The reactioq of hydrogen w i t h the epsilon p-e of the 50 weight percent uranium-zircorritmo aUoy ?s ,s$udied using (1) a sensitive vacuum microbalance apparatw t o prepare the alloys, (2) a sensitive McLeod gauge t o neasure the diesmiation presmme, and (3) X-ray diffraction &&yses t o determine the phases p~eaelat i n the alloy. Although the reaction of hydrogen wi-th the a l l o y is very rapid at 100°C f o r oxide free svrfacps, hcmogmization is vary slow. IFydrogen ~o y s ( I t l t l , n

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... r t h s C o~~u y p e n m~O D~O F t b~. L ( O D : a-my--d--m%-,-m~lp~nd.wa-~.tbs~-rMs,amPlasnru, o = w e l d M n o i h~t l m~h B L . r~ ortwtharr eofmh-mr, to* mmttht The s o l u b i l i t y of hydrogep i n the alloy i s determinedlto be approximately 0.02 atom percent a t 500°C. This is a smaller value than t h a t found f o r pure zirconium. However, the beat of solution of hydride i s +8,900 +. 1,000 1 calories per gram atom and compares with a value of +8,600 calories per gram atom found f o r zirconium. . . 4 A t~a n s f o m a t i o n of the epsilon t o gamma phase of the alloy i s found ' near 550°C. ; ..' .