Exploration of the potential application of plutonium isotopes in source identification of sandstorm in the atmosphere of Beijing

Plutonium (Pu) is an anthropogenic radionuclide which mainly derived from atmospheric nuclear tests in the environment. In this study, the Pu isotopes (²³⁹Pu and ²⁴⁰Pu) in aerosol samples collected during the sandstorm and non-sandstorm period were measured by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) and the behavior of Pu was studied. The activity concentrations of ²³⁹Pu and ²⁴⁰Pu in the aerosol samples of Beijing were ranged from 0.62 nBq/m³ to 99.6 nBq/m³ for ²³⁹Pu and 3.51 nBq/m³ to 60.23 nBq/m³ for ²⁴⁰Pu, respectively. ²³⁹Pu and ²⁴⁰Pu concentrations exhibited a remarkable seasonal variation trend, with the higher results showed in spring, and the relatively lower concentrations in winter. The observed higher concentration of ²³⁹Pu and ²⁴⁰Pu detected in sandstorm samples further indicated Pu was closely related to the occurrence of sandstorms. The global fallout characteristics of ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu atom ratios (average 0.20, ranging from 0.16 to 0.27) in aerosol samples indicating that global fallout was the major source of Pu in the atmosphere. Using aluminum (Al) as an indicator of soil resuspension, significant positive correlation between ²³⁹Pu and Al (r² = 0.934), ²⁴⁰Pu and Al (r² = 0.525) revealed that soil resuspension was a primary source of atmospheric Pu in Beijing. These results implied that the combination of ²³⁹Pu, ²⁴⁰Pu and Al could be used as the potential tracer of sandstorm.     

New developments in the production of theranostic pairs of radionuclides

A brief historical background of the development of the theranostic approach in nuclear medicine is given and seven theranostic pairs of radionuclides, namely ^44gSc/⁴⁷Sc, ⁶⁴Cu/⁶⁷Cu, ⁸³Sr/⁸⁹Sr, ⁸⁶Y/⁹⁰Y, ¹²⁴I/¹³¹I, ¹⁵²Tb/¹⁶¹Tb and ¹⁵²Tb/¹⁴⁹Tb, are considered. The first six pairs consist of a positron and a β^?-emitter whereas the seventh pair consists of a positron and an α-particle emitter. The decay properties of all those radionuclides are briefly mentioned and their production methodologies are discussed. The positron emitters ⁶⁴Cu, ⁸⁶Y and ¹²⁴I are commonly produced in sufficient quantities via the (p,n) reaction on the respective highly enriched target isotope. A clinical scale production of the positron emitter ^44gSc has been achieved via the generator route as well as via the (p,n) reaction, but further development work is necessary. The positron emitters ⁸³Sr and ¹⁵²Tb are under development. Among the therapeutic radionuclides, ⁸⁹Sr, ⁹⁰Y and ¹³¹I are commercially available and ¹⁶¹Tb can also be produced in sufficient quantity at a nuclear reactor. Great efforts are presently underway to produce ⁴⁷Sc and ⁶⁷Cu via neutron, photon and charged particle induced reactions. The radionuclide ¹⁴⁹Tb is unique because it is an α-particle emitter. The present method of production of ¹⁵²Tb and ¹⁴⁹Tb involves the use of the spallation process in combination with an on-line mass separator. The role of some emerging irradiation facilities in the production of special radionuclides is discussed.     

CI study of rovibrational dependence of nuclear quadrupole coupling constants of all isotopic variants of OH+ in the X3Σ− state

The ¹⁷O and ²H quadrupole coupling constants of rovibrational levels of ¹⁷O¹H⁺, ¹⁷O²H⁺, and ¹⁶O²H⁺ in their X³Σ⁻ state have been calculated from molecular wave functions that explicitly describe nuclear motion. The ¹⁷O quadrupole coupling is predicted to be strong and its vibrational dependence differs from that known for other nuclei A in the first-row hydrides AH or AH⁺. The deuterium coupling in ¹⁷O²H⁺ and ¹⁶O²H⁺ is found to be weak and its behavior is similar to that of other first-row hydrides. The change with rotational excitation is unimportant. The quadrupole hyperfine patterns of ¹⁷O²H⁺ in its ground state are dominated by the strong oxygen coupling. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Study of the spectrum of cherenkov light

It is pessible to study experimentally Cherenkov light spectra in a liquid scintillation spectrometer with colour filters. Cherenkov light spectra of⁶⁰Co,¹⁹⁸Au,¹¹⁵Cd,¹⁴³Ce,¹⁴⁰La,³²P,⁸⁶Rb,⁷⁶As,⁴²K and an external standard were studied in a Packard 3375 type liquid scintillation spectrometer, using 11 various Kodak Wratten filters. The absorption maxima of the filters ware in the 410–796 nm interval.     

