Research & Teaching Faculty

Proton-induced production and radiochemical isolation of 44Ti from scandium metal targets for 44Ti/44Sc generator development

TitleProton-induced production and radiochemical isolation of 44Ti from scandium metal targets for 44Ti/44Sc generator development
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2017
AuthorsRadchenko, V, Engle, JW, Medvedev, DG, Maassen, JM, Naranjo, CM, Unc, GA, Meyer, CAL, Mastren, T, Brugh, M, Mausner, L, Cutler, CS, Birnbaum, ER, John, KD, F. Nortier, M, Fassbender, ME
JournalNuclear Medicine and Biology
Volume50
Pagination25 - 32
ISSN0969-8051
KeywordsIon exchange chromatography, Proton irradiation, Scandium target, Ti, Ti/Sc generator
Abstract

Scandium-44g (half-life 3.97h) shows promise for application in positron emission tomography (PET), due to favorable decay parameters. One of the sources of 44gSc is the 44Ti/44gSc generator, which can conveniently provide this radioisotope on a daily basis at a diagnostic facility. Titanium-44 (half-life 60.0 a), in turn, can be obtained via proton irradiation of scandium metal targets. A substantial 44Ti product batch, however, requires high beam currents, long irradiation times and an elaborate chemical procedure for 44Ti isolation and purification. This study describes the production of a combined 175MBq (4.7mCi) batch yield of 44Ti in week long proton irradiations at the Los Alamos Isotope Production Facility (LANL-IPF) and the Brookhaven Linac Isotope Producer (BNL-BLIP). A two-step ion exchange chromatography based chemical separation method is introduced: first, a coarse separation of 44Ti via anion exchange sorption in concentrated HCl results in a 44Tc/Sc separation factor of 102–103. A second, cation exchange based step in HCl media is then applied for 44Ti fine purification from residual Sc mass. In summary, this method yields a 90–97% 44Ti recovery with an overall Ti/Sc separation factor of ≥106.

URLhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969805116304115
DOI10.1016/j.nucmedbio.2017.03.006