Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 12, 2026

Detection of 3-Nitrotyrosine in Atmospheric Environments via a High-performance Liquid Chromatography-electrochemical Detector System
Published on: January 30, 2019
Detection of uranium from cosmos-1402 in the stratosphere
Abstract:
The nuclear reactor from the Soviet radar reconnaissance satellite, Cosmos-1402, reentered the earth's atmosphere on 7 February 1983 and disintegrated over the South Atlantic Ocean. The reactor was powered by approximately 50 kilograms of uranium-235 ((235)U). In an effort to determine the fate of the reactor core, a series of aerosol samples were collected at altitudes between 27 and 36 kilometers in the Northern Hemisphere approximately 1.1 years later by high-altitude balloons. At an altitude of 36 kilometers a 53 +/- 20 percent excess in the (235)U concentration was measured. The total excess of (235)U in the stratosphere was calculated to be 44 +/- 15 kilograms.
More Related Videos
12:05U2O5 Film Preparation via UO2 Deposition by Direct Current Sputtering and Successive Oxidation and Reduction with Atomic Oxygen and Atomic Hydrogen
Published on: February 21, 2019
08:43Separation of Uranium and Thorium for 230Th-U Dating of Submarine Hydrothermal Sulfides
Published on: May 20, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Interference
Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Instrumentation
Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy: Interference
Spectral interference occurs when signals from other elements or molecules overlap with the analyte signal, falsely elevating or masking the analyte's absorbance. This interference can be corrected using Zeeman,...
Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Lab
Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy: Instrumentation
The atomizer used in AAS can be either a flame atomizer or an...
Atomic Emission Spectroscopy: Overview