210Po in the environment: insight into the naturally occurring polonium isotope
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Magnetic iron oxide and manganese-doped iron oxide nanoparticles for the collection of alpha-emitting radionuclides from aqueous solutions
Magnetic nanoparticles are well known to possess chemically active surfaces and high surface areas that can be employed to extract a range of ions from aqueous solutions. Additionally, their paramagnetic property provides a convenient means for bulk collection of the material from solution after the targeted ions have been adsorbed. Herein, two nanoscale amphoteric metal oxides, each possessing useful magnetic attributes, were evaluated for their ability to collect both naturally occurring radioactive isotopes (polonium (Po), radium (Ra), and uranium (U)) as well as the transuranic element americium (Am) from a suite of naturally occurring aqueous matrices. The nanomaterials include commercially available paramagnetic magnetite (Fe3O4) and magnetite that was modified to incorporate manganese (Mn) into the crystal structure. The chemical stability of these nanomaterials was evaluated in Hanford Site, WA ground water between the natural pH (~8) and pH 1 (acidified with HCl). Whereas the magnetite was observed to have good stability over the pH range, the Mn-doped material was observed to leach Mn at low pH. The materials were evaluated in parallel to characterize their uptake performance of the aforementioned alpha-emitting radionuclide spikes from Hanford Site ground water across a range of pH (from ~8 down to 2). In addition, radiotracer uptake experiments were performed on Columbia River water, seawater, and human urine at their natural pH and at pH 2. Despite the observed leaching of Mn from the Mn-doped nanomaterial in the lower pH range, it exhibited generally superior analyte extraction performance compared to the magnetite, and analyte uptake was observed across a broader pH range. The uptake behavior of the various radiotracers on these two materials at different pH levels can generally be explained by the amphoteric nature of the nanoparticle surfaces. Finally, the rate of sorption of the radiotracers on the two materials in unacidified groundwater was evaluated. The uptake curves generally indicate that equilibrium is obtained within a few minutes, which is attributed to the high surface areas of the nanomaterials and the high level of dispersion in the liquids. Overall, the results indicate that these nanomaterials may have the potential to be employed for a range of applications to extract radionuclides from aqueous solutions. These applications may include analytical chemistry, waste water treatment and remediation, mining, and in vitro radiobioassay.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Production and decay spectroscopy of {sup 192}Po and {sup 194}Po
A γ-ray spectroscopy study of the (11{sup −}) isomers in {sup 194}Po and {sup 192}Po was performed at the velocity filter SHIP at GSI (Germany). Nuclei were produced in fusion-evaporation reactions and investigated in the detection set-up at the focal plane after the separator. Several new γ transitions were attributed to the isomers and detailed analysis of the first γ-γ coincidences for both isomers is being prepared. For the reaction {sup 56}Fe + {sup 141}Pr → {sup 197}At*, excitation functions for astatine and polonium isotopes were measured and compared with HIVAP calculations.
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
Identification of excited states in Bi 188 and Po 188
The neutron-deficient 188 Bi and 188 Po isotopes have been studied by γ-ray spectroscopy using the recoil-decay tagging technique with the Argonne Gas-Filled Analyzer. A new 0.25(5)-μs isomeric state and a prompt cascade formed by 319-, 366-, and 462-keV γ rays have been established on top of the (10¯) α -decaying isomer in 188 Bi. The first excited (2 + ) state in 188 Po was identified, its excitation energy of 242(2) keV continues the nearly constant trend for the first 2 + states in 190, 192,194 Po. Here, the state is most likely a member of a prolate rotational band built on the ground state, albeit mixing with other coexisting configurations cannot be excluded. The new results obtained in the present work provide new information to shape coexistence in bismuth and polonium isotopes near the neutron midshell at N = 104 . In this mass region, a reduction in the prompt γ-ray yield obtained with recoil decay tagging was observed for a few nuclides, and the possible reasons are presented.
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
Nuclear Data Sheets for A = 207
Evaluated nuclear structure and decay data for all nuclei within the A=207 mass chain are presented. The experimental data are evaluated and best values for level and gamma-ray energies, quantum numbers, lifetimes, gamma-ray intensities, and other nuclear properties are recommended. Inconsistencies and discrepancies that exist in the literature are noted. This work supersedes the earlier evaluation by M.J. Martin (1993Ma73), published in Nuclear Data Sheets70, 315 (1993).
