64Cu Reaction Research Articles

High-resolution two-proton stripping to 2p-1h 7/2- states via the 59Co(3He,n $\gamma$ )61Cu reaction

The challenge of achieving high resolution in binary reactions involving an outgoing high-energy neutron is solved by detecting the \( \gamma\)-ray decay of populated excited states in an array of escape-suppressed HPGe detectors in coincidence with fast neutrons. The selectivity of the arrangement is of the order of 1 in 1000 and is demonstrated by L = 0 two-proton stripping to 7/2- 2p-1h levels using the 59Co(3He,\(n \gamma\))61Cu reaction at Elab = 22.5 MeV. The observed relative two-proton stripping strengths are compared with large-basis shell-model calculations.

Production and separation of 64Cu and 67Cu using 14 MeV neutrons

64Cu and 67Cu, promising candidates for radioimmunotherapy, were produced by irradiating enriched 64ZnO and natural ZnO with ~14 MeV neutrons via the 64Zn(n, p)64Cu and 67Zn(n, p)67Cu reactions. No-carrier-added 64,67Cu were separated giving a yield of >90 %, a low radionuclide impurity ratio of 65Zn (65Zn/64Cu <0.01 %) and Zn decontamination factor of over 9.7 × 105. The labelling efficiency with 64,67Cu for TETA was 92–97 %. The current study demonstrated that the fundamental separation and the purification procedure for 64, 67Cu from nat, 64ZnO were established with high separation efficiency and successful labelling, together with high recovery of Zn samples.

First Measurement of the Radionuclide Purity of the Therapeutic Isotope 67Cu Produced by 68Zn(n,x) Reaction Using natC(d,n) Neutrons

We have for the first time studied the radionuclide purity of the therapeutic isotope 67Cu produced by the 68Zn(n,x)67Cu reaction. The neutrons were obtained by the natC(d,n) reaction using 40 MeV ...

Excitation function of (p, α) nuclear reaction on enriched 67Zn: possibility of production of 64Cu at low energy cyclotron

Abstract The potential for production of the medically relevant 64Cu has been investigated by proton irradiation of highly enriched 67Zn targets. The excitation function of the 67Zn(p, α)64Cu a nuclear reaction was measured by the stacked-foil technique up to 30 MeV. The prediction of the TALYS code was also compared to the measured cross section results. Based on the improved database of the 67Zn(p, α)64Cu reaction, thick target yield as a function of energy was also deduced. Production possibility of 64Cu is discussed in detail, employing different energy proton beams and with regards to the 61Cu and 67Cu contamination levels as a function of the target enrichment level. By using 1 μA beam intensity, 6.3505 h irradiation time and enriched 67Zn target (64Zn ≤ 0.5%, 66Zn ≤ 9%, 67Zn ≥ 80%, 68Zn ≤ 10% and 70Zn ≤ 0.5%), the expected EOB (End Of bombardment) yields are 43.66, 88.80 and 156.14 MBq/μA at 12, 15 and 18 MeV proton energies, respectively. Application time-frames were also deduced where the total radio-copper contamination level remains below 1%.

Radiochemical measurement of neutron-spectrum averaged cross sections for the formation of 64Cu and 67Cu via the (n,p) reaction at a TRIGA Mark-II reactor: Feasibility of simultaneous production of the theragnostic pair 64Cu/67Cu

Abstract Integral cross sections of the 64Zn(n, p)64Cu and 67Zn(n, p)67Cu reactions were measured for the fast neutron spectrum of TRIGA Mark-II reactor at Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh. A clean radiochemical separation was performed to isolate the copper radionuclides from the target element zinc. The radioactivities produced in the irradiation were measured by HPGe γ-ray spectroscopy. The neutron flux over the energy range 0.5–20 MeV was determined using the 58Ni(n, p)58Co monitor reaction. The measured results amount to 28.9 ± 2.0 mb and 0.84 ± 0.07 mb for the formation of 64Cu and 67Cu, respectively. These values are slightly lower than the respective values for a pure fission spectrum. The present results were compared with data calculated using the neutron spectral distribution and the recently critically analysed excitation function of each reaction given in the literature. The good agreement validates the reliability of those excitation functions. The feasibility of simultaneous production of 64Cu and 67Cu with fast neutrons is discussed.

Nuclear model analysis of excitation functions of proton, deuteron and α-particle induced reactions on nickel isotopes for production of the medically interesting copper-61

Excitation functions of the 61Ni(p,n)61Cu, 62Ni(p,2n)61Cu, 60Ni(d,n)61Cu and 58Ni(α,p)61Cu reactions were analyzed with respect to the production of 61Cu (T½=3.33h), a promising radionuclide for PET imaging. The nuclear model codes EMPIRE and TALYS reproduced the experimental data of all reactions well, except those for the (d,n) process. The fitted excitation functions were employed to calculate the integral yield of 61Cu in all reactions. The amounts of the possible impurities 62Cu and 60Cu were assessed. A validation of the evaluated (p,xn) data was attempted.

