About making a neutron gun

[zoteman94]

I won't do it until I get all security equipment, so don't worry.

If I take some uranium rich rocks and cover them with aluminium foil, would it make a significant amount of neutrons? I'd like to transmute some elements.

Thanks and blesses =D

[Leader Bee]

dont you make these with deuterium?

 

Some "old style" glow in the dark paint can be used to make one too I think.

[swansont]

Your neutron population will be limited by the alpha activity and the absorption cross-section of aluminum. The answer is probably no.

 

Learn the lesson of the radioactive boy scout. http://www.dangerouslaboratories.org/radscout.html

[John Cuthber]

"would it make a significant amount of neutrons? "

No

[zoteman94]

Ok, thank you, any easy (more improtant... cheap) way to get beryllium then?

 

I already read that article, I said about the security equipment for the same reason...

[mississippichem]

You don't want to handle any beryllium. Beryllosis is quite a serious condition.

[swansont]

I was under the impression that Beryllosis was from inhaling Be dust so it was machining it that was the real danger. You should be OK with Beryllium alloys, in any event.

[mississippichem]

I was under the impression that Beryllosis was from inhaling Be dust so it was machining it that was the real danger. You should be OK with Beryllium alloys, in any event.

 

Beryllosis comes primarily from Be dust and fine particulates, however Be and many of it's complexes are strong candidates to be carcinogens. You're not necessarily okay with alloys either. Beryllium toxicity is not something we really understand well at this point. I wouldn't want to provide a case study for them either.

 

Not to say that you should be scared of all things beryllium. However, I wouldn't want to recommend it's use to anyone unqualified.

[swansont]

Beryllosis comes primarily from Be dust and fine particulates, however Be and many of it's complexes are strong candidates to be carcinogens. You're not necessarily okay with alloys either. Beryllium toxicity is not something we really understand well at this point. I wouldn't want to provide a case study for them either.

 

Not to say that you should be scared of all things beryllium. However, I wouldn't want to recommend it's use to anyone unqualified.

 

OK. I recall our attempt (back in the day) to obtain Be vacuum "windows" was thwarted by the machining concerns, but I bought some Be-Cu tools (which are nonmagnetic) and there was no health disclaimer.

[mississippichem]

OK. I recall our attempt (back in the day) to obtain Be vacuum "windows" was thwarted by the machining concerns, but I bought some Be-Cu tools (which are nonmagnetic) and there was no health disclaimer.

 

This could very well be the case for Be-Cu. I don't know in this specific case, it's worth looking into. I'll do some digging in the journal of toxicology and will get back to you on that. I know that Be and many of it's compounds/alloys are Class I carcinogens for a fact though. Stand by...

[John Cuthber]

If you had access to Be you could improve the yield from practically zero to practically zero.

 

Also, the copper doesn't stop the Be being toxic, it just makes it less likely that you will inhale or ingest it (and also it dilutes it rather a lot with copper).

[mississippichem]

If you had access to Be you could improve the yield from practically zero to practically zero.

 

Also, the copper doesn't stop the Be being toxic, it just makes it less likely that you will inhale or ingest it (and also it dilutes it rather a lot with copper).

 

What's the ratio on most Be-Cu tools? It sounds like it's more like copper doped with Be then.

 

Just found out that Be metal can be a skin irritant as well by the way. I didn't know that before.

[John Cuthber]

from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beryllium_copper

 

"Beryllium copper (BeCu), also known as copper beryllium, beryllium bronze and spring copper, is a copper alloy with 0.5—3% beryllium and sometimes with other alloying elements"

 

So it's typically 99 % Cu or thereabouts.

[John Cuthber]

from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beryllium_copper

 

"Beryllium copper (BeCu), also known as copper beryllium, beryllium bronze and spring copper, is a copper alloy with 0.5—3% beryllium and sometimes with other alloying elements"

 

So it's typically 99 % Cu or thereabouts.

[zoteman94]

I dont think metallic beryllium is needed, a chemical compound should do... what do you say about emeralds, they're a compound of it and aren't dangerous.