Theoretical study of electronic structure of rhodium mononitride and interpretation of experimental spectra

Potential energy curves of 22 electronic states of RhN have been calculated by the complete active space second‐order perturbation theory method. The X¹Σ₀⁺ is assigned as the ground state, and the first excited state a³Π₀+ is 978 cm^?1 higher. The ¹Δ(I) and B¹Σ⁺ states are located at 9521 and 13,046 cm^?1 above the ground state, respectively. The B¹Σ⁺ state should be the excited state located 12,300 cm^?1 above the ground state in the experimental study. Moreover, two excited states, C¹Π and b³Σ⁺, are found 14,963 and 15,082 cm^?1 above the X¹Σ⁺ state, respectively. The transition C¹Π₁–X¹Σ₀⁺ may contribute to the experimentally observed bands headed at 15,071 cm^?1. There are two excited states, D¹Δ and E¹Σ⁺, situate at 20,715 and 23,145 cm^?1 above the X¹Σ⁺ state. The visible bands near 20,000 cm^?1 could be generated by the electronic transitions D¹Δ₂–a³Π₁ and E¹Σ⁺₀–X¹Σ⁺₀ because of the spin–orbit coupling effect. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The determination and application of 87Sr/86Sr ratio in verifying geographical origin of wheat

As ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio plays a significant role in authenticating the geographical origin of foodstuff, it is important to identify where the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr signature in food comes from, and the methods of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio analysis in food and environmental samples. Wheat with three genotypes, soil and groundwater samples were collected from three regions of China during harvest time of 2014. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios in the samples were determined by thermal ionization mass spectrometer in order to investigate the possible source of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr in wheat, and the concentrations of Rb and Sr in wheat and soils were also detected by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and combined with ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio in order to trace the geographical origin of wheat. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio, the contents Rb and Sr, and Rb/Sr ratio of wheat and soil samples showed significant differences among three regions. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios and the concentrations of Rb and Sr in soils were higher than those in corresponding wheat. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio in wheat was identical to that corresponding soil NH₄NO₃ extracts (labile fraction of soil) and groundwater. Wheat uptake more Rb than Sr. 3D distribution of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr, Rb and Sr could identify wheat samples from different regions clearly. The ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of wheat reflects the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio of the associated environment including soil and groundwater. It is expected that the use the parameters of ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratio, the contents of Rb and Sr will allow to trace geographical origin of wheat. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Radioactivity of coals and fly ashes

The level and the behavior of the naturally occurring primordial radionuclides ²³⁸U, ²²⁶Ra, ²¹⁰Pb, ²³²Th, ²²⁸Ra and ⁴⁰K in coals and fly ashes are described. The activity concentrations of the examined coals and originated from coal mines in Greece ranged from 117 to 435 Bq·kg⁻¹ for ²³⁸U, from 44 to 255 Bq·kg⁻¹ for ²²⁶Ra, from 59 to 205 Bq·kg⁻¹ for ²¹⁰Pb, from 9 to 41 Bq·kg⁻¹ for ²²⁸Ra and from 59 to 227 Bq·kg⁻¹ for ⁴⁰K. These levels are comparable to those appeared in coals of different countries worldwide. The activity concentrations of the examined fly ashes and produced in coal-fired power plants in Greece ranged from 263 to 950 Bq·kg⁻¹ for ²³⁸U, from 142 to 605 Bq·kg⁻¹ for ²²⁶Ra, from 133 to 428 Bq·kg⁻¹ for ²¹⁰Pb, from 27 to 68 Bq·kg⁻¹ for ²²⁸Ra and from 204 to 382 Bq·kg⁻¹ for ⁴⁰K. The results showed that there is an enrichment of the radionuclides in fly ash relative to the input coal during the combustion process. The enrichment factors (EF) ranged from 0.60 to 0.76 for ²³⁸U, from 0.69 to 1.07 for ²²⁶Ra, from 0.57 to 0.75 for ²¹⁰Pb, from 0.86 to 1.11 for ²²⁸Ra and from 0.95 to 1.10 for ⁴⁰K.     

