Joseph Katz’s Interview
Dr. Joseph Katz was a chemist at the Metallurgical Lab at the University of Chicago. Katz was a part of a team that studied ways to separate plutonium from irradiated uranium. In this interview, Katz elaborates on the technicalities of the process to produce microgram amounts of plutonium. He explains how scientists had to use speculation to determine the chemical structure of plutonium for its use. He also discusses his background, the safety hazards associated with plutonium work, as well as his time in Chicago and experience working there. He recalls the tight security, and how scientists feared the Germans might beat them to developing the bomb.