PREFACE
C
e r t a i n o f the t r a n s p l u t o n i u m elements are used extensively i n n u c l e a r
of
gauges a n d i n m a n y other fields as w e l l .
these m a n - m a d e
elements
requires
Industrial-scale p r o d u c t i o n
development
and
application of
a p p r o p r i a t e recovery, separation, a n d p u r i f i c a t i o n processes. T h e 17 papers i n this v o l u m e p r o v i d e authoritative, i n - d e p t h coverage
Downloaded by 80.82.77.83 on May 30, 2018 | https://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: July 20, 1981 | doi: 10.1021/bk-1981-0161.pr001
of a n i m p o r t a n t area of n u c l e a r a n d i n d u s t r i a l chemistry. I n a d d i t i o n to 12 U.S.
a u t h o r e d papers, there are papers f r o m authors i n F r a n c e ,
Japan,
P e o p l e s R e p u b l i c of C h i n a , S w e d e n , a n d W e s t G e r m a n y . T h i s v o l u m e thus includes c o n t r i b u t i o n s f r o m m o s t countries i n the w o r l d that have significant t r a n s p l u t o n i u m element p r o d u c t i o n a n d r e c o v e r y p r o g r a m s a n d facilities. W e believe that this c o l l e c t i o n of papers w i l l p r o v i d e m e m b e r s o f the n u c l e a r c o m m u n i t y a n d chemists a n d engineers everywhere a c o m p r e h e n s i v e r e v i e w o f w h a t is c u r r e n t l y g o i n g o n at the " b o t t o m of the P e r i o d i c T a b l e . " JAMES
D.
NAVRATIL
Vienna, Austria WALLACE
W.
SCHULZ
Richland, Washington J a n u a r y 1, 1981
ix
Navratil and Schulz; Transplutonium Elements—Production and Recovery ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1981.
Downloaded by 80.82.77.83 on May 30, 2018 | https://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: July 20, 1981 | doi: 10.1021/bk-1981-0161.pr001
Navratil and Schulz; Transplutonium Elements—Production and Recovery ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1981.
INTRODUCTION
T
his c o l l e c t i o n of the state-of-the-art papers emphasizes the c o n t i n u i n g
i m p o r t a n c e o f industrial-scale p r o d u c t i o n , separation, a n d r e c o v e r y o f
t r a n s p l u t o n i u m elements.
A m e r i c i u m ( A t . N o . 9 5 ) and curium ( A t . N o .
9 6 ) were first i s o l a t e d i n w e i g h a b l e amounts d u r i n g a n d i m m e d i a t e l y after W o r l d W a r II.
B e r k e l i u m a n d c a l i f o r n i u m were i s o l a t e d i n 1 9 5 8
and
Downloaded by 80.82.77.83 on May 30, 2018 | https://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: July 20, 1981 | doi: 10.1021/bk-1981-0161.pr001
e i n s t e i n i u m i n 1 9 6 1 . T h e s e five m a n - m a d e elements, i n e a c h case, subsequently b e c a m e a v a i l a b l e i n i n c r e a s i n g quantities. T h e U . S . t r a n s p l u t o n i u m element p r o d u c t i o n p r o g r a m s i n the 1940s, 1950s, a n d e a r l y 1960s used, successively, n u c l e a r reactors at O a k R i d g e , Hanford,
Chalk
River
(Canada),
and
Idaho.
Higher-flux
reactors
at
S a v a n n a h R i v e r a n d O a k R i d g e were used i n the late 1960s a n d d u r i n g the 1970s f o r p r o d u c t i o n o f k i l o g r a m amounts
of b o t h a m e r i c i u m a n d
c u r i u m , grams o f c a l i f o r n i u m , a n d m i l l i g r a m s o f b e r k e l i u m a n d e i n s t e i n i u m . T h e transeinsteinium elements u p t h r o u g h element 106 are p r o d u c e d , b y bombardment quantitites
of
lighter
actinide
isotopes
with
heavy
ions,
in
that continue to d i m i n i s h , a n d v e r y m u c h so, w i t h
tracer atomic
number. GLENN
T.
SEABORG
Berkeley, California
xi
Navratil and Schulz; Transplutonium Elements—Production and Recovery ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1981.
