PRELIMINARY STUDY OF THE FRACTIONATION OF ISOTOPIC ISOMERS BY DISTILLATION

Abstract

Slight separations of some isotopic isomers have been achieved by equilibrium rectification. In the case of chlorine the total separation amounted to 0.048 atomic weight units; 28.6% of the O18 has also been removed from normal oxygen by the fractionation of water, and in a short run with liquid oxygen the normal concentration of O18 has been raised from 0.2% to 0.25%. The last-mentioned separation can be carried considerably further with present equipment.CH3D was synthesized. Its boiling point appears to be 0.5 °C. lower than that of methane.The vapor pressures of a 56.8% solution of D2O were measured, and it is suggested that the published values of the vapor pressure of D2O at temperatures lower than 40 °C. may be slightly too high.