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
Quantifying the Impact of Excluding the Submersion Exposure Route for Existing Superfund Radionuclide Screening Level Calculator Soil and Tap Water Models
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides initial data screening guidelines for radionuclide-contaminated Superfund sites using preliminary remediation goals (PRGs) and dose compliance concentrations (DCCs). PRGs and DCCs are target concentration values based on acceptable excess lifetime cancer risk and annual dose limits, respectively. They are calculated for various environmental media that may be encountered by residential and worker land uses. PRGs and DCCs typically consist of multiple exposure routes. One of these routes is submersion, which is exposure to a gaseous or particulate radionuclide that is suspended in air. Currently, submersion is only included in air calculations. This study focused on determining whether factoring submersion into total PRG/DCC calculations for soil and tap water created a significant difference in the target concentrations. New equations for individual submersion PRGs/DCCs for each land use of interest for soil and tap water were developed. A wind-driven particulate emission factor and Andelman’s constant were used to model the amount of soil and vapor in the air from soil and household use of tap water, respectively. The submersion PRG/DCC was then included in the total PRG/DCC for each radionuclide, followed by a percent difference comparison of the old and new totals to quantify the impact of the change. For total soil PRGs/DCCs, with and without submersion, the difference was less than 1 percent; however, many of the tap water radionuclides analyzed – including multiple radon and polonium isotopes – showed as high as a 200 percent difference.This technical memorandum (TM) presents recommendations for updates to current EPA guidelines for initial data screens of radionuclide contaminated tap water.
12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
Activation of lead coolant in Westinghouse lead fast reactor
The Westinghouse Lead-cooled Fast Reactor (LFR) is a medium-sized, passively safe, scalable reactor being developed by Westinghouse in collaboration with domestic and international organizations with the primary goals of reducing front-end capital cost and generating flexible and cost-competitive electricity while satisfying the highest standards in terms of safety and sustainability. An important aspect of new plant design is an assessment of activation level of its components so that an appropriate nuclear waste management plan can be established. As lead coolant is a distinguishing design feature of the LFR, its activation due to irradiation and the implications on establishing an appropriate waste disposal approach are important for engagement of project stakeholders, customers and nuclear safety regulators. This paper provides a brief description of the Westinghouse LFR design, a background on lead activation phenomenology, and then describes the methodology used for lead activation analysis performed with the computer code Serpent 2. It was determined that impurities naturally occurring in lead have the biggest contribution to lead activation. Corrosion and erosion products from the components immersed in lead can also be important contributors to lead activity and their impact can be limited by appropriate selection of materials and operating conditions. Polonium isotopes, resulting from bismuth generated from lead irradiation and its impurities, bring a notable contribution to the inhalation and ingestion doses during the plant operation and in the first years after the plant shutdown. However, it is not by far as important as for lead-bismuth coolant.
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗
Comparison of microprecipitation methods for polonium source preparation for alpha spectrometry
Detection of radioactive isotopes of polonium is important for understanding natural processes, management and assessment of radioactive waste, and nuclear forensics applications. Further, the most common methods for preparation of polonium samples for alpha spectrometry are electrodeposition and spontaneous deposition which are time consuming. Here, we compare three approaches utilizing rapid microprecipitation from bismuth phosphate, copper sulfide, or tellurium alongside traditional spontaneous deposition methods. From these experiments, results show that copper sulfide microprecipitation recoveries are similar to spontaneous deposition on silver and less time consuming with an approximate five-fold decrease in preparation time, including in the presence of complex matrices like seawater.
38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
β-decay and β-delayed Neutron Emission Measurements at GSI-FRS Beyond N=126, for r-process Nucleosynthesis
New measurements of very exotic nuclei in the neutron-rich region beyond N=126 have been performed at the GSI facility with the fragment separator (FRS). The aim of the experiment is to determine half-lives and β-delayed neutron emission branching ratios of isotopes of Hg, Tl and Pb in this region. This contribution summarizes final counting statistics for identification and for implantation, as well as the present status of the data analysis of the half-lives. In summary, isotopes of Pt, Au, Hg, Tl, Pb, Bi, Po, At, Rn and Fr were clearly identified and several of them ({sup 208-211}Hg, {sup 211-215}Tl, {sup 214-218}Pb) were implanted with enough statistics to determine their half-lives. About half of them are expected to be neutron emitters, in such cases it will become possible to obtain the neutron emission probabilities, Pn.
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
Assault frequency and preformation probability of the {alpha} emission process
A study of the assault frequency and preformation factor of the {alpha}-decay description is performed from the experimental {alpha}-decay constant and the penetration probabilities calculated from the generalized liquid-drop model (GLDM) potential barriers. To determine the assault frequency a quantum-mechanical method using a harmonic oscillator is introduced and leads to values of around 10{sup 21} s{sup -1}, similar to the ones calculated within the classical method. The preformation probability is around 10{sup -1}-10{sup -2}. The results for even-even Po isotopes are discussed for illustration. While the assault frequency presents only a shallow minimum in the vicinity of the magic neutron number 126, the preformation factor and mainly the penetrability probability diminish strongly around N=126.
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
On the mechanism of populating 3p levels of neon under pumping by a hard ioniser
The effect of quenching additives on the luminescence properties of helium - neon mixtures under pumping by {alpha} particles emitted from {sup 210}Po atoms is considered. It is concluded that, under excitation by a heavy charged particle, the population of the 3p'[1/2]{sub 0} level of neon is not related to the dissociative recombination of molecular ions. It is suggested that the most likely channels for populating the 3p level are the excitation transfer from metastable helium atoms to neon atoms and direct excitation of neon by nuclear particles and secondary electrons. (lasers and active media)
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
Enhanced E1 transitions and {alpha}-clustering in {sup 212}Po
An {alpha}+{sup 208}Pb(0{sup +},3{sup -}) cluster model explains the recently observed enhanced E1 transitions from the new negative-parity levels to the yrast states in {sup 212}Po. Heavy and light nuclei present good examples of surface clustering and well-localized clustering.
