Electrodisintegration of /sup 238/U

A search has been made for ..cap alpha.. particles that might stem from an isoscalar E2 giant resonance in /sup 238/U near 9 MeV. Using 40 MeV electrons the spectra of protons and ..cap alpha.. particles emitted in the electrodisintegration of /sup 238/U were measured. Peaks in the proton spectrum indicated that the target has an oxygen contamination. The less intense ..cap alpha.. spectrum contains ..cap alpha.. particles resulting from the electrodisintegration of /sup 16/O, a group that probably stems from ternary fission, and a higher energy feature which may be attributed to the electrodisintegration of /sup 238/U. The integrated /sup 238/U(e,..cap alpha..) cross section is less than 1% of a recently suggested values.