Cross-Section Calculations on Several Structural Fusion Materials for (γ,3n) Reactions in the Photon Energy Range of 20–110 MeV

In this study, photo-neutron cross-sections of (γ,3n) reactions for several structural fusion materials such as 55Mn, 65Cu, 94Zr, 98,100Mo, 181Ta and 186W have been investigated in the incident photon energy range of 20–110 MeV. Theoretical cross-section calculations, based on theoretical nuclear reaction models, have been carried out using the PCROSS, EMPIRE 3.1 and TALYS 1.6 codes. EMPIRE 3.1 exciton, TALYS 1.6 two component exciton and TALYS 1.6 pre-equilibrium models have been used to calculate the pre-equilibrium photo-neutron cross-sections. For the equilibrium cross-section calculations, PCROSS Weisskopf–Ewing model has been preferred. The calculated results have been compared with each other and against the experimental nuclear reaction data (EXFOR). Except the 65Cu(γ,3n)62Cu reaction, all model equilibrium and pre-equilibrium cross-section calculations exhibit generally good agreement with the experimental values for all reactions used in this study. TALYS 1.6 two component exciton model can be recommended, if experimental photo-neutron cross-section data are not available or are unlikely to be produced because of the experimental difficulties.

Calculation of excitation functions for the production of Cu and Co medical isotopes

Abstract Copper and cobalt radioisotopes have been used for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes in the field of nuclear medicine. There is considerable interest in 60 ,61,64,67Cu and 55,57Co radioisotopes for some applications like PET, SPECT imaging and targeted radiotherapy of tumors. In present study, the production of 60,61,64,67Cu and 55,57Co via 64Zn(p,α)61Cu, 67Zn(p,α)64Cu, 70Zn(p,α)67Cu, 58Ni(p,α)55Co, 60Ni(p,α)57Co, 64Zn(p,nα)6°Cu and 68Zn(p,nα)64Cu reactions have been investigated in the range of 5–40 MeV proton incident energy. The new version of the code ALICE-2011 is used to determine the excitation functions of these nuclear reactions. The calculated excitation functions were compared with experimental results and semi-empirical cross section values of a previously developed model.

Calculation the Cross Sections for64Cu(n,p)64Ni Reaction By Reciprocity Theory

In this study intermediate elements 64Ni , 64Cu for 64Ni (p,n)64Cu reaction with proton energy from (1.0) MeV to (132) MeV with threshold energy (2.496) MeV are used according to the available data of reaction cross sections. We calculated the cross sections for 64Cu(n,p)64Ni reaction by application in nuclear technology (reciprocity theory). In reciprocity theory we derive the mathematical formula for 64Cu(n,p)64Ni and we deduced high probability to produced 64Ni because it is very important such as it used in technology field .The evaluated cross sections as a functions of neutron energy between (En =0.504MeV) to (En=129.506MeV) of (0.0106barn) (0.254barn) respectively and statistical factor (gp,n=1 and gn,p=1/3) .

Electron screening in nickel

In order to investigate the interplay between nuclei and their surroundings, we studied proton-induced nuclear reactions over an energy range from 0.86 to 3.08MeV for different environments: Ni metal and NiO insulator. The measurements were based on the observation of the yields of 59, 61, 63, 64, 65Cu and 58, 60, 62Ni de-excitation $ \gamma$ -rays. Shifts in the resonance energy for the metallic target relative to the insulator one were not observed. Electron screening potential of $ U_{e}=31\pm 13$ keV was deduced for 64Ni $ (p,n\gamma )$ 64Cu reaction, while $ U_{e}=19\pm 4$ keV was deduced for 58Ni $(p,\gamma )$ 59Cu and 60Ni $(p,\gamma )$ 61Cu reactions. The observed electron screening potentials for (p,n) and (p, $\gamma$ ) reactions are the same within error bars, but the comparison with previous measurements raises the question of the independence of the electron screening from the reaction exit channel.

The consistency of the data for neutron fission averaged cross-sections of threshold reactions: A study on the cross-section of 46Ti(n,p)46Sc, 47Ti(n,p)47Sc, 48Ti(n,p)48Sc and 64Zn(n,p)64Cu reactions

The consistency of the published values for fission averaged cross-sections of threshold reactions induced in a nuclear reactor is analyzed. The influence of the literature data involved in the determination of these cross-sections is discussed. Renormalizations based on cross-sections value for the standard reactions, isotopic abundances of the precursors and radiation emission probabilities of the radionuclide under study and the monitor, are applied to the evaluation of the cross-sections for the reactions: 46Ti(n,p)46Sc; 47Ti(n,p)47Sc; 48Ti(n,p)48Sc; and 64Zn(n,p)64Cu.

