon fn the fom of some af the most useful intermediates t o the e cie nti sts

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of the cauntry, The labaratoxy has undertaken to perform acme of these services i n cooperation pdth the Isotop8s Branch of the Research Mvision of the Manhattan District. Rxw$ic&dProject @-A: Project 48-A i s prlmarUy corcerned with the medical and biological effects of heavy el em nts and fission products, Tracer studies using beryllium, plutonium, arsenic and anr=riciuu a r e being con= ducted. Studies on tb skeletal uptake of p1ut.oniu.m a r e being continued I together w i t h studies on skeletal decontamination and overlaying. The possible effect of gluta thione and one, two dithioglycerol upon plutordum absorption and distribution w i l l be determined as soon as these reagents A routine mthbd of producing neutral solution of el em nt 85 has been LO&& cut and this solutior, has been used for pre ll r rh ry rat A collodial rmspension of uranium &de rich t h e smsl 235 isotope has been prep red ari injected into mice and the mice subjected t o slow eutron bombardmd t o determine the biological effects or urancum flrssion. Following the Baker test at Operations Crcssroads the ocdanography of Bikini Lagoon wat aorked out asa trucer experhent adall of the data i s complete with the exception of calculations involving the data. Among t h e long range projects under investigation are: ueing long-lived fiusion products; tracer studies studies/in animals ani man with fission products a d with materials which are either radioactive substances produced i n tk pile from constmction materials or substances of known toxicological hazards/; Studies of the metabolism in animals ani man of fissionable elments; investigations into possible methods of tre a tmnt of poisoning by plutonium an3. fission products; ani the study of the metabolism of fission products and plutdmin plants and their behavior on soils.

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Research is i n progress on a solvent extraction process for ex-9 ' tract- plutonium fram uranium, the Bhelate process, t o replace the bismuth phosphate proceea now being used a th ford, A t the present the the process is bdngtested on a one liter scale at Clinton fission proJect activity ard a t both Clinton and Hanford plupreliminary result8 inddcate that a gamma decontadnation factor or appraimately ten air: with 98% or greater plutonium rw o very can be obtained in three cycles, It ie de sms d The process is based on batch extraction and Ch kcal problems in connection with high temperature pile design, especially regarding resonance and fast fission piles, are under inveswhich vliill withstand extreme tanperztures arri not be attacked by various types of coolants that have been proposed, low melting alloy system which will permit the use of the fissionable material ina molten farm. This type of system has several attractive features in com c tion with ihe coolfne, problem in sch piles, A thorough search is being made f o r construction materials A search i s under way for a Basic research on the chemistry of plutonium, uranium and sone of the fission products is being continued, rcduction potentials, equilibria between various oxidation states, camplexes a d hydrolysis are currently d e r investigation far these elements, T h l a mrk is of importance i n the whole field of nucleonics arxi much of it b directly applicable. t o present process probbms. Such subjects as oxidationProject 48-Ct The aFCect of this program i e centered on patienbe be hg treated with total body radiation. The unique part of this program i s that the patients are being given doses of 5, 10 a d 20 roentgens per day, up to total euflounts of from 100 t o 300 roentgens. These amounts are such that they are similar t o the radiation t o which a factory worker

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in a Manlmttan Dia tr ict factory might be exposed to urrier some accidental studies w i t h occasional other laboratary and clinical investigations. a part of this program t o study patients treated with large radio phosphorous and iodine. These e l e n d 8 are of particular &e t o their formation in large emounts during pUe operations,