Neutron Emission material

[AChillyDog]

Okay.

 

So lets say I had 500 microcuries of polonium inside some foil. When the alpha particles hit the foil, they abosrb it and emit a neutron.

 

However,I have 2 problems with this. There is NO WAY I'll be able to get my hands on a decent amount of polonium. Is there an alpha only material that I can get 500 microcuries in a small amout of mass?

 

2nd, I need a good, relativley cheap material for the foil.

 

 

 

It would be great if you helped me out with these questions.

[messki678]

not 500 microcuries of polonium i think its 600

[swansont]

not 500 microcuries of polonium i think its 600

 

How could you possibly deduce this?

 

Is there an alpha only material that I can get 500 microcuries in a small amout of mass?

 

I'm guessing "no". Smoke detectors have an activity of about 1 microCurie, though I think older ones might have had higher activity levels. I doubt that you can legally obtain materials with an activity that is much higher (or at least specific activity, since a large hunk of pitchblende might contain material with a higher total activity, but with most of the alphas never leaving it.

[Enthalpy]

You better mix the alpha emitter finely with the netron converter, since neutrons escape the material better than alphas do.

 

A common alpha-to-neutron converter is beryllium, it's expensive and can be toxic. Lithium, in a safe chemical compound (=not metal) may convert as well. You don't need a foil.

 

I suggest to compute the danger by neutrons before going further. As they's absorbed in your body, they "activate" some nuclides which get radioactive.

When computing the danger of the "alpha" material, please remember it also radiates gammas, or if not, its children will, or impurities in your source.

 

Other activities are fun as well, did you try them all?