Separation of no-carrier-added arsenic-77 from neutron irradiated germanium

Abstract

Arsenic-77 ( T 1/2 =1.6 d) was produced by irradiating natural germanium in Pakistan Research Reactor-1. The nuclear reaction 76 Ge( n ,γ) produces 77 Ge, which decays by emission of β - particles into 77 As. The neutron irradiated target was dissolved in aqua regia, excess of acid was removed by evaporation and finally the solution in basic media was passed through hydrous zirconium oxide (HZO) column. The Ge was quantitatively retained on HZO, while 77 As was present in the effluent. More than 90% 77 As was recovered. The chemical impurity of Ge in 77 As was <0.01 μg/mL.