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  • A simple and rapid technique for radiochemical separation of iodine radionuclides from irradiated tellurium using an activated charcoal column.

A simple and rapid technique for radiochemical separation of iodine radionuclides from irradiated tellurium using an activated charcoal column.

Applied radiation and isotopes : including data, instrumentation and methods for use in agriculture, industry and medicine (2009-05-05)
Sankha Chattopadhyay, Sujata Saha Das
ABSTRACT

A simple and inexpensive method for the separation of medically useful no-carrier-added (nca) iodine radionuclides from bulk amounts of irradiated tellurium dioxide (TeO(2)) target was developed. The beta(-) emitting (131)I radionuclide, produced by the decay of (131)Te through the (nat)Te(n, gamma)(131)Te nuclear reaction, was used for standardization of the radiochemical separation procedure. The radiochemical separation was performed by precipitation followed by column (activated charcoal) chromatography. Quantitative post-irradiation recovery of the TeO(2) target material (98-99%), in a form suitable for reuse in future irradiations, was achieved. The overall radiochemical yield for the complete separation of (131)I was 75-85% (n=8). The separated nca (131)I was of high, approximately 99%, radionuclidic and radiochemical purities and did not contain detectable amounts of the target material. This method can be adopted for the radiochemical separation of other different iodine radionuclides produced from tellurium matrices through cyclotron as well as reactor irradiation.

MATERIALS
Product Number
Brand
Product Description

Sigma-Aldrich
Tellurium dioxide, ≥97.0%
Sigma-Aldrich
Tellurium dioxide, ≥99%
Sigma-Aldrich
Tellurium dioxide, 99.995% trace metals basis