Nuclear Weapon is the most lethal weapon in the world today. If you want to successfully develop it, you need to invest countless manpower, material resources and resources. However, the research and development of nuclear weapons is a work that China must do.
The reason why the atomic bomb is powerful is that its internal heavy atomic nuclei such as uranium and plutonium that are more prone to fission will be generated when fission occurs. The uranium element in
is very important.
At that time, China's resources were scarce. Since it was the enriched uranium that was used for nuclear weapons, it was a very scarce resource in the world at that time.
But at this moment, a Jewish businessman suddenly came to our country and sent scarce enriched uranium to our country.
Just as China was about to express its gratitude to the Jewish businessman, an excellent chemist in our country saw the clues, thus saving our country's nuclear weapons industry.
Who is this excellent chemist? How did he do it when he was not equipped enough?
The arrival of Jewish merchants
Korean War During the Korean War, the United States said it would shoot 26 atomic bombs on China and North Korea to stop China from participating in the Korean War.
Although the Korean War was finally won under Chairman Mao’s command, Chairman Mao was very clear-headed and if he wanted to fight the atomic bomb, he had to have the atomic bomb first.
After the war ended, Chairman Mao asked relevant departments to start preparing for the development of nuclear weapons.
Nuclear weapons can be said to be the most difficult project in the world. The raw materials it requires are very scarce, and one of them is even more rare.
uranium was originally a very rare chemical element , which has very strong radioactive . Enriched uranium is the use of isotope separation method to separate three isotopes of uranium, making the concentration of U235 in it higher, thereby extracting enriched uranium. It is already very difficult to extract enriched uranium in
, not to mention that China has very few basic raw materials. Just when China was at a loss, a Jewish businessman came to China to sell enriched uranium to China, and also brought a little sample.
After learning about it, the Chinese government was very happy and thought it could solve China's urgent needs.
After negotiations, the Jewish businessman said that he could sell all the enriched uranium he had in his hands to China, but there was only one condition, that is, China must keep it confidential and cannot be promoted to the outside world.
At that time, China's nuclear weapons project was still in the preparation stage. Even if there was no need for Jewish businessmen to explain, China would keep it confidential, so the government agreed readily.
At that time, although China agreed to the request of Jewish , it still needed to test the uranium element first and confirm that it was enriched uranium before it could trade with the Jewish merchant.
Premier Zhou is very cautious about this matter. In order to confirm the authenticity of enriched uranium, Premier Zhou asked the Institute of Pharmaceuticals to test the concentration of enriched uranium as soon as possible.
As the only radiochemist in the Institute of Near Things at that time, Yang Chengzong After hearing about this, he couldn't help but feel a little confused. As a professional radiochemist, he certainly knew that it was difficult to propose enriching uranium, and such a scarce element was actually provided by a merchant.
With these questions in mind, Yang Chengzong took on this important task and he wanted to personally test the enriched uranium sent by Jewish merchants.
However, domestic laboratory test instruments were not advanced at that time, but some ordinary basic instruments, and it is still unknown whether the concentration of enriched uranium can be detected.
After getting the sample of enriched uranium, Yang Chengzong plunged into the laboratory. If he wanted to test the enriched uranium, he had to perform re-isotope refinement. However, China did not have a re-isotope mass spectrometer at that time. In order to test this sample, Yang Chengzong could only repeatedly test and finally test the U235 concentration of enriched uranium through the principle of the transformation of the radiation system.
During the test, he found that this sample was a piece of uranyl nitrate. The content of uranium elements it contained was not much different from the natural uranium content. It was doped with many impurities , and it was not the so-called enriched uranium. If such uranium acts on nuclear weapons, it will bring huge harm! After
got the conclusion, he immediately told the director the test results. After the government learned the news, he immediately found the Jewish businessman and exposed his lies.
It turned out that by chance, this Jewish businessman learned that China was looking for raw materials for enriched uranium. He thought that China's technological level was not advanced, and he would definitely not be able to test the difference between uranyl nitrate and enriched uranium, so he dared to blatantly use these natural uranium to cheat money.
Fortunately, Yang Chengzong was very professional and timely discovered the lies of Jewish merchants and avoided China from taking detours.
