Development of new <Superscript>116</Superscript>Cd/Pt target for cyclotron produced <Superscript>117m</Superscript>Sn as a medical radiometal

The radioisotope ^117mSn has recently attracted considerable attention because of its application in theranostics and its imaging using 159-keV γ-photons. In this study, we developed a target system that yielded ^117mSn via a ¹¹⁶Cd(α, 3n)^117mSn nuclear reaction. A separable Pt substrate was utilized to prepare the enriched ¹¹⁶Cd target to be irradiated, and the enriched ¹¹⁶Cd in a cadmium acetate solution was electroplated onto the Pt substrate. The substrate was thermally analyzed via ANSYS simulations, and the plating thickness was optimized through calculations with TALYS code. The production of ^117mSn was confirmed through the emission measurement of inherent gamma rays.     

Zirconium silicotungstate matrix as a prospective sorbent material for the preparation of <Superscript>113</Superscript>Sn/<Superscript>113m</Superscript>In generator

The zirconium silicotungstate (ZrSiW) was studied as an effective sorbent material to be used in the ¹¹³Sn/^113mIn generator. The results elucidated that the distribution coefficient of ¹¹³Sn (3700 mL/g) is greater than ^113mIn (275 mL/g) from 0.1 M HCl acid solution to the ZrSiW material. The maximum sorption capacity of Sn (IV) was found to be 33 mg per gram ZrSiW (~?0.3 mmol/g). The elution yield of ^113mIn was found to be >?78?±?6.4% with an acceptable purity of radionuclidic and radiochemical (≥?99.99 and 96.8%, respectively). The rigorous separation of ^113mIn from the ¹²⁵Sb was carried out due to its long half-life (2.758 years) and beta emission that causes tissue damage. Zr, W and Si levels are below the permitted limit in the ^113mIn eluate.     

Separation of <Superscript>113m</Superscript>In from <Superscript>113</Superscript>Sn based on activated carbon used as column matrix

The activated carbon was prepared by using corncobs and characterized by sorpatometer for using as an exchanger material to separate the generated ^113mIn from ¹¹³Sn and ^124,125Sb. To optimize the separation process, the different parameters like acetone percentage, HCl concentration were studied. The exchange capacity of Sn(IV) is 7.6 meq/g onto the activated carbon and the elution efficiency of ^113mIn > 80% by using 10 mL of 0.2 M HCl-80% acetone with flow rate 1 mL/min. The radionuclidic purity and radiochemical purity of the eluted ^113mIn were examined and clarified the presence of ^124,125Sb with relatively high level as radio impurities, so further separation was carried out by using Dowex 1×8 as an anion exchanger below the activated carbon matrix on the same separation column to adsorb the ¹¹³Sn and ^124,125Sb, which escape from the activated carbon matrix.     

The reaction117Sn (n,n′)117mSn as a primary interference in (n, γ) neutron activation analysis

The¹¹⁶Sn (n, γ)^117mSn reaction commonly used in reactor-neutron activation analysis (RNAA) turned out to be seriously interfered by the¹¹⁷Sn (n, n′)^117mSn reaction, as observed from irradiation in channels with largely different neutron thermalization. To estimate the magnitude of this primary interference an attempt was made to determine the relevant fission neutron averaged cross-section, yielding approximately σ_{n, n}, (¹¹⁷Sn)==0.09±0.01 barn. This value—believed to be the first measured and published—is remarkably high especially when compared to the 2200 m·s^?1 cross-section σ_o[¹¹⁶Sn(n, γ)^117mSn]=0.006 barn.     

<Superscript>103</Superscript>Ru/<Superscript>103m</Superscript>Rh generator

^103mRh is a very promising radionuclide for Auger electron therapy due to its very low photon/electron ratio. The goal of the present work was the elaboration a method for production of large quantities of ^103mRh for generator system. It was found that the combination of solvent extraction with evaporation of ¹⁰³RuO₄ followed by decomposition of H₅IO₆ makes it possible to produce ^103mRh of high radionuclidic and chemical purity.     

