RESEARCH by a factor of 8.5. With the same in crease in available potassium, lettuce and grass show decreases by factors of Soil potassium and ion ex about 5.3 for both plants, says Fowler. change capacity affect plant Fowler and his coworker, C. W. uptake of cesium-1 3 7 Christenson, took tour soils in which the naturally occurring exchangeable potas sium varied from 0.037 to 0.147 mg. ACS NATIONAL MEETING per gram of soil, spiked tHem with cesium-137 at a level of 10O0 counts per minute per gram, and then planted Agricultural and Food Chemistry them in triplicate with lettuce, grass, and alfalfa. Crops were harvested and Cesium-137 forms about &Ά of the ratios of cesium-137 to potassium deter pi >ducts released on fission. The iso mined. tope is now widely prevalent at very Discrimination factors against ce low levels in the biosphere and is of sium-137 by the plant were derived some concern to man since it enters his from the ratio: body with the food he eats. It enters cesium-137 (soil) /cesium-137 (plant) the food by way of the soil. Man has exchangeable Κ f ÎC been interested, therefore, in finding Values greater than 1 indicate discrimiout how soil components can affect the nation against cesium. The value uptake of cesium-137 in plants. varied with plant and soil type; the Potassium has a very noticeable ef highest and lowest values were obfect on ihe uptake of cesium-137 by tained with grass, and these varied with some plants. Eric B. Fowler of the soil type from about 300 to 1400. University of California's Los Alamos Because of the relatively high discrimiScientific Laboratory told the Division nation factors against cesium-137 of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (about 100 times as high as values that an increase in available soil potas obtained for the calcium-strontium-90 sium by a factor of 2.2 decreased the system studied with the same three cesium-137 to potassium ratio in alfalfa plants ), Fowler and Christenson believe that a good deal of the cesium-137 which appears in the ecological chain comes from absorption by the plant foliage rather than from uptake from the soil. The study found no correlation between cesium-137 discrimination and soil calcium, magnesium, iron, and nitrogen. But a correlation occurred between cesium-137 discrimination and soil ion exchange capacity. According to Fowler, the results indicated that one should expect more plant discrimination against cesium-137 where there is a high ratio of ion exchange rapacity to exchangeable potassium in the soil. It is probable, says Fowler, that the use of Ootassium fertilizers on soil will reduce the ratio of cesium-137 to potassium in the plant. However, applying potassium to soils of low ion exchange capacity may mobilize the cesium, thus make it more available to the plant, Fowler points out. He also thinks it may be possible to selectively breed plants so that a minimum amount of cesium-137 is absorbed by or held by the foliage. It may also be possible, he CESIUM SLEUTHS. Eric B. Fowler feels, to grow these on soils that will (right) and C, W . Christenson use a gamma pulse height analyzer to de lessen the amount of radionuclide availtermine cesium-137 content of plant ash able to the plant.
Κ Affects Ce137 Uptake
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COMMENT
. . . In modern science, it is not productive or feasible to just drift. Our research program, needs to be broadly specific, tvith enough built-in flexibility ta allow for some later shifts of emphasis. . . . Research in industry is carried on because of the likely prospect that it will pay well if it is done well. Several years ago the National Science Foundation concluded from a study that research returns often amount to 100% and even 200ψο per year—a very high rate of return compared tvith other areas of investment, either private or public. When the Russians launched Sputnik i, qualified American sci entists pointed oui thai research competence must be measured by quality rather than by quantity. Ever since, we in the U. S. have been working hard to prove that our quality at least equals that of the Russians. In the fields of chemistry and physics . . ., it is generally agreed that ice excel the Russians in quality as well as in quantity. Quantity of an activity does have value, but ice have all seen ex amples of small research labora tories ichose output exceeded that of their giant competitors. An MIT study showed that there is no sure relationship betiveen re search and development expendi tures and results. One must buy research carefully. Big money can be lost faster and less conspicuously in research than in any other de partment of the business. Really successful research and develop ment is based on good communi cations, and that involves good hu man relations. Successful indus trial research is the ultimate in team effort, integrated with all other departments of the business. • ERNEST H. VOLWILER, presi dent and general manager of Ab bott Laboratories, retired, at a banquet in his honor, Chicago, March 26, 1959.
APRIL
2 0,
1959
C&EN
59
