An attempt has been made to determine the half-life for spontaneous fission for the average uranium atom with on argon-filled parallel-plate ionization chamber, employing the method of electron collection. The high vohage electrode contained an aluminum disk of 6.2 cm diameter on which was deposited a layer of uranium oxide prepared in the following manner. A known amount of uranium nitrate crystals was dissolved in alcohol and mixed with properly thinned colorless lacquer. The procedure then consisted in applying a small amount of the solution on the disk, baking it on an electric furnace to about 400℃ for five minutes, and repeating the process again and again until the desired amount of uranium had been deposited. The ionization pulses were observed on a Cenco cathode ray oscilloscope to which the output of the amplifier was connected.
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