Atomic power from uranium may become a terrible war weapon if and when it comes into practical use, but some big obstacles will have to be surmounted before it reaches that stage, University of California scientists reported recently, states the "Oregonian."
"Unless science hits upon a far easier and much less expensive way to extract the particular kind of uranium needed, or until it learns how to use ordinary uranium or some other relatively plentiful substance for the operation, practical utilization of the power probably will depend, the investigators said, on the willingness of the government or some wealthy organization to spend millions for a simple start.
These conclusions were reached by Mr. Glenn T. Seaborg, Dr. Joseph W. Kennedy and Mr. Arthur Wahl of the chemistry department, after they had tried out what they considered the most promising method of extracting the kind of uranium required. They found that to produce even the smallest amount necessary for practical tests would require operations on far larger scale than could be undertaken with the available resources.
Thus far the total production by all scienti-tically recognized processes amounts to only a tiny fraction of an ounce, The investigators figured ten pounds would be needed to produce satisfactory demonstrations of its practical power. Some expert have that one pound of the stuff could produce an explosion equal to 15000 tons of TNT.
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