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Research progress is reported on method development for the dissolution of difficult-to-dissolve materials, the automated analysis of plutonium and uranium, the preparation of plutonium materials for the Safeguard Analytical Laboratory Evaluation (SALE) Program, and the analysis of HTGR fuel and SALE uranium materials. The previously developed Teflon-container, metal-shell apparatus was applied to the dissolution of various nuclear materials. Gas-- solid reactions, mainly using chlorine at elevated temperatures, are promising for separating uranium from refractory compounds. An automated spectrophotometer designed for determining plutonium and uranium was tested successfully. Procedures were developed for this instrument to analyze uranium--plutonium mixtures and the effects of diverse ions upon the analysis of plutonium and uranium were further established. A versatile apparatus was assembled to develop electrotitrimetric methods that will serve as the basis for precise automated determinations of plutonium. Plutonium materials prepared for the Safeguard Analytical Laboratory Evaluation (SALE) Program were plutonium oxide, uranium-- plutonium mixed oxide, and plutonium metal. Improvements were made in the methods used for determining uranium in HTGR fuel materials and SALE uranium materials. Plutonium metal samples were prepared, characterized, and distributed, and half-life measurements were in progress as part of an inter-ERDA- laboratory program to measure accurately the half-lives ofmore » long-lived plutonium isotopes. (auth)« less |