Influence of Anions on Electrochemical Properties of Polypyrrole-Modified Electrodes

The influence of anions ClO₄ ^–, NO₃ ^–, Cl^–, SO₄ ^2–, and DDS^– (dodecyl sulfate) on the cyclic voltammetric response of polypyrrole-modified electrodes is studied. The change in the film composition is examined by electron probe microanalysis. It is established that essential changes in the shape of voltammograms take place during cycling if the anions are not sufficiently freely mobile in the polymer film and insertion of cations from the solution is necessary to guarantee electroneutrality of the system. Some differences between the mobility of Cl^– ions and ClO₄ ^– or NO₃ ^– ions are in good agreement with the results of semi-empirical quantum chemical calculations showing that the interaction of Cl^– and Br^– ions with pyrrole oligomers is stronger than that of NO₃ ^– or ClO₄ ^– ions. Nevertheless, it is established that the peak current determined from voltammograms increases linearly with the increase of the scan rate with very high correlation coefficient. It means that it is possible to describe the behavior of ClO₄ ^–, NO₃ ^– and Cl^– ions in the framework of the model of free ions. The redox behavior of the PPy films doped with anions of low mobility such as SO₄ ^2– and DDS^– depends essentially on the nature of cations in the test solution. It is found that the mobility of cations increases in the row Li⁺ < Na⁺ < K⁺ < Cs⁺. The mobility of DDS^– ions in the PPy in ethanolic solution is significantly higher and their electrochemical properties are quite similar to PPy|Cl or NO₃ ^– film in aqueous solution.     

Radiochemical characterization of spring waters in Balaton Upland, Hungary, estimation of radiation dose to members of public

Hungary is rich in spring waters. A survey studying the naturally occurring alpha emitter radionuclides in 30 frequently visited and regularly consumed spring waters was conducted out in the Balaton Upland region of Hungary.²²⁶Ra, ²²⁴Ra, ²³⁴U, ²³⁸U and ²¹⁰Po activity concentrations were determined by using alpha spectrometry after separation from matrix elements. Average concentration (mBq L^{− 1}) of ²²⁶Ra, ²²⁴Ra, ²³⁴U, ²³⁸U and ²¹⁰Po in the spring waters is varied from 2.1 to 601, from < 1.1 to 65.4, from 3.9 to 741.9, from < 0.44 to 274.3 and from 2 to 15.2 respectively. In most cases radioactive disequilibrium was observed between uranium and radium isotopes. The doses for the analyzed samples of spring water are in the range 3.59–166.73 μSv y^{− 1} with an average 18.2 μSv y^{− 1} .This is well below the 100 μSv y^{− 1} reference level of the committed effective dose recommended by WHO. Only one water sample had a dose higher than 100 μSv y^{− 1}, mainly due to the contribution from radium (²²⁶Ra, ²²⁴Ra) and ²¹⁰Po isotopes. This study provides important information for consumers and authorities about their internal radiological exposure risk from spring water intake.     

A theoretical investigation of the origins of the green and red spectra of Ca2

The potential energy curves and transition moments of the ground state of Ca₂ and ¹Σ⁺_u states correlating with the ¹S + ¹P and ¹S + ¹D calcium atoms have been calculated. The calculations support the assignment of the observed emission spectra of Ca₂ in the red and in the green to transitions between the ground state and the 1,2¹Σ⁺_u states. Predissociation of the 1¹Σ⁺_u state is also shown to be possible from an interaction with the 1³Π_u state.     

Influence of transition metal ions on the textural properties of alumina and aluminasilicates

Accelerated phase transformations and chemical reactions of metastable aluminas and kaolinite, doped with Cu^{2 +}, Mn^{3 +}/Mn^{2 +} and Fe^{3 +}/Fe^{2 +} ions, are accompanied with accelerated decrease of surface area and pore volume values. The phenomena in metal ion doped samples are explained by a catalytic mechanism, in terms of the Jahn-Teller effect. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Kinetic spectroscopy of triplet states of benzenoid hydrocarbons using modulated Hg resonance radiation

Triplet—triplet absorption spectra in the 220–250 nm region, and rate constants for unimolecular and bimolecular decay of the lowest triplet states of simply substituted benzenes in the gas phase have been obtained using a phase modulation technique. For deuterium and methyl substitution, first order decay constants are of the same order as in benzene of 10³ s^?1, with second order decay constants of the order of 10⁷ ? mol^?1 s^?1, also as in benzene. For trifluoromethyl substitution, these rate constants increase dramatically to of the order of 10^?5 s^?1 and 10⁸ ? mol^?1 s^?1 respectively, and fluorine substitution is even more dramatic, with values in the 10⁶ s^?1 and 10⁹ ? mol^?1 s^?1 respectively.     

