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 M-735 Tank penetrating munition.
Armor piercing projectiles are generally made of depleted uranium, which is uranium metal from which some of the highly radioactive U-235 has been removed. The material is about 20% less radioactive than naturally occurring uranium.
Depleted Uranium is used for three main reasons. First, it's very, very dense, so at a given velocity it carries a lot of energy and hence penetrating force. Second, it's very hard, which of course also helps its penetrating effectiveness. Third, it's pyrophoric, which means it reacts chemically on impact causing an explosion inside whatever it's managed to penetrate.
There's a lot of controversy about the use of depleted uranium munitions, because people are afraid of the environmental effects on the countries that have been shot up with them. If they stayed intact there really wouldn't be much to worry about. But they don't stay intact, they vaporize on impact, and this turns out to have a huge impact on their potential for harm.
The radiation from uranium is largely of a type that does not penetrate skin much past the outer layer of dead cells, and hence is not particularly harmful if it's outside of you. But if you inhale particles of such an alpha emitter, the radiation gets direct access to sensitive cells in the lungs and can do a great deal of damage. Outside the body, alpha emitters are the least hazardous form of radioactive materials, and hence DU rounds, intact, pose little danger to, for example, the people shooting them. But inside the body, they are the most dangerous.
Besides the radioactivity, uranium is also a toxic heavy metal, sort of like mercury. Would you want someone to dump hundreds of tons of mercury in the countryside around you? Probably not. The net effect of the chemical toxicity and radioactivity are such that powdered uranium in and around a battlefield has the potential to cause serious long term medical problems for anyone who comes in contact with it, on both sides of the conflict.
On the other hand, the number of people killed by uranium poisoning is probably significantly smaller than the number killed by whatever difficulty was causing their country to get shot up in the first place. It might be a more efficient use of ones efforts to worry about that than about the uranium dust that's left over. But like land mines, DU is a real problem that the people who clean up the mess of war have to deal with.
A depleted uranium munition is the ultimate sample for a periodic table collection, because of the great difficulty in getting one. Unfortunately, I don't have one: This sample is only a practice round that contains no actual depleted uranium. Sniff. It weighs about 8 pounds, which might sound like a lot, but if it were real, it would be about to two and a half times heavier. (See below for some real depleted uranium, though not a munition.)
Not only that, I have learned that, while many such munitions are made with depleted uranium, a genuine version of this one actually wouldn't be made of depleted uranium either. Reader Steve Pierson reports as followsI have been researching the M-735: The M735 is an armor-piercing, fin-stabilized, discarding-sabot cartridge
with tracer. Other than the primer and the propellant, this cartridge uses no explosives. It is a high-velocity, flat-trajectory cartridge designed for use against armored targets. The projectile section consists of a sub-projectile, a sabot assembly, and a cartridge case. The sub-projectile is constructed of a nickel-steel body that houses a tungsten core with an aluminum windshield and fin assembly. The sabot assembly consists of three 120-degree aluminum sections assembled to the sub-projectile. The cartridge case contains an electrically initiated primer. The color code for the M735 cartridge is a black body with white markings. Its DODIC is C521
I sent you a picture I was able to find, in the picture you can see the tungsten core. I was surprised that it was not one metal. Well, it's all very interesting, and I'm leaving it here under Uranium because I don't move samples, and I think the discussion of the use of depleted uranium in munitions is important, whether I have one or not.
I've included the sound of a tank explosion with the kind permission of geekswithguns.com. I would have recorded one myself, but all my tanks are in the shop right now. If you should happen to have a real depleted uranium round, please consider donating or selling it to me!
Source: Sovietski Catalog
Contributor: Theodore Gray
Acquired: 19 July, 2002
Price: $70
Size: 18"
Purity: 0%
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Marbles.
Vaseline glass contains small amounts of uranium to give it the yellow color. You can find these kinds of marbles all over eBay from several different sellers. These two register just barely on our Geiger counter. The sound for this sample is from the Geiger counter. The marbles are stored in the Hot Box. See below for another set of marbles with a rotatable image.
Source: Ed Pegg Jr
Contributor: Ed Pegg Jr
Acquired: 24 July, 2002
Price: Donated
Size: 0.5"
Purity: <5%
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Death on the breakfast table.
Fiestaware was a very popular brand of ceramic tableware. Before the early 1940's the orange color of it was made with uranium in the glaze (uranium was used to get the color, not just accidentally). I think it's a good thing they stopped, because this thing is hot! It registers about 35,000 counts per minute, or almost 10 MREM/hour.
Listen to the sound for this sample and contrast it with the other radioactive samples (uranium marbles, thorium mantle, americium smoke detector). This one has that "let's get out of here now before we fry" ring to it.
