Separation of iron from cobalt in nitrate medium using Cyanex-923 as extractant

We describe an analytical procedure with the use of inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) for the determination of about 20 elements in solutions of ¹⁷⁷LuCl₃ following the dissolution of the irradiated lutetium nitrate or oxide. The aliquots containing amounts of lutetium ranging from 1 to 100 µg in 1 ml volume were analyzed. It corresponded to the activity of ¹⁷⁷Lu ranging from 5 to 100 mCi. The detection limits of the elements concerned were in the range of 1 to 100 ng·ml^–1. The activity of ¹⁷⁷Lu and other radionuclides was measured using a high-resolution gamma ray spectrometer. The developed procedures are to be used for routine quality control of ¹⁷⁷Lu produced for synthesis of radiopharmaceuticals.This revised version was published online in November 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.