Abstract
Cu-67 has been produced since 1985 at the Brookhaven Linac Isotope Producer (BLIP) by irradiation of natural Zn targets with 200 MeV protons. Since the electrodeposition method used previously for isolation of Cu was slow (24–48 h) and unreliable for remote operation, a new, faster and more reliable method has been devised. It is based on (1) selective extraction of Cu dithizonate into organic solvent from a 0.5 M HCl solution of the bulk Zn target; (2) back extraction of Cu into aqueous phase; (3) removal of Ga by isopropyl ether treatment; and (4) final purification by anion exchange separation from other trace radiocontaminants. This procedure has been successfully adapted to remote hot cell operation, takes about 5–7 h to complete the processing of a typical BLIP irradiated ZnO target, and has resulted in better deliverable yields and specific activity. The overall 67Cu recovery is about 90% under remote conditions. For several 67Cu production runs with this procedure, the average Zn separation factor was 1.1 × 10 −6 and average 67Cu specific activity was 5 mCi/μg.
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