A thermodynamic approach, using speciation studies, towards the evaluation and design of bone-seeking radiopharmaceuticals as illustrated for 117mSn(II)-PEI-MP

Blood plasma modeling has proved effective in the evaluation of clinical observations recorded for baboon and rat tests with ¹⁵³Sm- ethylenediaminetetraphosphonic acid (EDTMP) as well as for ¹⁶⁶Ho-EDTMP. In the search for a cure for metastatic bone cancer, ^117mSn with its conversion electrons of discrete energies shows low bone marrow toxicity, providing the opportunity to increase the administered dose. Selective accumulation in lesions would capitalize on this advantage. The 10-30 kDa fraction of the water-soluble polymer polyethyleneimine, functionalized with methylene phosphonate groups (PEI-MP) and labeled with ^99mTc, has shown selective uptake into bone tumours. This paper relates the speciation of Sn(II)-PEI-MP and other known ^117mSn(II) containing bone-seeking radiopharmaceuticals in blood plasma. Apparent formation constants for the complexation of Sn^II with PEI-MP, DTPA, HEDP and other important blood plasma ligands were measured potentiometrically or estimated by linear free energy relationships (LFER). These data were added to the ECCLES database in order to construct a blood plasma model for Sn^II. From this model it is predicted that Sn^II will remain bound to the polymer (PEI-MP) in blood plasma and therefore, have only slight reticuloendothelial uptake. Preliminary primate studies indeed proved that the complex between Sn^II and PEI-MP remains intact in blood plasma, which is consistent with the observation for PEI-MP labeled with ^99mTc. From these data, it was also possible to explain in retrospect the lower bone uptake, the slow blood clearance and the liver uptake of the agents ^117mSn(II) DTPA and ^117mSn(II) HEDP agents as reported in the literature.     

Electrochemical formation of a low-dimensional phase on the boundary between the LaF<Subscript>3</Subscript>:Eu<Superscript>2+</Superscript> single crystal and the metal

The kinetics of the formation of a new phase at the interface between the LaF₃:Eu²⁺ single crystal and the (Sn, Bi, or Sb) metallic electrodes was studied using potentiostatic transient measurements and voltammetry with a linear variation of voltage. A comparison of the theoretical and experimental reduced transients that define two-dimensional instantaneous nucleation on a plot of I/I _m vs. t/t _m and three-dimensional growth of the instantaneous and progressive types of nucleation on a plot of I ²/I _m² vs. t/t _m showed that the model was not fully consistent with the experiment. The dependence of the stationary current logI _A(max) of the potentiostatic transients on 1/η during the formation of the intermediate phase on the boundaries of LaF₃:Eu²⁺|Sn and LaF₃:Eu²⁺|Bi was found to be linear, which corresponds to two-dimensional nucleation and growth of the new phase.     

Half-life measurement of <Superscript>126</Superscript>Sn isolated from Hanford nuclear defense waste

Summary Long-term risk assessment of residual and disposed nuclear fuel reprocessing waste requires good knowledge of component isotopes with long half-lives. For example, the accuracy of the accepted ¹²⁶Sn half-life of approximately 100,000 years is insufficient for desired risk assessments. From modeling and sampling, ¹²⁶Sn is known to exist in Hanford nuclear waste. Excess portions of waste characterization samples were used to isolate ¹²⁶Sn for measurement of its half-life. Isolation was performed with ion-exchange resins. The resulting ¹²⁶Sn was gamma-assayed with a hyperpure germanium spectrometer for decay photon identification and activity values. An inductively coupled plasma/mass spectrometer was used to measure the atom quantity of the isolated ¹²⁶Sn. The separation chemistry, observed gamma energies, and calculated half-life are presented. The half-life of ¹²⁶Sn estimated in this work is (2.33±0.10) ^. 10⁵ years.     

