Re: Potassium cell study

[Muckerheide <muckerheide@attbi.com>]

This was answered:  To go further, ORNL removed the heavier 0.02% K-40

(along with the 6.9% K-41) in the calutrons. (This is easy to do, but not

cheap, because the low K weight makes a significant diff between 40 and 41

vs. 39.)  They did this in several campaigns. The last I heard about (not

confirmed) was a batch for Argonne in the mid-80s (for $75K).



Using K-39 instead of nat-K caused debility and death in organisms and

cells; addition of the separated K-40 to the K-39, or nat-K, resulted in

recovery of the organisms, as did addition of external rad sources to

supplement the missing essential K-40 radiation for biology functions.



Ionizing radiation is essential for biology to function. In the early 2oth

Century experiments such as dissecting a frog to provide access to the

heart, and after death (heart stopping after brain death), a drop of water

with radioactivity restarted the heart.



See also some of the relevant materials at Section

1.2.3 Secondary biogenic radiation: Ionizing radiation as essential to life:

http://cnts.wpi.edu/rsh/DD3/1.2.3.htm



Regards, Jim Muckerheide

========================



on 7/10/02 8:55 PM, Kai Kaletsch at info@eic.nu wrote:



> Have large quantities of K without K-40 ever been produced? I would think

> that this would cost some $ and there would be some records.

> 

> The way I understand it, when you make almost pure K-40 (centrifuge or

> membrane or how do you make it?), you are not left with almost completely

> depleted K, you are just left with very large quantities of very slightly

> depleted K. It would take a special effort to make completely depleted K.

> 

> Kai

> 

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