The Transuranium People: The Inside Story

560 Pages·2000·4.35 MB·English

by  Darleane C. Hoffman

THE
TRANSURANIUM
PEOPLE
The authors (left to right): Dr. Albert Ghiorso, Dr. Darleane C. Hoffman, and Dr. Glenn
T. Seaborg.
ii
THE
TRANSURANIUM
PEOPLE
T H E I N S I D E S T O R Y
Darleane C. Hoffman
Albert Ghiorso
Glenn T. Seaborg
University of California, Berkeley
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Imperial College Press
Published by
Imperial College Press
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Covent Garden
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Distributed by
World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd.
P O Box 128, Farrer Road, Singapore 912805
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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the BritishLibrary.
First published 2000
Reprinted 2001
THE TRANSURANIUM PEOPLE: THE INSIDE STORY
Copyright © 2000 by Imperial College Press
All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form or by any means,
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ISBN l-86094-087-0
Printed in Singapore.
Contents
XXXXXXXXXX
Acknowledgments xi
Glenn Theodore Seaborg (1912–1999) xiii
Preface xvii
Glossary xci
Chapter 1: Introduction 1
1.1 The Pretransuranium Story 1
1.2 Early Days at the Berkeley Radiation Laboratory 6
1.3 Transplutonium Elements 20
1.4 Current Status 23
Chapter 2: Neptunium and Plutonium 28
2.1 Discovery and Isolation of Neptunium 28
2.2 Discovery of Plutonium 31
2.2.1 Nuclear Fission of Plutonium 36
2.2.2 Epilogue: 244Pu in Nature 38
Chapter 3: The Plutonium People 43
3.1 The Metallurgical (Plutonium) Project 43
3.2 Evolution of the Bismuth Phosphate Process 52
3.3 The Clinton Plant 60
3.4 Ultramicrochemistry 64
3.5 Isolation of Plutonium 66
3.6 The Hanford Plant 71
3.7 The Los Alamos Laboratory 77
3.8 Some Other Early Contributors 80
3.9 Properties of Plutonium 95
v
vi Contents
3.10 Publication 96
3.11 The Franck Report 97
3.12 Disposal of Plutonium 98
Chapter 4: Americium and Curium 100
Chapter 5: Berkelium and Californium 130
5.1 Introduction 130
5.2 Reminiscences on the Discovery of Berkelium and
Californium 131
5.2.1 Glenn T. Seaborg 131
5.2.2 Stanley G. Thompson 143
5.2.2.1 Introduction: Glenn T. Seaborg 143
5.2.2.2 Reminiscences: Stanley G. Thompson 143
5.2.3 Albert Ghiorso 146
5.2.3.1 Introduction: Glenn T. Seaborg 146
5.2.3.2 Reminiscences: Albert Ghiorso 147
5.2.4 Kenneth Street, Jr. 151
5.2.4.1 Introduction: Glenn T. Seaborg 151
5.2.4.2 Reminiscences: Kenneth Street, Jr. 151
Chapter 6: The “Big Bang”: Discovery of Einsteinium and
Fermium 155
6.1 The View from Los Alamos 156
6.2 The View from Berkeley 162
6.3 Naming of Elements 99 and 100 187
6.4 Microscopic Quantities 190
6.5 Publication 191
6.6 Limits to Production 192
6.7 Role of Spontaneous Fission 193
6.8 Commemorative Symposium 196
6.9 Outline of Important Points in the History of
Elements 99 and 100 196
Chapter 7: Mendelevium 201
7.1 Introduction 201
7.2 Tribute to Stanley G. Thompson 201
Contents vii
7.3 25th Anniversary Symposium 202
7.4 Introductory Remarks on the 1980 Symposium 202
7.5 Reminiscences from the 1980 Symposium 212
7.5.1 Albert Ghiorso 212
7.5.1.1 Introduction: Dr. Seaborg 212
7.5.1.2 Reminiscences: Dr. Ghiorso 213
7.5.1.3 Comments: Dr. Seaborg 217
7.5.2 Bernard G. Harvey 218
7.5.2.1 Introduction: Dr. Seaborg 218
7.5.2.2 Reminiscences: Dr. Harvey 219
7.5.2.3 Comments: Dr. Seaborg 221
7.5.3 Gregory F. Choppin 221
7.5.3.1 Introduction: Dr. Seaborg 221
7.5.3.2 Reminiscences: Dr. Choppin 222
7.5.3.3 Comments: Dr. Seaborg 226
7.6 Conclusion 226
Chapter 8: Nobelium and Lawrencium 230
8.1 Introduction 230
8.2 Nobelium (Element 102) 231
8.2.1 The Nobel Institute Experiment of 1957 231
8.2.2 The Berkeley Work 237
8.2.3 The Dubna Work 245
8.2.4 The New Berkeley Work 247
8.3 Lawrencium (Element 103) 250
Chapter 9: Rutherfordium and Hahnium 258
9.1 Introduction 258
9.1.1 Rutherfordium (Element 104) 259
9.1.2 Hahnium (Element 105) 260
9.2 Review of 104 and 105 Discovery Claims 260
9.2.1 Fission Isomers 261
9.2.2 Element 104 263
9.2.2.1 Chemical Experiments 273
9.2.2.2 Confirmation of the Berkeley
Discovery 276
viii Contents
9.2.2.3 Attempts to Reconcile Measurements
of the SF Half-Life of 260104 277
9.2.3 Element 105 282
9.2.3.1 Chemical Experiments 285
9.3 Recent Chemical Studies of Rutherfordium
and Hahnium 286
Chapter 10: Seaborgium 300
10.1 Discovery 300
10.2 The “Untold Story” of Seaborgium 302
10.3 Independent Confirmation and Naming of
Element 106 317
10.4 First Studies of Chemical Properties of Seaborgium 326
Chapter 11: Bohrium (107), Hassium (108), and
Meitnerium (109) 328
11.1 Introduction: The UNILAC 328
11.2 Cold Fusion 332
11.3 SHIP 333
11.4 Bohrium (Element 107) 336
11.5 Hassium (Element 108) 338
11.6 Meitnerium (Element 109) 339
Chapter 12: Elements 110, 111, and 112 341
12.1 Element 110 341
12.1.1 Berkeley’s SASSY2 341
12.1.2 GSI’s Improved SHIP and the UNILAC 358
12.1.3 Dubna’s Gas-Filled Separator 364
12.2 Element 111 365
12.3 Element 112 367
Chapter 13: Naming Controversies and the Transfermium
Working Group 369
13.1 Establishment of the Transfermium Working Group 369
13.2 TWG Visit to Berkeley 371
13.3 Assignment of Priority of Discovery for
Elements 101 Through 109 379
Contents ix
13.4 Naming by the IUPAC and Protest 387
13.4.1 IUPAC 1997 Approved the Names for
Elements 101 Through 109 394
13.5 Names for Elements 110, 111, and 112 396
Chapter 14: Searches for the Superheavy Elements 400
14.1 Introduction 400
14.2 Early Searches for SHE in Nature 402
14.3 Early Searches for SHE at Accelerators 404
14.4 Summary of Results up to 1978 405
14.5 Searches for SHE Since 1978 410
14.6 Some Notable “Nondiscoveries” of SHE 413
14.6.1 Giant Halos and the Evidence for the
“Discovery” of Elements 116, 124, 126,
and 127 413
14.6.2 Superheavy Elements — the Berkeley
Near Miss of 1976 417
14.7 Future Searches for SHE 423
Epilogue 425
Chapter 15: Reflections and Predictions 434
Name Index 441