Mass-independent isotopic fractionation of tin in chemical exchange reaction using a crown ether

Tin isotopes were fractionated by the liquid-liquid extraction technique with a crown ether, dicyclohexano-18-crown-6. The isotopic ratios of ^mSn/¹²⁰Sn (m: 116, 117, 118, 119, 122 and 124) were measured by multi-collector inductively coupled plasma spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) on a Nu Plasma 500 with a precision better than 0.05 permil amu⁻¹ on each isotopic ratio. Odd atomic mass isotopes (¹¹⁷Sn and ¹¹⁹Sn) showed depletions compared to the even atomic mass isotopes (¹¹⁶Sn, ¹¹⁸Sn, ¹²²Sn and ¹²⁴Sn). We show that this odd-even staggering property originates from the nuclear field shift effect. The contribution of the nuclear field shift effect to the observed isotope enrichment factor was estimated to be ∼35%.     

Dérivés Alléniques de l'Étain,du Plomb et du Mercure. Signes Relatifs des Constantes de Couplage Métal-Proton á Travers Deux et Quatre Liaisons

Satellites corresponding to metal-proton coupling constants through two and four bonds are observed in PMR spectra of Pb, Sn and Hg allenic derivatives. The relative signs of these coupling constants are deduced from analysis of the satellite spectra: ²J(X? H) and ⁴J(X? H) are of opposite signs for X = ²⁰⁷Pb, ¹¹⁹Sn, ¹¹⁷Sn and of same sign for X = ¹⁹⁹Hg. Probable absolute signs of reduced coupling constants are discussed in relation to published data: ²K(X? C? H) is probably positive for X = ²⁰⁷Pb, ¹¹⁹Sn, ¹¹⁷Sn and ¹⁹⁹Hg. ⁴K(X? C?C?C? H) is probably negative for X = ²⁰⁷Pb, ¹¹⁹Sn, ¹¹⁷Sn and positive for X = ¹⁹⁹Hg.     

A novel electrochemical <Superscript>99</Superscript>Mo/<Superscript>99m</Superscript>Tc generator

A novel electrochemical process to avail clinical grade ^99mTc from (n,γ)⁹⁹Mo has been demonstrated. The electrochemical parameters were optimized to maximize the ^99mTc yield with minimal ⁹⁹Mo contamination. ⁹⁹Mo/^99mTc generators containing up to 29.6 GBq (800 mCi) ⁹⁹Mo were developed and their performance were extensively evaluated for 10 days without changing the operating conditions. Very high radioactive concentration of ^99mTcO₄ ⁻ of acceptable quality, commensurate with hospital radiopharmacy requirements could be availed from the system with >90% yield. The compatibility of the product for the formulation of ^99mTc labeled radiopharmaceuticals such as ^99mTc-DMSA and ^99mTc-EC was found to be satisfactory in terms of high labeling yields. The proposed route represents an important step for enhancing the scope of accessing clinical grade ^99mTc from low specific activity (n, γ)⁹⁹Mo.     

Atmospheric deposition fluxes of <Superscript>7</Superscript>Be, <Superscript>210</Superscript>Pb and <Superscript>210</Superscript>Po at Xiamen,China

The atmospheric deposition fluxes of ⁷Be, ²¹⁰Pb and ²¹⁰Po at Xiamen were measured. The samples were collected from March 2004 to April 2005 and the sampling period was one month. The ⁷Be and ²¹⁰Pb activity were measured using HPGe γ-spectrometer after concentration using Fe(OH)₃ co-precipitation method. The ²¹⁰Po was counted with an α-spectrometer after the sample was digested and spontaneous plated onto a silver planchet. At Xiamen, the atmospheric deposition fluxes of ⁷Be varied between 0.11 and 2.93 Bq·m⁻²·d⁻¹ and the average was 1.64 Bq·m⁻²·d⁻¹; ²¹⁰Pb fluxes varied between 0.04 and 0.85 Bq·m⁻²·d⁻¹, and the average was 0.51 Bq·m⁻²·d⁻¹; ²¹⁰Po fluxes varied between 0.002 and 0.133 Bq·m⁻²·d⁻¹, and the average was 0.061 Bq·m⁻²·d⁻¹. There were positive correlations between the deposition fluxes of ⁷Be, ²¹⁰Pb or ²¹⁰Po and the amount of precipitation. The residence time of aerosols varied between 6.0 and 54.0 days with a mean of 27.1 days, which were calculated by ²¹⁰Po/²¹⁰Pb fluxes ratios.     