The dynamical theory of energy partition. Loss of a hydrogen atom from the hydroxymethylene radical cation

The translational energy releases accompanying fromation of H^˙ and [CHO]⁺ from [CHOH]^+˙, H^˙ and [CDO]⁺ from [CDOH]^+˙, D^˙ and [CHO]⁺ from [CHOD]^+˙ and D^˙ and [CDO]⁺ from [CDOD]^+˙ have been calculated from the widths at half-height of the respective metastable peaks. The energy releases for [CHOD]^+˙ and [CDOD]^+˙ are similar to each other in magnitude, but are both significantly larger than those for [CHOH]^+˙ and [CDOH]^+˙. These differences are discussed in terms of the dynamical theory of energy partition. The larger energy releases for decompositions giving D^˙ are attributed to larger proportions of the kinetic energy being associated with the departing D^˙ in the transition states, as compared to H^˙ in the transition states for the decompositions yielding H^˙.     

Determination of 129I in biomonitors collected in the vicinity of a nuclear power plant by neutron activation analysis

Neutron activation analysis (NAA) was used to determine ¹²⁹I and the ¹²⁹I/¹²⁷I ratio in bovine thyroid, moss, and river sediment samples collected in the vicinity of the Temelín nuclear power plant (NPP) in south Bohemia. The NAA procedures comprised pre-irradiation separation of ¹²⁹I by combustion of the samples in the stream of oxygen at 1,000 °C and trapping the liberated iodine in a LiOH/(NH₄)₂SO₃ solution. Post-irradiation separation of ¹³⁰I produced by the reaction ¹²⁹I(n,γ)¹³⁰I was carried out by extraction of elementary iodine with chloroform followed by precipitation of PdI₂. Nondestructive, epithermal NAA was used to determine ¹²⁷I employing the ¹²⁷I(n,γ)¹²⁸I reaction. The results showed that mean values of ¹²⁹I and the ¹²⁹I/¹²⁷I ratio in the bovine thyroids varied from 22 to 61 mBq kg^?1 (dry mass) and 2.8 × 10^?9 to 5.4 × 10^?9, respectively. These values are close to the lower end of results reported from various regions non-polluted with ¹²⁹I. No significant differences were found between ¹²⁹I concentrations and the ¹²⁹I/¹²⁷I ratios in the bovine thyroids collected prior to the start and after several years of operation of the NPP. The mean value and standard deviation of ¹²⁹I in mBq kg^?1, dry mass and the ¹²⁹I/¹²⁷I ratio in moss Pleurozium schreberi were 23 ± 16 and 2.3 × 10^?9, respectively, whereas values of ¹²⁹I in the river sediments were below 8–10 mBq kg^?1 (dry mass) after several years of the NPP operation.     

Disequilibrium of uranium series radionuclides in soil and plants of South India

Soil and plants of South India were analysed using standard methods for equilibrium state between radionuclides ²²⁶Ra, ²¹⁰Pb, and ²¹⁰Po of uranium series. A disequilibrium state was observed, with mean ²¹⁰Pb/²²⁶Ra, ²¹⁰Po/²²⁶Ra, and ²¹⁰Po/²¹⁰Pb as 21.71, 5.52, and 0.40; 10.01, 4.21, and 0.43; and 30.86, 9.34, and 0.35 in Coastal Karnataka, Malnad Karnataka, and Malnad Kerala, respectively. ²¹⁰Po/²¹⁰Pb in soil was 0.29, 0.30, and 0.49 respectively, for the three regions. Unsupported ²¹⁰Pb and ²¹⁰Po might have caused the observed disequilibrium state. The investigation helps to monitor radionuclide distribution and dynamics in soil and plants of the study area.