To give a sense of how much radiation this is, if you held it in close proximity for 10 hours, you would double your yearly background radiation dose. If you kept it close for 20 days, you would have exceeded the yearly occupational exposure limit for nuclear power plant workers. (The preceding statement is pretty speculative: It's very difficult to determine how much of a dose you'd get, and it would depend very strongly on exactly how you were holding it. For example, holding it at arms length means the core of your body would get almost no exposure, and your hands are relatively insensitive to radiation. To really do some harm, you'd probably have to sit on it for a month or two.)
On the other hand, I wouldn't want to eat out of it.
Coincidentally right after it arrived, I came across an opportunity to scavenge about 3/4 of a ton of lead shielding from an abandoned hospital x-ray room. (I could have had the CAT scan machine too, but it was too big.) So I melted some down and made a 40 pound containment bowl to hold this little orange bowl. Overkill, yes, but then isn't this whole project just one huge case of overkill? You can see the lead bowl under lead.
But after that I made a lead glass display case, which is where the bowl is now.
If you're interested in collecting radioactive things like this, this is a book I strongly recommend. Here is a comment from its author about this dish:The Fiesta dishes may produce a lot of noise on your Geiger counter but they are not dangerous...at least not due to the uranium content. The deep, lustrous glaze, however, comes from lead and that is also a potential hazard. Both the lead and the uranium can leach out in acidic foods but lead is more readily retained in the body. The lead shielding around your Fiesta bowl is actually a greater hazard than the dish itself because of the concentration of lead and the ease with which it comes off when touched. The bountiful clicking of your Geiger counter is due to fairly weak beta emissions and doesn't penetrate the body to any appreciable depth. The glaze and your skin stop all alpha particles. The gamma activity is not significant. Radium bearing materials displayed on your website are far more hazardous and it is those items that should be meticulously sealed.
Source: Charles and Susan Kunze
Contributor: Charles and Susan Kunze
Acquired: 30 July, 2002
Price: Donated
Size: 5"
Purity: <5%
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 50 calibre armor piercing shell. Not uranium after all.
I had high hopes for this rifle shell. But they were in vain. Analysis by x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy at the Center for Microanalysis of Materials, University of Illinois (partially supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under grant DEFG02-91-ER45439) revealed the following composition for the core of the shell (the cladding having been cut away on a lathe):
98.84% Iron
0.54% Molybdenum
0.47% Lead
0.16% Copper
No uranium. Oh well, it's still listed here under uranium because it was here for several months before I did the analysis and I never remove or change sample positions. Keep reading for some real depleted uranium.
Source: eBay seller accurateimage@yahoo.com
Contributor: Theodore Gray
Acquired: 31 July, 2002
Price: $10/each
Size: 2.5"
Purity: 0%
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Uranyl Nitrate.
This is one of the more dangerous samples we have. If you eat uranium metal, it will probably go right through you causing minimal harm. But if you eat a soluble uranium salt, it's likely to exhibit a good bit of chemical toxicity, much worse than any radiological danger. This is frankly not something one should have around lightly, though the amount is not enough to cause a real crisis. It's stored in "The Can".
Click the source link for an interesting story about where this sample came from.
Source: Tryggvi Emilsson and Timothy Brumleve
Contributor: Tryggvi Emilsson and Timothy Brumleve
Acquired: 6 September, 2002
Price: Donated
Size: 1"
Purity: 54%
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More Fiestaware.
See above for a description of Fiestaware and why it's here under uranium. Radioactive Fiestaware is quite popular, and plates like this routinely go for $20 or more on eBay. Naturally I'm not willing to pay the going rate for this kind of thing, so I lowballed them for a few months until this one somehow escaped other's notice and went for $6.86.
Source: eBay seller knightlady21@yahoo.com
Contributor: Theodore Gray
Acquired: 5 November, 2002
Price: $6.86
Size: 9"
Purity: <5%
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A Most Amazing Booklet about Revigators.
This book is just incredible. I can't even begin to describe how hilarious it is in places, knowing what we know now about radioactivity. The beautiful thing is, it could have been written today, if you just substitute your favorite current alternative health fad for the substance they are extolling (known in the book as "niton" or "emanation"). All the same arguments, proofs, and fundamental confusions about how the world works are there, right down to the claim that it can't possibly be harmful because it's not a drug or medicine, it's all natural. The "it" being radon gas, which is now known to be one of the most powerfully toxic substances in the world, so toxic that even barely measurable concentrations from natural sources are a problem in many people's houses.
This 20-page booklet is an ad for a product called the "Revigator", which charged your drinking water with radon gas, in case you were missing the benefits of this all-natural substance in your daily life. And it really did emit radon: The product was, unfortunately for its users, not a fraud. It was lined with carnotite (Hydrated Potassium Uranyl Vanadate), a uranium ore which, like any uranium or thorium ore, emits radon gas at a steady rate as a decay product of the uranium.
