Spectrographic Analysis of Radioactive Mateiials '
JOHN G. CONWAY AND MILTON F. MOORE' Radiation Laboratory, Uniwrsity of California, Berkeley, Calif.
The need, in this laboratory, for spectrographic determination of trace impurities in high level radioactive aloha-emittina elements led to the development of an are-spark chamber mounted in a gloved box. Tests indicate that the radioactivity released during use of the equipment is sufficiently removed by the accompanying filter system to eliminate the health hazard. The equipment could he used in the spectrographic analysis of most any to& material. I
T.
HE spectrochemical analysis of the transurmium elements,
which me mainly alpha emitters, presents a problem ntIt umally encountered in spectroscopy, although Feldman et (I1. (3)have described a method for lower level activities. The pr1mary problem is the health hazard t o operating personnc,I2 and the secondary problem is the contamination of valuah le speotmgraphic equipment which could render it unusable fc>I normal operation. Because the copper spark method ( I , 4) can use samples up I0 .. . .. . . . . about 50 rmcromams O t the tmsuramum elements. tne Uanper to p w o n w l is obvious; 1 microgmni rouiinuously present in I I ~ P body is a rnaxiniuni lifrtime Tdrrancc, a i t w which a person should I,?rctireil from work on rsdiotrtivity (0). These clenienis h 3 w qiecitic wiiviiic9 ranging from 10' to IO9 counts prr ninorr per micmgmu. Ir the air rontaminntiou lcwl is kcpt hrlon. 5 X microgrim per cc. of:iir, t h e body cnnnot x t . u m u I i i e the above amount. It ha8 been ihc aim of this lal,orntory build equipm~nrtIm1 would work nt 1mds mnnyfol .,_." -.,.
37 "
(5) Morgan,
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K. Z., oornmuniestion to Nelsen B. Garden. March
1950. (6) Radiation Laboratory, University 01 Calilornia, "Radiation and You," April 1948. R ~ C E I Vfor E review ~ April 16, 1961. Accepted December 13. 1951.
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