Selective ion-exchange sorption of K<Superscript>+</Superscript> from aqueous solutions containing Na<Superscript>+</Superscript>-K<Superscript>+</Superscript> mixture on Sn(IV) hydrophosphate

Ion-exchange sorption of K⁺ and Na⁺ from their mixture on X-ray-amorphous and crystalline Sn(IV) hydrophosphates was studied. These sorbents exhibit a high selectivity for K⁺. Amorphous Sn(IV) hydrophosphate can be used for efficient purification of aqueous sodium salt solutions to remove potassium impurity.Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Khimii, Vol. 77, No. 8, 2004, pp. 1275–1278.Original Russian Text Copyright © 2004 by Smirnov, Dimova, Redchenko.     

Potential use of tungstocerate matrices on the separation of <Superscript>113m</Superscript>In from <Superscript>110m</Superscript>Ag relevant to the separation of the cyclotron-produced <Superscript>111</Superscript>In from its silver target

A procedure for separation of no-carrier-added ^113mIn(III) radioisotope from a bulk of ^110mAg has been developed. The sorption behavior of ^113mIn(III) and ^110mAg(I) ions in HNO₃ acid solutions on different tungstocerate matrices showed high affinity of ^110mAg(I) ions towards tungstocerate(IV) gel matrices compared with ^113mIn(III) ions. No-carrier-added ^113mIn radionuclide was separated from ^110mAg on 12-tungstocerate(IV) column matrix. 11 mL 0.3M HNO₃ acid solution was enough for eluting the ^113mIn from the column bed. ^110mAg was recovered from the column by eluting the column bed with 12 mL 2M HNO₃ acid solution.     

A novel method for the cyclotron production no-carrier-added <Superscript>93m</Superscript>Mo for nuclear medicine

Amongst the various radioisotopes of molybdenum, ^93mMo in its no-carrier added form might be a potential candidate radionuclide in the field of nuclear medicine due to its suitable half-life (T _1/2 = 6.85 h) and for its intense gamma line at 263.14 keV. Aim of the presented study is to compare the calculated cross sections for the production of ^93mMo incident proton energy up to 30 MeV, theoretical calculation of production yield and calculation of target thickness requirement. Also, deposition of ⁹³NbO₂ on Cu substrate was carried out via two special sedimentation methods for the production of ^93mMo and a simple and selective extraction of molybdenum was described.     

Determination of radionuclidic impurities in <Superscript>99m</Superscript>Tc eluate from <Superscript>99</Superscript>Mo/<Superscript>99m</Superscript>Tc generator for quality control

Technetium-99m is the principal radioisotope used in medical diagnostics; radionuclidic impurity is the major concern of its quality. This work presents a analytical method for sequential determination of all radionuclidic impurities listed in pharmacopoeia including gamma emitters, alpha emitters, ⁸⁹Sr and ⁹⁰Sr. Radioactive decay for removal of ^99mTc, ion exchange and extraction chromatography for removal of ⁹⁹Mo and ⁹⁹Tc are effective for separation of interferences. Gamma spectrometry, LSC with alpha/beta discrimination, and Cherenkov counting using LSC are sensitive methods for measurement of the impurity radionuclides. The detection limits of this method are well meet the requirement of the quality control according to the limitation of the pharmacopoeia.     

