With a borax bead test in the oxidizing flame, the bead is yellow to brownish red color while hot and is colorless to yellow when cold. This test is very similar to iron.
The Na2(NH4)(PO4) bead test for uranium is a much better test, under oxidizing conditions the bead is clear yellow (hot) yielding slightly greenish yellow on cooling. In the reducing flame, it becomes a fine green color when hot or cold.
rerevisionist wrote: Come to think of it, I've never seen anyone comment on a spectroscopic analysis of an atom bomb, although surely this would be a good way to see what elements were present in such an explosion.
In 1942 she went into the Wacs and worked
on the Manhattan Project at Los Alamos, NM.. Aunt Myrtle was
responsible for the spectrographic analysis of the uranium to
be used in the atomic bomb. Hers was a quality control job
she had to assure the purity of the U238 that they were
using. From the deserts of New Mexico she gave me, at
varying times, a swedish hunting knife that she had found, a
Harrington and Richardson target 22 caliber pistol, and a
fine pair of english riding boots that were too small for me.
She attained the rank of Captain, and no one in the family
had any idea what she was doing in New Mexico, more on this
later.
After the Second World War she sent my dad a sample of
fused earth from the first atomic bomb blast. It was mounted
on a stainless steel pedestal, with a brass plaque denoting
what it was and had a glass dome to encase it. It was
specimen number 58. A short time later it was recalled to be
resealed in a solid plastic paper weight. It no longer had
the brass plaque, but the brass number 58 is imbedded in the
bottom of the weight. The reason it was recalled was the
danger of radiation exposure.
The TR-5 Group, responsible for spectrographic and photographic measurements
The Bausch & Lomb spectrograph and the movie camera with filters were on low
Finally, I could remove the goggles and watch the ball of fire rise rapidly. It was surrounded by a huge cloud of transparent purplish air...
rerevisionist wrote:A borax bead is a bit of borax, plus the sample, heated by a blowpipe, then left to cool; it gives a little glassy bead. Uranium gives a yellowish green - as you've seen in sme uranium glass objects.
Operation Iraqi Freedom
KIRKUK AIR BASE, Iraq -- A ball of fire erupts as more than 18,000 pounds of munitions are destroyed by explosive ordnance disposal Airmen from the 506th Civil Engineer Squadron here. Munitions were found throughout the Kirkuk region. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Adrian Cadiz)
Battle: Rebel fighters take part in training as Gaddafi stepped up his bombardment of cities under rebel control
Return to Science, Nuclear Physics, Astronomy, Space Travel
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest