Does anyone out there know how I could make my own scintillation cocktail? I am planning on making a display of different home-made types of radiation detectors.

sodium iodide and zinc sulphide are 2 that immediately spring to mind.

Thanks... Does the ZnS have to be doped with anything?

Thanks... Does the ZnS have to be doped with anything?

 

I don't know whether it HAS TO or not, but supposedly, if it "...has been activated with Silver at over 1500 degrees, and quenched with Copper salts..." it will glow when exposed to alpha.

 

There is an outfit, "United Nuclear", which sells this stuff, among other things. They offer ZnS prepared as described above, $20/5g.

 

http://www.unitednuclear.com/chem.htm

 

Very bottom right corner.

 

-Caver

silly as it sounds, the powder scrapings off the inside of a flourescent tube light or a TV/Monitor screen will also react with certain types of radiation (I don`t rem which types of hand).

 

btw, be Very carefull when you open any of these devices they are under alot of external pressure and being made of Glass will be very sharp! (duuugh factor)

so Outdoors over many sheets of news paper is the best place to do this, and eye protection is a MUST!

Don’t forget the mercury vapor inside the florescent tubes. I’m not sure about other types of radiation but the coating inside a florescent tube glows under UV light.