[jdurg]

Knowing that I have some depleted Uranium probably coming my way, I decided to see what other radioactive elements I could posess.  So I went down to Wal-Mart and got two of them!  I now have about 0.1 mCi of Neptunium and Americium.    I picked up a couple of smoke detectors and have removed their ionization chambers.  One of them stated that they have Am inside of them, and the other generic one said it had Np inside.  Who am I to argue?  Right now the two ionization chambers are inside my element collection as pure samples of the two elements.  I haven't opened them up as I have no need to do so, but it's still pretty neat knowing that I picked up two transuranium elements at Wal-Mart of all places.  

[Mitch]

Cool, I may be getting near some transuranium elements myself.

[jdurg]

By going to school at Berkely, you get to see some REALLY cool transuranic elements that I will never even get close to.  

[limpet chicken]

I already have some 241-Am somewhere, from smoke detectors, and hope to aqquire some thorium and uranium metal, from uranyl nitrate/acetate photo chemicals, and from thorium containing lantern mantles, not a large sample, but maybe a gram of each.

Jdurg, its interesting you say that you found Np in a smoke alarm, I have never seen those before, you wouldn't like to give me a brand name perhaps would you?

</looks hopeful>

[jdurg]

If I could remember the brand name I would tell you, but I just recall it being a very generic, cheap smoke detector.  The only reason I picked it up is because it stated that it had Np inside of it as opposed to Am like the standard ones do.  I no longer have any of the packaging since I just ripped out the chambers and stuck the labels on the housing of them.  The rest of the detectors are long gone now.  (I should also mention that the activity is actually 1.0 uCi and not 0.1 uCi like I originally stated.  Oddly enough, the smoke detector parts are more radioactive than my depleted Uranium metal!   )

Oh yeah, if you are going to try and purify the Uranium by generating it from a uranium salt, be VERY carefull.  Uranium is pyrophoric in a finely divided state, and the U that would be generated from reduction of the acetate would be in that highly pyrophoric state.  You really don't want to have uranium metal burning and then inhale those fumes.  

[limpet chicken]

I was thinking, that I would use a carboxylic acid salt, and heat in a test tube, possibly under argon, hopefully, it would form finely devided, pyrophoric uranium metal, as you said Jdurg, and as it formed, stopper the test tube, then transfer to a sealable ampoule in a fishtank funn of argon, all the time wearing a full face mask and I intend to drape some lead plating over my usual lab wear of a leather jacket and gas mask, just for a little added safety.

I intend to seal it in an ampoule permanently.

Any tips on how I could perhaps produce some of the metal in a solid form? it would be neat to have some pellets or chips of uranium metal in my collection

[jdurg]

The only way I could think of would possibly be electrolysis of a solution of a uranium salt as the refinement from the ores is INCREDIBLY toxic and dangerous.  It's something that you really couldn't accomplish in your own home, and even if you could there would be federal agents from every country on earth knocking down your door.  

[limpet chicken]

I don't think obtaining the uranium salts will prove too great a problem, my only problem is the actual refining, to produce the metal in solid form.

I wonder, can pyridine be used for electrolysis of actinides, as it can or alkali metals? that would be a nice way to stop any reaction with water if such a reaction occurs.