Yields of activation products in 226Ra irradiation in the high-flux SM reactor

• Published in: Radiochemistry (New York, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2012-08, Vol.54 (4), p.383-387
• Main Authors: Kuznetsov, R. A., Butkalyuk, P. S., Tarasov, V. A., Baranov, A. Yu, Butkalyuk, I. L., Romanov, E. G., Kupriyanov, V. N., Kazakova, E. V.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Chemistry/Food Science; Nuclear Chemistry
• ISSN: 1066-3622; 1608-3288
• DOI: 10.1134/S1066362212040121

A target containing 3.16 mg of 226 RaCO 3 was irradiated in the neutron trap of the SM reactor for 25 effective days at a thermal neutron flux of 1.5 × 10 15 cm −2 s −1 . After the irradiation and storage for 17 days, the irradiated material was dissolved and the Ra activation products were chemically isolated. The yields of 229 Th, 230 Th, 227 Ac, and 228 Th were determined by α- and γ-ray spectroscopy and by mass spectrometry. Formation of significant amounts of 228 Ra, not predicted by the calculations, was revealed. It was suggested that the short-lived isotope 227 Ra has a high neutron capture cross section [σ eff ( 227 Ra) ≈ 1.5 × 10 3 b].