Evening star., 1950-02-01
Exploding Hydrogen Unit
Produced in Quantities
Material May Be Key in Explorations
Of Mysterious Atomic Nucleus
By Thomas X. Henry

BY Thomas X. Henry
Exploding hydrogen now is being produced
in appreciable quantities in an Atomic
Energy Commission laboratory.
This material is tritium, the triple-weight
isotope of the hghtest and simplest Of the
elements, which is presumably the rareSt
substance existing in nature and may prove
the key to far-reaching explorations Of the
still mysterious atomic nucleus
1t is being produced in sufficient quantities,
the commission has reported at the Argonne
Laboratory associated with the University OF
Chicago, that small amounts now can be
supplied to workers in other establishments.
About twenty-five years ago scientists at the
United States Bureau of Standards first dis
covered deuterium, or double weight hydro
gen, in the form of heavy water This dis
covery was so significant that it may be
said to have opened the gates of the atomic
age Iritium may be equally as significant.
Basic Block in Creation.
Anything is hydrogen which contains only
one proton. or positively charged elementary
particle in its nucleus. In the nucleus Of
oeuter1um one neutron, or neutral particle
OF ABOUT the same mass as the proton, is
added. The tritium nucleus contains two
neutrons Thus one tritium atom weighs
little more than three times as much as
one atom of ordinary hydrogen, the basic
been constructed.
Unlike deuterium, trtium is radioactive.
EVenbually It shoots out an electron, which
automatically changes one of its neutrons
INTO proton. It then has been transmitted
into stable form of helium, a rare isotope
OF This sun gas which is of major sigrifi-
canoe IN physical research and which EXISTS
~ the universe in the ratio of about one
atom per million atoms of ordinary heli,,m
oF
Is, IN this period one half of any given
q, alnounI VIII nave blown up and changed into
the helium isotope.
Simple Method Found.
The Argonne Laboratory nhvsicists +na
commission reports, found simple wav Of
creatlng the radioactive hydrogen although
tne absolute yield, of course, Is very small
"A Target OF 1thium, third lightest of the
elements, is bombarded with neutrens nro-
pelled at enormous energies. When a lithi,,m
nucleus Is hit 1t breaks approximately in two.
Ole fragment is tritium atom, the other an
atom or ordinary helium, Oxygen is nur,ner5
into the mixture. The tritium Combines u,Jt,.
the oxygen to form an extraordinarv k,r.;
u water: The helium remains gas.
linen IL is only necessary to wait for ,tp~
VI s.iIu1n IN tne water to transmute itself into
Sne desired rare helium isotope. which 4.
oelng used to study the properties of matter
az temperatures close to 500 degrees beioyv
@e,o' Where matter becomes completely dead.
~ natural to suspect that this prodIlc-
Va. sot .s VI eAploolng hydrogen has some bearing
on the much-discussed but super-secret by,
orogen bomb There is no hint of this in ths
ieport' however, and the best-known an.
proacn TO the so-called "hell bomb" world
VIC Wy announcer process. Tritium explosions
per Sc, 90 not involve much energy. THE
only bomb significance to the work Is the
~ nlalcatlon That much attention is being given
'iie huciear structure Of the lighter elements.
Experiments Also Reversed.
IA sucn studleS trltlum is, as such, of con-
aioeraoe significance. Experiments are In
progress in which deuterium nuclei and
aaoha particles. the nuclei of heli,1m are
ne.ng oomoarded at great energies with
tkHlum nuclei, or tritons. These expert.
ments also are being reversed
Dne result to date is the discovery Of an
exploding alpha particle, "big bomb" of
thek subs atomic world. Tritons were bonn
bardeu with single protons. At appropriate
enerEHs this proton would be captured, re-
sultirsg In the formation of an alpha particle
WhichAalmost Immediately blew I'D by emit
ting 2e-million- volt gamma rays, In some
cases, however, the combination split i'm
mediateIy into neutron and the rare isotope
OF helitnn which is also obtained from the
lithium bombardment.
This isl only Of theoretical interest. since
IL would pe an extremely slow and expensive
way Of producing Helium g. OF more inter-
est is the fact that when Helium is bonn
barded with neutrons in turn, it changes
back into tE.itium. This process almost Ger.
talniy is taxing place in nature accounting
for the inf1rrtesimal amounts of exploding
hydrogen which may be present In the
universe. ..-.