Identification of the nuclide 226U

Identification of the uranium isotope ²²⁶U is reported. This nuclide was produced in bombardments of ²³²Th with 140 MeV ⁴He ions. It is observed to decay by α-particle emission with a half-life of 0.5±0.2 sec and has an α-particle energy of E_α = 7.43±0.03 MeV, giving a Q-value of Q_α = 7.56±0.03 MeV. Detection was achieved by on-line counting and pulsed-cyclotron beam techniques. It is also observed that the maximum yields for (α, p(x ? 1 )n) reactions are about ten times greater than those for (α, xn) reactions at these energies.