Open AccessProduction of high specific activity silicon-32
Author(s) -
Dennis Phillips,
Mark A. Brzezinski
Publication year - 1998
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.2172/563829
Subject(s) - national laboratory , spallation , environmental science , silicon , radionuclide , nuclear physics , radiochemistry , nuclear engineering , chemistry , engineering physics , physics , engineering , neutron , organic chemistry
This is the final report of a three-year, Laboratory Directed Research and Development Project (LDRD) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). There were two primary objectives for the work performed under this project. The first was to take advantage of capabilities and facilities at Los Alamos to produce the radionuclide {sup 32}Si in unusually high specific activity. The second was to combine the radioanalytical expertise at Los Alamos with the expertise at the University of California to develop methods for the application of {sup 32}Si in biological oceanographic research related to global climate modeling. The first objective was met by developing targetry for proton spallation production of {sup 32}Si in KCl targets and chemistry for its recovery in very high specific activity. The second objective was met by developing a validated field-useable, radioanalytical technique, based upon gas-flow proportional counting, to measure the dynamics of silicon uptake by naturally occurring diatoms