Uranyl Acetate

Ordering procedures required to satisfy Federal and Queensland policies/ legislation

Pricing and shipping of uranyl acetate:

The pricing indicated in our online catalogue lists 2 separate items: the cost of uranyl acetate and the cost for shipping. The shipping cost applies regardless of how many units are ordered and is valid to anywhere in the world. If you fax us a copy of the permit from the radiation control authority, we will ensure that this is affixed to the order, which will be shipped direct to you. The Australian Authority may insist on sighting the original permit, but it can pass through Customs on the copy.

The permit for Uranyl Acetate can be obtained from the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA). Their details are:

Phone: (03) 9433 2211
Fax: (03) 9432 1835
Email: regulatory.unit@health.gov.au

Measurements on 100g sample of Uranyl Acetate. All measurements have been done above an open bottle.

1. 
   
   1. Alpha (a)
      using a 540 scintillation meter with AP-2 Probe
   2. Beta (b)
      >500 Counts/sec
      using a 540El probe coupled to a GM Meter (this determines beta events and some low energy gamma events.
   3. Gamma dose Rate (energy field) (g)
      Two measurements done: Please note that a high efficiency scintillation counter will measure many of these events, but it will say nothing about the energy field. The customer must use a dose rate meter. (You can see the difference between the energy events and gamma dose rate) A Geiger counter just will not do the job.
      1. Mini monitor type R with GM Probe - This is more specific to Gamma due in fact to being constructed to accept a narrow energy range (discriminates against beta) field: 0.6mR/hr (Mainly gamma)?
      2. Ionization chamber DMM 95/0500 - 1/6 for total Beta and Gamma energy field 5mR/hr (g b)
2. Our uranium is U235 depleted. Typical Isotopic Composition is:
   U238 - 99.6 - 99.7%
   U235 - 0.3 - 0.4%
   Natural Uranium has two main Isotopes: U238 & U235
   Natural Isotopic composition would be:
   U238 - 99.3%
   U235 - 0.7%
   That is to say material supplied by us is Uranium depleted i.e., the U235 content is reduced from 0.7% to between 0.3 - 0.4%. Both natural and depleted Uranium, being a mixture of isotopes and daughters, will be expected to demonstrate alpha, beta and gamma activity.

RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL

The average number of atomic transformations occurring per second is termed the activity of the radioactive material.

The old, traditional, unit of activity is Curie(Ci), which is defined as 3.7 x 1010 atomic transformations per seconds. For smaller quantities the one-thousandth and one-millionth unit are used, namely the millicurie (mCi) and the microcurie (µCi).

However, by International agreement, the unit of activity is currently being changed. The new unit of activity is the becquerel (Bq) which is defined as one atomic transformation per second. Becquerel is an extremely small unit. Larger units are used, namely the kilo-becquerel (1kBq = 103Bq), the mega-becquerel (1MBq = 106Bq), the giga-becquerel (1GBq = 109Bq) and the tera-becquerel (1 TBq = 1012Bq).

It may be noted that: 1 Ci = 3.7 x 1010Bq = 37GBq = 0.037TBq.

A material must have a specific activity greater than 74 becquerel per gram (Bq/g) (0.002µCi/g) or 74 kBq/kg in order to be regarded as a radioactive material.

Uranyl Acetate sold by ProSciTech Pty. Ltd. has an activity of:
U (depleted) .51µCi·gm-1 (µCi = microcuries)
Formula for conversion to Bq is: 1 Ci = 3.7 x 1010Bq

?\ for U (depleted) Specific Activity = 0.51 x 10-6 x 3.7 x 1010Bq·gm-1 = 1.887 x 104Bq·gm-1
Uranyl Acetate Specific Activity (U approx. 55%) = 1.04 x104Bq·gm-1

\ Uranyl Acetate will exhibit 10, 400 disintegrations/sec/gm.