Radiological expert who cares about the motherland
Yang Chengzong eliminated the crisis for China's nuclear weapons research and development with his strong professional skills. Although he is not at the forefront of the research and development of nuclear weapons, as a conveyor of raw materials, his contributions are obvious to all.
When it comes to China's nuclear weapons meritorious deeds, we must be the first to think of Qian Xuesen , Deng Jiaxian , Qian Sanqiang . There are 23 people on the list of nuclear weapons meritorious deeds scientists. However, Yang Chengzong, who once discovered the Jewish conspiracy, was not on the list.
Despite this, he is still a talent that contributes outstandingly in China's nuclear weapons industry.
Yang Chengzong graduated from Datong University in Shanghai. After graduation, he has been engaged in radiochemistry research at the Beijing Institute.
In 1947, Yang Chengzong decided to go to France to study and follow the world-renowned Curie couple to study radiochemistry.
During his study in France, Yang Chengzong obtained his doctorate and successfully developed an ion exchange method for separating microgram magnitude lanthanide and actinide elements.
His contribution was unique in the chemistry world at that time, and his mentor Mr. Curie also had high hopes for him.
At that time, the French government wanted to keep him in France and serve for France, so it offered a high salary of 550,000 francs , and hired him to be a radiochemistry expert at the University of Paris, France, and studied radiochemistry with the Curie couple.
At the same time, Yang Chengzong received a letter from his friend Qian Sanqiang. In the letter, Qian Sanqiang said that the New China is going to start doing a big thing, and this big thing requires talents like him. I hope Yang Chengzong can return to China and contribute to the motherland.
also sent him 3,000 US dollars, hoping that before returning to China, he could buy some advanced instruments in France that were not available in China.
After receiving the letter, Yang Chengzong guessed that China was preparing to develop nuclear weapons. He could no longer sit still. He was as eager as an arrow and wanted to return to China immediately.
So, without hesitation, he rejected the conditions offered by the French government and said goodbye to his mentor Mr. Curie.
Mr. Curie learned that Yang Chengzong was going back to China and found him personally, expressed support for his decision, and also helped him buy 10 grams of barium radium carbonate and a 100-carry counter for measuring radiation.
Mr. Curie certainly knows what Yang Chengzong returns to China. Before Yang Chengzong left, Mr. Curie told him earnestly: to oppose the atomic bomb, you must own the atomic bomb yourself. The atomic bomb is not that terrible, and the principles of the atomic bomb were not invented by Americans. You also have your own scientists.
Mr. Curie also reminded him to tell him to pass this passage to Chairman Mao.
After hearing this, Yang Chengzong became even more excited. He took all the supplies he purchased and traveled across Haiti to his motherland. After returning to China, he conveyed this passage to Qian Sanqiang and asked him to pass it on to Chairman Mao.
Founder of Radiochemistry
After Yang Chengzong returned to China, he came to work at the Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
At that time, there were many physicists at the Institute of Nearby Physics, but only Yang Chengzong was the only one who studied radiochemistry. All the burden of the country fell on his shoulders. He under pressure while studying radioactive substances for China, while actively cultivating talents in the Department of Radiochemistry for China.
At that time, China had nothing about the radiotherapy department, but could only rely on Yang Chengzong's own research and development. When the Department of Radiochemistry was established, there were only two college students introduced by Yang Chengzong and Qian Sanqiang. This was the lineup of the radiochemistry department in China at that time. One of the few local equipment used in the
series is the second-hand goods that Qian Sanqiang helped Yang Chengzong to buy.
It is with such difficult conditions that Yang Chengzong supported China's Department of Radiochemistry alone. He led two students to pave the way for China's radiochemistry career.
In the winter of 1953, in the process of studying atomic energy in the Neutrogen Institute, it was found that the very important neutron source was missing. The leaders of the institute found Yang Chengzong, hoping that he could help the Neutrogen Institute develop neutron source.
At that time, the only raw material radium source and radon-elevating equipment in China that could extract neutron sources were stored in Peking Union Medical College Hospital , but these things had been destroyed by the Japanese army that year and had been abandoned in the waste warehouse of Union Medical College Hospital for many years. Because this set of equipment carried strong radiation, people in the hospital almost dared to get close.
With the mentality of having to succeed, Yang Chengzong led his students to Union Hospital. After arriving at the scene, Yang Chengzong found that this set of equipment was worse than he expected.
