Abstract
Both the fission and alpha decay of recoils from the reactions of ²³⁷Np with ³He and ⁴He ions and reactions of ²³⁰Th with ¹⁰B were studied. Dielectric detectors and in-flight decay techniques were used to search for fission activities with half-lives <1 sec, while both dielectric detectors and semiconductor detectors were used to investigate the fission activities with half-lives [greater than or equal to]1 sec. Cross sections or upper limits to cross-sections were established at values [less than or equal to] a few nb for the production of fission activities with half-lives of 1, 1.4, and 2.6 min in the ²³⁷Np + ⁴He and the ²³⁰Th + ¹⁰B reactions. The alpha decay of recoils from these reactions was studied for activities with lifetimes >1 sec and <1 hr. a 6.46±0.03 MeV activity was observed with a half-life of 3.3±0.1 min which assigned to ²³⁴Am. Comparison of the cross sections for the alpha and fission activities indicate that the previously reported 2.6 min fission activity associated with the decay of ²³⁴AM may result from fission of ²³⁴Pu following the electron capture decay of ²³⁴Am.
Archer, James Keith (1974). An experimental study of neutron deficient Am isotopes. Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University. Libraries. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /DISSERTATIONS -213377.