Re: THORIUM AND URYNAL COMPOUNDS

[Schoenhofer <schoenho@via.at>]

At 11:42 21.05.1996 -0500, you wrote:
>From: SHAND
>
>
>
>          My apologies if this has already been discussed.
>          We have several containers of uranyl nitrate, acetate
>          zinc acetate, and thorium nitrate, all solids which
>          cost 12 dollars per gram to dispose of.  Other than
>          keeping them forever in our storage building, has anyone
>          a suggestion as to what we can do with them, or perhaps
>          a less expensive way of getting rid of them ?
>
>          We have 3710 grams total, and they are at least 12 yrs old.
>
>          Thank you, and please be careful about the part where
>          I said "does anyone have a suggestion as to what we can
>          do with them"
>
>steve, umcp
>==========================================================================
>
Steve, 

You write that all of your grams are at least 12 years old. In case your
thorium nitrate would be older, then it might be a treasure, because then it
will be in equilibrium or near equilibrium with its daughters and might be
extremely useful as a standard for Ra-228! Amersham has several years ago
sold a thorium salt which had been separated in 1905 at very high prices and
their supply was exhausted soon. I had good chance to be called for a clean
up of the Technical Museum in Vienna, which wanted to get rid of all
radioactive material and we "inhereted" a lot of old thorium salts separated
by Auer von Welsbach long before 1905. In case of urgent need we might be
able to spare a gram to collegues......

Good luck!

Franz Schoenhofer
Federal Institute for Food Control and Research
Department for Radiochemistry
Kinderspitalg. 15
A-1095 Vienna
Austria

tel: -43-1-40 491-520
fax: -43-1-40 491-540

 for Food Control and Research
Kinderspitalg. 15
A-1095 Vienna
A U S T R I A