I've listed the item under radium as well as uranium, because although it's lined with uranium ore, the Revigator is glazed with the words "Radium Ore Revigator". This is largely due to the fact that at the time "Radium" was the popular name that represented any kind of (good) radioactivity. And radium is, in fact, found as a small component in uranium ores, so it's no doubt present in some quantity in this Revigator too.
I have scanned the book and prepared a PDF file for your reading pleasure. There are two versions, a plain one for reading on screen and a double-sided one where the pages seem to be out of order until you print it out double-sided and saddle-staple the result. The second file is ideal if you want to create your own copies of the booklet to hand out to your new-age friends. (This book is technically copyrighted, but so far as I am aware the company that owns the copyright is long defunct, so I really doubt anyone cares.)
If you're interested in radioactive things, here is a book I strongly recommend.
In December of 2002, this booklet was de-accessioned from the table: This is the first time I have ever parted with a sample, and may be the last, as it was something I did only after weeks of agonizing deliberation. The reason for parting with it was that I was offered, by a highly reputable collector who wishes to remain anonymous, nearly a pound of solid machined uranium metal (see below) in exchange for it. Depleted uranium is something that simply isn't available at any price, and after seeking advice and council from learned individuals, I decided that all I really care about is the PDF version of this booklet anyway.
Source: eBay seller daddio
Contributor: Theodore Gray
Acquired: 8 November, 2002
Price: $44
Size: 9"
Purity: 0%
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An actual Revigator.
Revigators sell on a regular basis on eBay. (See above for a description of what a Revigator is.) I've seen them go for almost $500 for one in perfect condition. That's outside my price range, especially for samples that don't even have the element in pure form. But fortunately I found this ragged old one, missing its lid and spigot, for a much more reasonable price.
And it's just as radioactive as the others! Holding the probe outside it registers only about 2-3000 counts per minute, but if you stick the probe down into it, you get almost 100,000 CPM. Of course neither of these measurements is a meaningful reflection of the total body dose you would get from standing near it, let alone drinking water out of it. That's an experiment I may yet do. (I.e. let water stand in it for a couple of days, then pour it out and measure the radioactivity, if any, of the water as a function of time. I am not going to drink that water!)
I've listed the item under radium as well as uranium, because although it's lined with uranium ore, the Revigator is glazed with the words "Radium Ore Revigator". This is largely due to the fact that at the time "Radium" was the popular name that represented any kind of (good) radioactivity. And radium is, in fact, found as a small component in uranium ores, so it's no doubt present in some quantity in this Revigator too.
Here are some fascinating close-ups of the lettering glazed on the outside of this old pot:
If you're interested in collecting radioactive things like this, here is a book I strongly recommend.
Source: eBay seller bettyboop@iolaks.com
Contributor: Theodore Gray
Acquired: 13 November, 2002
Price: $90
Size: 12"
Purity: <5%
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Depleted uranium cylinder.
After several false starts, I now have an indisputably genuine, solid machined cylinder of pure depleted uranium metal. Although vast quantities of this stuff exist (vast as in at least a million tons worldwide), it is incredibly hard to get a hold of. This is because there are no uses for it that are not fairly tightly regulated: Most are military, and the civilian uses are for things like aircraft counterweights or radio pharmaceutical shipping containers. Not the sort of thing that's likely to end up in the local surplus auction.
The "depleted" in "depleted uranium" refers to the fact that the percentage of highly radioactive U-235 in it has been reduced from its naturally occurring concentration, leaving a larger fraction of the less-radioactive U-238 that makes up the vast bulk of natural uranium. But depleted doesn't mean eliminated: In fact the radioactivity of depleted uranium is only about 20% less than that of naturally occurring uranium!
That means this cylinder, though depleted, is still the most radioactive thing I have in my collection. It represent about 140 microCuries of total activity (about 300,000,000 disintegrations per minute). A Geiger counter held up to the side of it will read about 100,000 counts per minute. Fortunately, the radiation from uranium and its decay products is mostly in the form of alpha particles that do not penetrate skin. Holding this cylinder is probably not particularly harmful, though it's not something I do for any longer than necessary to shock people. (There is almost certainly a greater health hazard associated with any uranium oxide that might form on the surface and get onto hands and into lungs from there. For that reason I have put a thick coating of varnish over the cylinder. The main sample photograph was taken before I varnished the cylinder, while the 3D version was made after, and clearly shows the thick, glossy varnish.)
