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Chemistry > Nuclear Chemistry

Nuclear Chemistry

Los Alamos team develops rapid procedure for radioactivity in dirtybomb debris
September 10 —

One nightmare scenario: a terrorist dirty bomb is detonated in a major metropolitan area. Everyone's first question is "Who did it?" One piece of the puzzle that would give law enforcement officials a head start in their search for potential suspects would be an accurate description of what radioactive materials are contained in the bomb debris. Standard isotope identification technology is relatively slow; the process can take 24 hours or more. Now a team of Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists has developed a new quick screening methodology to identify isotopes in dirty bomb debris, a procedure that can yield initial data in as few as six hours.

New facility will ensure steady supply of medical isotopes
September 11 — To ensure that U.S. researchers have a steady supply of medical isotopes, the U.S. Department of Energy's Los Alamos National Laboratory is building a new Isotope Production Facility to replace an existing facility. Construction of the $16.5 million IPF began in February, and the project should be completed in June 2002.

New high-purity plutonium sources produced at Los Alamos
March 21 — For the first time since 1987, new high-purity plutonium sources for use as primary analytical chemistry standards have been produced at Los Alamos National Laboratory using a new extrusion method developed at the Laboratory.