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Gaseous diffusion is a technology used to produce enriched uranium by forcing gaseous uranium hexafluoride, UF6, through semi-permeable membranes. This produces a slight separation between the molecules containing uranium-235 and uranium-238. By use of a large cascade of many stages, high separations can be achieved. It was the first economic enrichment process to be successfully developed.

Gaseous diffusion in Southern Victory[]

Gaseous diffusion was a possible method for enriching uranium experimented with by Confederate physicist Henderson V. FitzBelmont. The only gas found effective for it was the highly toxic uranium hexafluoride.

FitzBelmont mentioned this technique when he attempted to pitch to President Jake Featherston the idea of funding a project to build a superbomb in 1941. Since he could not guarantee that gaseous diffusion would be effective, Featherston refused to grant FitzBelmont the resource allocations he had requested at that time, but subsequently reversed that position over a year later.

However, the method proved to be too difficult to be used to develop a superbomb. Instead, the bomb which partially destroyed Philadelphia was constructed from Jovium which could be chemically separated from uranium.

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