PRODUCTION AND PROPERTIES OF C15

Abstract

Uniform thin C¹⁴ targets on 2500 Å nickel backings were prepared in a discharge tube containing acetylene (enriched to 28.8% C¹⁴). A NaI (Tl) crystal was used to measure the yield of C¹⁵ (2.25 ± 0.05 sec. half life) from C¹⁴(d, p)C¹⁵ from E_d = 1.3 to 3.0 Mev. A 7.5 ± 1.5 sec. activity was also observed, presumably N¹⁶ produced by C¹⁴(d, γ)N¹⁶. The C¹⁵ gamma-ray spectrum indicates only a 5.3-Mev. transition. A plastic scintillator was used to measure the C¹⁵ beta spectrum. End-point energies of 9.5 ± 0.3 and 4.5 ± 0.2 Mev. with a branching ratio of 4 to 1 favoring the lower energy component were observed. The results are consistent with a spin and parity assignment of 1/2(+) for the C¹⁵ ground state.