Investigation of the impurity concentrations and product activities of some targets used in radioisotope production: a neutron activation analysis study

Neutron activation analysis using the k ₀ standardization method (k ₀-NAA) and fast neutron activation analysis using reactor fission neutrons, were used to determine the impurity concentrations in WO₃, MoO₃, SnO₂ and TeO₂ targets. The radioimpurities ¹²⁴Sb, ¹³⁴Cs, ⁶⁰Co, ⁸⁷Rb, ¹⁸²Ta, ²³³Pa, ⁶⁵Zn, ⁵⁹Fe, ^110mAg, ⁵¹Cr, ⁹⁵Zr, ⁷⁵Se and ^114mIn were found in the irradiated targets and their origin either neutron capture reactions, or threshold reactions or both were identified. The specific activities of ¹⁸⁷W, ¹⁸⁸Re, ^99mTc, ^113mIn, ^117mSn and ¹³¹I radioisotopes were determined. It is shown that the epithermal neutron flux significantly contributes to the isotopes characterized with high Q₀ values. It is shown that the ^117mSn isotope can be produced with a high specific activity using the fast neutron component of the reactor neutron spectrum.     

Activity standardization of <Superscript>99m</Superscript>Tc using liquid scintillation counting method

The Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS) participated in the BIPM.RI(II)-K4.Tc-99 m comparison of activity measurements of ^99mTc. We develop the national primary standard for ^99mTc solution used during the comparison. We use two primary liquid scintillation counting techniques for the standardization: digital coincidence counting with the 4πβ(LS)-γ(NaI(T1))system and triple-to-double coincidence ratio counting. Both methods give consistent results for the specific activity of a ^99mTc solution. Adopting the result from the DCC method as the reference value of the ^99mTc measurement, we evaluate the standard uncertainty of 0.856% for the KRISS primary standard of the ^99mTc activity. The K4 comparison result shows that the newly-established KRISS primary standard lies within the standard uncertainty with the key comparison reference value defined from other ^99mTc measurements.     

Determination of activity ratios of <Superscript>238,239+240,241</Superscript>Pu, <Superscript>241</Superscript>Am, <Superscript>134,137</Superscript>Cs,and <Superscript>90</Superscript>Sr in Bulgarian soils

The origins of different artificial radionuclides found in soils from Northern and Southern Bulgaria was determined by measurements of their actual concentrations and respective ratios. On the basis of the measured mobility and concentrations of the investigated radionuclides in soils, it was estimated that after the Chernobyl accident the mean depositions of fresh ¹³⁷Cs were 3.0 ± 2.5 kBq/m² for Northern Bulgaria and 15 ± 7 kBq/m² for Southern Bulgaria. As a result of global fallout following atmospheric nuclear weapon tests in the 1950s, mean depositions (corrected to 1965) were calculated for Northern and Southern Bulgaria as follows: for ⁹⁰Sr—1.0 ± 0.5 and 2.3 ± 1.3 kBq/m², ²³⁸Pu—1.3 ± 0.8 and 2.8 ± 1.6 Bq/m², ^239+240Pu—15 ± 14 and 47 ± 38 Bq/m², and ²⁴¹Pu—520 ± 200 and 760 ± 260 Bq/m².     

Production of <Superscript>122</Superscript>Sb for the study of environmental pollution

This article presents, ¹²²Sb (T _1/2 = 2.723 days, I _β- = 97.59%) was produced via the ^natSn(p,xn) nuclear process at the AMIRS (Cyclone-30, IBA, Belgium). The electrodeposition experiments were carried out by potassium stannate trihydrate (K₂Sn(OH)₆) and potassium hydroxide. The optimum conditions of the electrodeposition of tin were as follows: 40 g/L ^natSn, 20 g/L KOH, 115 g/L K₂Sn(OH)₆, DC current density of 5 A/dm² with a bath temperature of 75 °C. The electroplated Tin-target was irradiated with 26.5 MeV protons at current of 180 μA for 20 min. Solvent extraction of no-carrier-added ¹²²Sb from irradiated Tin-natural target hydrochloric solution was investigated using di-n-butyl ether (C₈H₁₈O). Yields of about 3.61 MBq/μAh were experimentally obtained.