New Isotope, Sulfur-38

A new isotope of sulfur, ${\mathrm{S}}^{38}$, has been produced by the ($\alpha , 3p$) reaction on ${\mathrm{Cl}}^{37}$. It was found to have a half-life of 172±1 minutes, and to decay by the emission of two beta groups with end-point energies of 1.1 and 3.0 Mev. The 1.1-Mev beta was found to be in coincidence with a 1.88-Mev gamma ray. No other gamma rays were observed. The 3.0-Mev beta occurs in 5% of the disintegrations, and leads to the ${\mathrm{Cl}}^{38}$ ground state. The $log \mathrm{}\left(\mathrm{ft}\right)\mathrm{}$ values of the 1.1- and 3.0-Mev beta groups are 5.0 and 8.2, respectively. A comparison is made of the ($\alpha , 3p$) reactions on ${\mathrm{Al}}^{27}$, ${\mathrm{Cl}}^{37}$, and ${\mathrm{Cu}}^{65}$.