ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Explore membership for yourself or for your organization.
Conference Spotlight
Nuclear Energy Conference & Expo (NECX)
September 8–11, 2025
Atlanta, GA|Atlanta Marriott Marquis
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
Latest Magazine Issues
Aug 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
September 2025
Nuclear Technology
Fusion Science and Technology
August 2025
Latest News
What’s in your Dubai chocolate? Nuclear scientists test pistachios for toxins
For the uninitiated, Dubai chocolate is a candy bar filled with pistachio and tahini cream and crispy pastry recently popularized by social media influencers. While it’s easy to dismiss as a viral craze now past its peak, the nutty green confection has spiked global pistachio demand, and growers and processors are ramping up production. That means more pistachios need to be tested for aflatoxins—a byproduct of a common crop mold.
R. M. Berman
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 16 | Number 3 | July 1963 | Pages 315-328
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE63-A26534
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
Four irradiated UO2 samples were ground to break them along grain boundaries, then dissolved in a series of successive leaches with 3N HNO3. The successive acid extractions were then analyzed for Cs138, Ce144, Zr95, Sr90, and Eu155, as well as total uranium. Very considerable variation in the specific activities of the fission fragments was found between one acid extraction and another of the same sample. The fission products were concentrated in the first and last portions of the material to dissolve. In one sample, which underwent irradiation for a very short time, the increase in concentration in the last portion to dissolve was not observed. It is speculated, on this and other evidence, that fission fragments do not remain in solid solution in uranium dioxide, but instead migrate to grain boundaries and other lattice defect sites.