I acquired this cylinder legally, by trading the rare historical Revigator booklet described above to a prolific collector of radioactive stuff. He wishes to remain anonymous, because he does not want to become known as a person with uranium to hand out. To the best of my knowledge there is no source anywhere in the world from which it is possible for an individual to buy solid machined uranium metal in small quantities at any price. (And large quantities require special licenses to handle.) But see above for a lot of different things you can buy that contain some amount of uranium. It's also very easy to buy uranium ore from any number of mineral shops or on eBay.
Source: Anonymous
Contributor: Anonymous
Acquired: 21 December, 2002
Price: Trade
Size: 2"
Purity: 99%
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Depleted uranium aperture bar.
William Kolb is the co-author of a wonderfully interesting book about radioactivity in our lives, which anyone interested in collecting radioactive objects, or just interested in radioactivity in general, should definitely buy without delay. (Click the link to find out how to order it.)
Using his book I have been able to identify and more accurately describe quite a few objects pictured on this website (mostly under uranium and radium). In fact, I found pictures of many of the exact things I'd already collected!
This particular bar I actually saw in the book before I got one, and when I saw the picture I thought, ah, wouldn't it be great to have a bar like that: Too bad there's no chance of that ever happening. I'd already scoured the one abandoned hospital I had access to without finding any misplaced Cobalt-60 sources, any depleted uranium shipping containers, nor any radon needles. All I found was a lousy polonium anti-static brush and a couple of tons of lead (not that I'm complaining or anything, the lead is great.)
Then right after Christmas, what should I find on my desk but a box with this fabulous bar in it! Elements seem to go in bursts: After nearly a year with no pure uranium, I ended up with two large pieces, totalling well over two pounds, in the span of just a couple of days.
To quote from the picture caption in William's book (page 128):A curved bar of depleted uranium from a teletherapy unit. Four such bars formed an aperture that could be opened and closed to illuminate a rectangular area over the part of the body to be exposed. Surface activity on the bar was about 250,000 counts per minute but dropped to 8,000 at 12 inches, or roughly 2 mR/h (Ca 1960s to 1980s) As with any depleted uranium object, the first thing you notice is the weight. Though slightly less dense than pure uranium (about 17g/cc vs. 19g/cc), it's still very surprisingly heavy and wonderful to hold.
As with the cylinder above, the donor wishes to remain anonymous so as not to be known as someone who has this very rare substance available.
Source: Anonymous
Contributor: Anonymous
Acquired: 27 December, 2002
Price: Donated
Size: 8"
Purity: >80%
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More uranium glass marbles.
On any given day there are usually quite a few sets of marbles like this on offer on eBay. I waited until I got what seemed like a better-than-usual price for a bag of 25. They are mildly radioactive, and they fluoresce under black light.
Source: eBay seller danniken
Contributor: Theodore Gray
Acquired: 6 January, 2003
Price: $8
Size: 0.5"
Purity: <5%
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Tube of uranium ore.
This ore is from an old "ATOMIC ENERGY" chemistry set sold by Chemcraft in the 1950's. Radioactivity was popular back then.
I got the chemistry set on eBay after consulting this trusty reference book about radioactive collectables. According to its table of going rates for these things, I got a good deal on the chemistry set, though it is not in perfect condition and is missing some components. Modern chemistry sets are pretty wimpy, but I have to say that, aside from the uranium ore and the radium, this set is pretty tame as well. It even proudly claims to contain "no dangerous or explosive chemicals". I mean really, where's the fun in that? Here's a picture of the set:
Source: eBay seller 6tomcat
Contributor: Theodore Gray
Acquired: 10 January, 2003
Price: $58/chemistry set
Size: 1"
Purity: <1%
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Radioactive screen.
I'm pretty sure this screen was made by gluing the same ore described in the previous sample onto some cardboard. The manual that came with the chemistry set this was in (see previous sample description) has instructions for how to use the screen to expose photographic film.
Source: eBay seller 6tomcat
Contributor: Theodore Gray
Acquired: 10 January, 2003
Price: $58/chemistry set
Size: 1"
Purity: <1%
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Sample from the Everest Element Set.
Up until the early 1990's a company in Russia sold a periodic table collection with element samples. At some point their American distributor sold off the remaining stock to a man who is now selling them on eBay. The samples (excepted gasses) weight about 0.25 grams each, and the whole set comes in a very nice wooden box with a printed periodic table in the lid.
Radioactive elements like this one are represented in this particular set by a non-radioactive dummy powder, which doesn't look anything like the real element.
To learn more about the set you can visit my page about element collecting for a general description and information about how to buy one, or you can see photographs of all the samples from the set displayed on my website in a periodic table layout or with bigger pictures in numerical order.
Source: Rob Accurso
Contributor: Rob Accurso
Acquired: 7 February, 2003
Price: Donated
Size: 0.2"
Purity: 0%
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