ABSTRACT
A program for experimental polonium production was initiated at Laboratory No. 11 of NII-9 [38]. Soon the program started to expand, and the on-stream production was established in 1948 using irradiated bismuth blocks. Until commercial reactor A was put into operation, neutron irradiation of bismuth blocks was performed in experimental reactor F - l at Laboratory No. 2. Polonium extraction technique consisted of 2 1 0 Po adsorption from bismuth nitrate solutions by an electrochemically-produced pure powdered metal (bismuth or copper). Polonium concentration in nitrate solution was about 0.01-0.1 Ci/1; using a multistage adsorption/desorption process, the concentration was increased by a factor of millions. This yielded a high purity and specified quality of the final product.