     

Photoionization electronic spectroscopy of AlNa

Two electronic transitions are observed for a new heteronuclear dimer, AlNa, using two-color two-photon ionization spectrocopy (2R2PI). The combination of the analysis of vibronic structure and ab initio calculation enables us to assign the two transitions as D ¹Π←X ¹Σ⁺ and C ¹Σ⁺←X ¹Σ⁺; the origins of the D and C states are located at 16427 and 15422 cm⁻¹, and the vibrational frequencies being 151 cm⁻¹ in the D state, 115 cm⁻¹ in the C state, and 186 cm⁻¹ in the X state, respectively.     

Measurement of absolute intensity of 1001 keV gamma-ray of 234mPa

The sorption behavior of ²³⁵U fission fission products ⁹⁹Mo and ¹³²Te was studied through batch and dynamic experiments when they were dissolved in 1 to 7M HNO₃ solutions. It was found that ⁹⁹Mo is always totally adsorbed on hydrated SnO₂, while ¹³²Te is rather weakly adsorbed, therefore they can be separated from each other although ¹³²Te in the solution still remains contaminated with other radionuclides as well as ⁹⁹Mo does in the solid.     

Porphyrins. 18. Synthesis of octapropylporphyrin by the method of monopyrrole cyclotetramerization of 5-carboxy-2-methoxymethyl-3,4-dipropylpyrrole. Investigation of the thermolysis of meso-N-methylformaldimineocta-propylporphyrin

The synthesis of octapropylporphyrin on the basis of 5-carboxy-2-methoxymethyl-3,4-dipropylpyrrole was realized. It was demonstrated that in the thermolysis of meso-N-methylformaldimineoctapropylporphyrin, 3¹,5¹-cyclo-3¹-ethylidene- and 3¹,5¹-cyclo-3¹-ethyl-5¹-(N-methylimine) derivatives are also formed in addition to 3¹,5¹-cyclo-3¹-ethylhectaporphyrin.See [1] for Communication 17.Translated from Khimiya Geterotsiklicheskikh Soedinenii, No. 7, pp. 922–927, 1984.     

Measurement of the neutron capture cross-section of 238U using the neutron activation technique

The ²³⁸U(n, ??)²³⁹U reaction cross-section at average neutron energy of 3.7?±?0.3?MeV from the ⁷Li(p, n)⁷Be reaction has been determined using activation and off-line ??-ray spectrometric technique. The ²³⁸U(n, ??)²³⁹U and ²³⁸U(n, 2n)²³⁷U reaction cross-sections at average neutron energy of 9.85?±?0.38?MeV from the same ⁷Li(p, n)⁷Be reaction have been also determined using the above technique. The experimentally determined ²³⁸U(n, ??)²³⁹U and ²³⁸U(n, 2n)²³⁷U reaction cross-sections were compared with the evaluated data of ENDF/B-VII, JENDL-4.0, JEFF-3.1 and CENDL-3.1. The experimental values were found to be in general agreement with the evaluated value based on ENDF/B-VII, and JENDL-4.0 but not with the JEFF-3.1 and CENDL-3.1. The present data along with literature data in a wide range of neutron energies were interpreted in terms of competition between different reaction channels including fission. The ²³⁸U(n, ??)²³⁹U and ²³⁸U(n, 2n)²³⁷U reaction cross-sections were also calculated theoretically using the TALYS 1.2 computer code and were also found to be in agreement experimental data.     

Vibrational spectra of nitrido and oxo complexes

The vibrational spectra of a number of transition-metal complexes containing terminal or bridging nitrido (N^3?) and oxo (O^2?) ligands are reported. Full assignments of fundamental modes are given for (OsO₃¹⁴N)^?, (OsO₃¹⁵N)^?, (Os¹⁴NX₄)^?, (Os¹⁵NX₄)^?, (Ru¹⁴NX₄)^?, (Os¹⁴NX₅)^2?, (Os¹⁵NX₅)^2? and (Ru¹⁴NX₅)^2? (X = Cl, Br), and also for the oxo complexes (Mo¹⁶OCl₄, (Mo¹⁸OCl₄)^?, (Mo¹⁶OCl₅)^2? and (Mo¹⁸OCl₅)^2?. Force constants have been evaluated for the four- and five-coordinate complexes. The significance of the results is discussed in terms of the metalligand bonding involved in these species.