CHE-361:  Term Papers

Topics for the term papers on nuclear chemistry, or closely related fields, can be selected from the following list or topic of your choice. Indicate 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choices, and submit via email to the Louis Peña for approval no later than
Thursday, June 27, 2013.

It is expected that every student will write on a different topic and that there will be little duplication with the subject matter of the lectures. Source information for the term papers can be found in the reference books located in the Bldg. 801 classroom, in the references cited in your textbooks, and in the numerous books and journals located in the various BNL and SUNYSB libraries and online journals. Another valuable resource is the internet, but these sources must be properly cited and used only in support of the primary technical sources listed above.

You will have about two weeks to read the relevant material, organize it, and prepare your paper. An outline of your paper is due by Wednesday July 3, 2013.
Please turn your outline by email to the instructor Dr. Peña. The paper should be about 1500 words long plus references and perhaps a few figures. In parallel, a PowerPoint presentation should be prepared on the term paper topic.

Submit the final paper by email on Thursday, July 18, 2013.  Then on Thursday, July 25, 2013, each student will present a 15-minute PowerPoint presentation based on his/her term paper. These presentations will be made in the Medical Department's large conference room (Bldg 490) and will start at 8:30 am.

Suggested Topics

1.   Origin of the Elements
2.   Nuclear Reactions in Astrophysics
3.   Cosmic-Ray Induced Nuclear Reactions
4.   Radionuclides in Meteorites and Moon Rocks
5.   Production and use of Radionuclides for Biology and Medicine

• Basis of designing radiopharmaceuticals
• Methods of radiolabeling (inorganic and organic ligands)
• Therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals (bone pain palliation, radiation synoviorthesis, targeted radiotherapy)
• Radiolabeled nanoparticles in medicine in biology
• Radioimmunoassay
• Radioimmunotherapy
• Quality control in radiopharmaceuticals
• Radiotracers in plant science

• Generators for nuclear medicine
• Role of technetium in nuclear medicine

• Neutron activation analysis (archaelogy, environment)
• Charged-particle activation analysis

• Fuel fabrication (behavior of nuclear fuels, thermal/fast)
• Waste processing and management
• Water chemistry in reactor design

• Actinide spectroscopy (electronic states, optical properties)
• Coordination chemistry
• Complexation behavior with inorganic and organic ligands
• Actinides in the environment
• Biochemistry of actinides (nuclide-microbial interactions, bioremediation)
• Transactinides (production, separation)

• Applied in archaelogy
• Applied in environmental Studies

• Studying ground water salinisation, pollution, recharge, sediment transport, effluent dispersion

• Polymer modification
• Radiation treatment
• Applications of radioisotopes in process optimization
• Non-destructive testing-radiography, nucleonic gauging

If you have a question that is not addressed in these pages, please send an email to lpena@bnl.gov.

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