Possibility of Obtaining High-Activity 177Lu in the IR-8 Research Reactor

Abstract

The results of the production of the medical isotope ¹⁷⁷Lu in the IR-8 research reactor are presented. The quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the desired radionuclide are determined. The radiochemical method of separating ¹⁷⁷Lu from an irradiated target 176Yb by a combination of two electrochemical processes – cementation of ytterbium from acetate-chloride solution on sodium amalgam and electrolysis of an ytterbium solution in a single electrolytic cell – is proposed. The purification factor for removal of ¹⁷⁶Yb from ¹⁷⁷Lu was 10⁵–10⁶.