Beta-exposure in a neutron activation laboratory

Summary In virtually all neutron activation analysis laboratories, researchers are given film badges known as thermoluminescence dosimeters (TLD's) that are monitored on a monthly basis. Sometimes additional pocket dosimeters are worn to get a daily reading of exposure, while in other instances ring badges are worn to assess beta doses. However, more than often little consideration is given to beta-exposure rates that arise from the plethora of radionuclides produced in the many types of samples irradiated. A common mistake is to assess gamma-exposures of activated samples that rely on the use of a beta-shield on the survey meter. Our experimental results have shown that there are many high energy beta-particles from neutron activated samples that can easily penetrate the beta-shield and thus give an underestimation of the total beta-exposure.     

Self-diffusion in a non-uniform one dimensional system of point particles with collisions

Summary We generalize the results of Spitzer, Jepsen and others [1–4] on the motion of a tagged particle in a uniform one dimensional system of point particles undergoing elastic collisions to the case where there is also an external potential U(x). When U(x) is periodic or random (bounded and statistically translation invariant) then the scaled trajectory of a tagged particle converges, as A , to a Brownian motion W _D (t) with diffusion constant , where is the average density, is the mean absolute velocity and ^–1 the temperature of the system. When U(x) is itself changing on a macroscopic scale, i.e. , then the limiting process is a spatially dependent diffusion. The stochastic differential equation describing this process is now non-linear, and is particularly simple in Stratonovich form. This lends weight to the belief that heuristics are best done in that form.Dedicated to Frank Spitzer on the occasion of his 60th birthdayWork supported in part by NSF Grants No. PHY 8201708 and No. DMR 81-14726Heisenberg-fellowAlso Department of Physics     

Neutron activation analysis correction for the calculation of bromine concentrations via the79Br(n, γ)80Br reaction

Bromine can be determined by neutron activation analysis (NNA) through either the activation of⁷⁹Br (50.69% naturally abundant) or⁸¹Br (49.31% naturally abundant). When⁷⁹Br is activated, both^80mBr and⁸⁰Br are produced.^80mBr (4.42 h) decays to⁸⁰Br (17.66 m) which then beta decays to either⁸⁰Se or⁸⁰Kr. If one would like to determine bromine concentrations with short lived NAA, special equations must be used to account for the parent daughter relationship between^80mBr after their simultaneous production. The development of the equations needed to calculate bromine concentrations with short-lived NAA is described including variations on irradiation times, decay times, and count times.     

Direct separation of the enantiomers of cetirizine and related compounds by reversed-phase chiral HPLC

Summary Direct separations of the enantiomers of cetirizine and related compounds have been achieved by reversed-phase HPLC on the Chiralcel OD-R, a polysaccharide-derived chiral stationary phase; the mobile phase was usually perchlorate solution supplemented with acetonitrile. Resolution of the enantiomers of cetirizine and related compounds was good. The effect of the acetonitrile content of the mobile phase was investigated, and the effect of the structure of the chiral compounds on their behavior on the Chiralcel OD-R column is discussed.