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
Removal of the long-lived {sup 222}Rn daughters from steel and germanium surfaces
Removal of the long-lived {sup 222}Rn daughters ({sup 210}Pb, {sup 210}Bi and {sup 210}Po) from stainless steel and germanium surfaces was investigated. As cleaning technique etching was applied to samples in a form of discs exposed earlier to a strong radon source. Reduction of the {sup 210}Pb activity was tested using a HPGe spectrometer, for {sup 210}Bi a beta spectrometer and for {sup 210}Po an alpha spectrometer was used. According to the conducted measurements all the isotopes were removed very efficiently from germanium. Results obtained for stainless steel were worse but still better than those achieved for copper.
07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
High-spin states in the five-valence-particle nucleus {sup 213}Po
Excited states in {sup 213}Po have been populated using the {sup 18}O+ {sup 208}Pb reaction at 85 MeV beam energy and studied with the Euroball IV {gamma} multidetector array. The level scheme has been built up to {approx}2.0 MeV excitation energy and spin I{approx}25/2({h_bar}/2{pi}) from the triple {gamma} coincidence data. Spin and parity values of several yrast states have been assigned from the {gamma} angular properties. The configurations of the yrast states are discussed using results of empirical shell-model calculations and by analogy with the neighboring nuclei. The spin and parity values of several low-spin states of {sup 213}Po previously identified from the {beta} decay of {sup 213}Bi are revised.
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
The influence of intruder states in even-even Po isotopes
We study the role of intruder states and shape coexistence in the even-even {sup 190–206}Po isotopes, through an interacting boson model with configuration mixing calculation. We analyzed the results in the light of known systematics on various observable in the Pb region, paying special attention to the unperturbed energy systematics and quadrupole deformation. We find that shape coexistence in the Po isotopes behaves in very much the same way as in the Pt isotopes, i.e., it is somehow hidden, contrary to the situation in the Pb and the Hg isotopes.
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
Effects of digestion, chemical separation, and deposition on Po-210 quantitative analysis
Polonium-210 is a radioactive isotope often used to study sedimentation processes, food chains, aerosol behavior, and atmospheric circulations related to environmental sciences. Materials for the analysis of Po-210 range from tobacco leaves or cotton fibers, to soils and sediments. The purpose of this work was to determine polonium losses from a variety of sample types (soil, cotton fiber, and air filter) due to digestion technique, chemical separation, and deposition method for alpha energy analysis. Results demonstrated that yields from a perchloric acid wet-ash were similar to that from a microwave digestion. Both were greater than the dry-ash procedure. The polonium yield from the perchloric acid wet ash was 87 ± 5%, the microwave digestion had a yield of 100 ± 7%, and the dry ash had a yield of 38 ± 5%. The chemical separation of polonium by an anion exchange resin was used only on the soil samples due to the complex nature of this sample. The yield of Po-209 tracer after chemical separation and deposition for alpha analysis was 83 ± 7% for the soil samples. Spontaneous deposition yields for the cotton and air filters were 87 ± 4% and 92 ± 6%, respectively. Based on the overall process yields for each sample type the amount of Po-210 was quantified using alpha energy analysis. The soil contained 0.18 ± 0.08 Bq/g, the cotton swipe contained 0.7 mBq/g, and the air filter contained 0.04 ± 0.02 mBq/g. High and robust yields of polonium are possible using a suitable digestion, separation, and deposition method.
Seiner, Brienne N.↗
210 Pb/ 210 Po isotope generator
As a continuation of previous work (Kmak et al. in J Radioanal Nucl Chem 314:985–989, 2017), an isotope generator column based on the 210 Pb decay chain has been made here to produce highly radiopure 210 Po. Two replicate studies were performed on AG 50Wx8 columns with an average yield of 90.4 ± 1.9%. 210 Pb breakthrough was seen at the 6 month elution for both generators.
38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
Application of Nuclear Technology to Art Identification Problems: First Annual Report
Throughout the centuries, as man has become increasingly affluent, his interest in antiquities and objects of art, and the price he has been willing to pay for them, has increased. Inevitably, one result has been to attract the unscrupulous to the production and sale of counterfeit paintings, sculptures, and other works of art. The skill of forgers varies but often is highly sophisticated. However, dealers, museum curators, and other experts have also become more skillful in the detection of forgeries. Scientific tools of increasing sensitivity and sophistication have gradually been applied to the examination of the materials of art and archaeology. Such tools frequently support and render more reliable the judgment of the experts. The quality of forgeries may improve further as their makers become acquainted with the new methods of detection and in turn learn to circumvent or confound the methods. Therefore, the development of still more advanced methods of examination has great utility in the art world. This is particularly true if the ultimate effect is to make circumvention of the methods of examination so costly that the economic incentives for producing forgeries may be substantially reduced, if not eliminated.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