Because the work was too dangerous, Yang Chengzong left the two students outside and ran to the warehouse to repair the equipment himself.
After working day and night, Yang Chengzong finally successfully repaired the complete set of radium-radon devices. The successfully repaired device can directly act on the hospital, and 250 mg of radon can be produced every 4 days. He also made China's earliest artificial radiation source-radon-cymbal neutron source. Although the
equipment was successfully repaired, during the repair process, due to high-intensity radiation, Yang Chengzong's eyes were subjected to strong radiation, and the retina of the right eye fell off, which eventually led to complete blindness. The other eye was also subjected to radiation and almost blindness.
From then on, Yang Chengzong, with these almost blind eyes, refined the enriched uranium needed for the atomic bomb for China, and drafted the work on atomic energy science. Within two years, he trained 41 outstanding radiochemistry experts for China.
prepares for nuclear weapons
In 1954, he exposed the Jewish conspiracy for China. Premier Zhou praised him and encouraged him to create a laboratory.
With the support of the country, he created China's first radiochemistry laboratory . He led many students to make great contributions to China's atomic energy in the laboratory.
In the following years, China's nuclear weapons research and development preparations have been gradually improved and officially put into research in 1959.
At the beginning of the research on nuclear weapons, we received help from the Soviet Union. At that time, the two countries had good friendships and the Soviet Union had experience in researching nuclear weapons. Therefore, the Soviet Union had contributed several experts in this regard to our country, but as the relationship between the two countries changed, the Soviet Union withdrew all assistance to China.
China's nuclear weapons project had just started at that time, so it was absolutely impossible to terminate it because of the withdrawal of these experts.
Under this situation, many outstanding scientific researchers in our country have devoted themselves to the nuclear weapons industry regardless of life or death.
As a rare talent in the Department of Radiochemistry, Yang Chengzong was ordered to go to the Fifth Research Institute of the Second Ministry of Machinery to engage in the work of refining and enriching uranium. Enriched uranium is an indispensable element of nuclear energy and nuclear weapons, which directly affects the success or failure of nuclear weapons.
did not enrich uranium, and the research and development of nuclear weapons temporarily stopped. At that time, all the attention was focused on the institute, hoping that the institute could extract enriched uranium as soon as possible.
Time is tight and the task is heavy. The director of the research institute found Yang Chengzong and handed over this difficult task to Yang Chengzong.After receiving the task,
took the students from his own laboratory to conduct research day and night. However, China's instruments were not advanced at that time, and the factory that specialized in extracting uranium dioxide was only halfway through construction.
Moreover, it is also necessary to extract nuclear pure uranium from the natural uranium ore , which is completely free of impurities. It is conceivable how difficult it is.
The country also issued instructions at that time, hoping to extract some uranium dioxide and uranium tetrafluoride in a short period of time to ensure the normal progress of nuclear weapons research and development.
China is a country with extremely uranium deficiency, and the uranium variety is not good. It takes some effort to meet the required standards for nuclear weapons.
Secondary Department Research Institute is so poor that it can only use the low-quality ammonium diuronate currently required to extract enriched uranium.
When Yang Chengzong's eyes were almost completely blind, he also led the students to build a uranium smelting laboratory, which lived up to expectations and extracted a sufficient amount of enriched uranium to ensure the normal operation of the nuclear weapons.
With the efforts of countless people, China has mined hundreds of tons of uranium ore. Yang Chengzong extracted the amount of enriched uranium needed to develop nuclear weapons from hundreds of tons of natural uranium.
His contribution to China is far less than that. He extracted scarce elements such as uranium, radium, thorium, purine, lead, etc. from uranium ore , and also helped the institute solve the problems arising from various processes such as natural uranium hydrosmelting, purification, and transformation.
Yang Chengzong's scientific research results were widely used in China's two bombs and one satellite career in the future. He made great contributions to China's uranium industry.
It took the United States and the atomic bomb six years to develop nuclear weapons, while China only took it five years.
In 1959, China officially began to develop nuclear weapons. On October 16, 1964, China's first atomic bomb was successfully tested in Lop Nur, Xinjiang.
Although Yang Chengzong is not on the list of 23 meritorious deeds, his contributions to China have been recorded in history and have been remembered by people for generations.
