Evening star., 1945-08-12
Atomic Bomb Gamble
Was Made on Pinhead
Store Of New Element
By the Associated Press.

yIUe OF new EemenI
By the Associated Press.
Scientists produced two new ele.
ments in making the atomic bomt
and gambled on their knowledge OF
less than milligram of one of them
to help make the missile an enemy
city-smashing success.
The two new elements are Nep-
tunium, No. 90 and Plutonium, No
o.. which have been added to the
previously known 80 elements OF
varieties OF matter. The two are
derived from uranium.
Production of the new elements
was disclosed in q scientific review
of experiments leading up to final
production of the atomic bombs
loosed on Japan. The review was
released by the War Department
but many Of the details still are
clouded in military secrecy.
The element Plutonium is SO rare
that at the end of 1912, only 500
micrograms of pure plutonium salts
had been produced. That is just
a little less, the Army estimated,
than would be needed to make the
head of pin. CA milligram is one
thousandth of gram and micro
gram is one-millionth)
Plant Authorized.
1t was on the knowledge of Plu-
tonium CLEANED from less than a
milligram" of it that the Govern
ment decided to 60 ahead with a
plant in the State of Washington for
the production and separation on a
large scale of the metal, which can
be used to explode the atomic bomb.
Both Plutonium and U-235, an
other Uranium product, can be uti-
lized to effect the explosion.
Although the Army, in its 160-
page single-spaced typewriter re-
port, didn't exactly explain what
makes the bomb work. Plutonium
provides one of the keys that un-
lock the most powerful force ever
released.
Scientists knew that U-235 is un-
stable enough to make an ideal
atomic bomb. BY weight it's less
than l per cent of Uranium, which
in itself is difficult to obtain, hence
its mass production is an insuper-
able task.
But it was suggested that the
new wonder element, Plutonium
might be just as good as the pure
U-235. 1t was-and it can now be
obtained in appreciable amounts.
How 1t Works.
Greatly simplified, here is the way
the new element is obtained. A
chain reaction is started, involving
natural Uranium.
In the fission, or breaking down
Of U-235, neutrons are given off.
Some of these are absorbed by
U-238. This becomes U-239 (still
Uranium).
U-239 emits a Beta particle, and
become Neptunium, the s3d element.
Neptunium, in turn, emits another
Beta particle, and becomes Plu-
tonium. If left to its own devices,
1t would slowly give off an Alpha
particle and turn again into U-235.
But this is so slow that, in effect,
Plutonium is as table element.
All this was wrapped up in maze
of technical data and chemical for
mulas. The report was written at
the request of the Army by H. D.
Smyth, chairman of the physics de-
partment at Princeton University
and a special consultant on the
atomic bomb project.
NucIear Chain Made.
To achieve the production of
plutonium- in necessary quantities,
the scientists produced self main
tanning nuclear chain reaction pile.
But the original pile, was so small
that, on the assumption one bomb
would require 100 Kilograms of
plutonium, the pile would have to be
kept going for 10000 years to pro-
duce a single bomb Hence the need
for expansion of the process if the
bombs were to be produced during
this war.
Emphasis was placed on the plu-
tonium production process in the
bomb manufacture, because it was
found more feasible to convert some
of U-238, in uranium, to plutonium
than to separate U-235.
The Smyth report brought out
that in achieving the production of
the elements going into the atomic
bomb, care had to be exercised that
workers would not be endangered by
contact with any material that had
been made radioactive, during the
process.
Domestic Use Remote.
The reactrons produce products
that are dangerous to handle, like
radium, but safety measures adopted
have proven SO effective that no
one has shown any permanent i'll
effect.
The report asserts also:
l. That the Army is building up
IN atomic bomb stockpile.
2. That if it becomes possible to
convert some common material into
energy, civilization would have the
means to commit suicide at will"
. 4. That there is no immediate
torospect of lighting homes or run