The discoveries of uranium 237 and symmetric fission - from the archival papers of Nishina and Kimura

Proc Jpn Acad Ser B Phys Biol Sci. 2011;87(7):371-6. doi: 10.2183/pjab.87.371.

Abstract

Shortly before the Second World War time, Nishina reported on a series of prominent nuclear physical and radiochemical studies in collaboration with Kimura. They artificially produced (231)Th, a member of the natural actinium series of nuclides, by bombarding thorium with fast neutrons. This resulted in the discovery of (237)U, a new isotope of uranium, by bombarding uranium with fast neutrons, and confirmed that (237)U disintegrates into element 93 with a mass number of 237. They also identified the isotopes of several middle-weighted elements produced by the symmetric fission of uranium. In this review article, the highlights of their work are briefly summarized along with some explanatory commentaries.

Publication types

  • Historical Article
  • Portrait
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Archives
  • History, 20th Century
  • Isotopes
  • Nuclear Fission*
  • Thorium / chemistry
  • Thorium / history
  • Uranium / chemistry
  • Uranium / history*

Substances

  • Isotopes
  • Uranium
  • Thorium