High specific activity 61Cu via 64Zn(p,α)61Cu reaction at low proton energies

The PET radionuclide 61Cu is accessible through several nuclear reactions. Besides the common production route via 61Ni(p,n)61Cu the 64Zn(p,α)61Cu reaction offers some advantages. Especially the comparatively cheap enriched 64Zn makes this process economical. For fast product purification and recycling of target material an ion exchange cascade was developed. In addition a separation technique with a copper selective resin was tested. 61Cu with specific activities up to 1000GBq/μmol was produced with these methods.

Module-assisted preparation of 64Cu with high specific activity

In this work the production of 64Cu via the 64Ni(p,n)64Cu reaction with optimized conditions for low current irradiation is presented. Different target setups and cleaning steps for lowering metal contaminations in the product were applied. 64Cu with high specific activities up to 1685GBq/μmol was produced despite low overall activity (∼4.2GBq per run). The module processing leads to a highly reproducible, reliable product quality (<1μg Cu and <7μg Ni). Besides its diagnostic value 64Cu may be of interest even for therapeutic purposes due to its decay characteristics.

Nuclear model calculation for cyclotron production of 61Cu as a PET imaging

61Cu is positron emitter and can be used as the PET and molecular imaging. In this study cyclotron production of 61Cu via 61Ni(p,n)61Cu, natNi(p,x)61Cu, natNi(d,x)61Cu, natNi(α,x)61Cu, natZn(p,x)61Cu and 59Co(α,2n)61Cu reactions was investigated. The ALICE/ASH (hybrid and GDH models) and TALYS-1.2 codes were used to calculate excitation functions for proton, alpha and deuteron induced on natNi, proton on 61Ni and natZn and also alpha-particle on 59Co targets that lead to the production of 61Cu radioisotopes using intermediate energy accelerators. In addition, we compared the data obtained from in this study with the reported measurement by experimental data. Moreover, optimal thickness of the targets and physical yield were obtained by stopping and range of ions in matter code for each reaction. Eventually 61Ni(p,n)61Cu and 59Co(α,2n)61Cu reaction to produce 61Cu in no-carrier added state with high production yield was suggested. Finally the natNi(p,x)61Cu reaction was employed to test the target preparation using electroplating technique.

Investigation of cross sections of reactions used in neutron activation analysis

Abstract In this study, neutron incident reaction cross sections for some target nuclei such as 24Mg, 27Al, 28Si, 56Fe, and 63Cu used in neutron activation analysis have been investigated. The new calculations on the excitation functions of 24Mg(n, p)24Na, 27Al(n, p)27Mg, 27Al(n, α)24Na, 28Si(n, p)28Al, 56Fe(n, p)56Mn, and 63Cu(n, 2n)62Cu reactions have been carried out for incident neutron energies up to 20 MeV. In these calculations, the pre-equilibrium and equilibrium effects have been investigated. The pre-equilibrium calculations involve the new geometry dependent hybrid model and the full exciton model. Equilibrium effects are calculated according to the Weisskopf–Ewing model. In the present work, reaction cross-sections have been calculated by using empirical formulas developed for energies of 14–15 MeV. The calculated results are discussed and compared with the experimental data taken from the EXFOR database.

Charged particle induced reaction cross section data for production of the emerging medically important positron emitter 64Cu: A comprehensive evaluation

Abstract The radionuclide 64Cu (T 1/2=12.7 h) is an important non-standard positron emitter, suitable for combining PET imaging and targeted therapy. Its production in no-carrier-added form is done via charged particle induced reactions, and considerable amount of cross section data are available in the literature. We evaluated seven reactions, namely 64Ni(p, n) 64Cu, 64Ni(d, 2n) 64Cu, 68Zn(p, αn) 64Cu, 66Zn(p, 2n) 64Cu, 64Zn(d, 2p) 64Cu, 66Zn(p, α) 64Cu and natZn(d, x) 64Cu. Data analysis was generally limited up to about 25 MeV and the consistency check of experimental data was carried out using the nuclear model codes STAPRE, EMPIRE and TALYS. In a few cases experimental data were available up to 100 MeV; the consistency check in the high energy region was done only using the code TALYS. A statistical procedure (supported by nuclear model calculations) was then used to fit the data. The derived recommended sets of data, together with 95% confidence limits, are reported. The integral yields calculated from those data are also given. A critical comparison of the various production routes of 64Cu is presented. The 64Ni(p, n) 64Cu reaction, utilizing a highly enriched target, is the method of choice.

Production of no-carrier-added 64Cu and applications to molecular imaging by PET and PETIS as a biomedical tracer

Copper-64 was produced by the 64Ni(p, n)64Cu reaction using enriched 64NiO target. We investigated and compared the production yield of 64Cu for proton beams of various energies by using a thick target. Enriched 64Ni was recovered with high yield by simple procedures. Imaging studies using positron emission tomography (PET) and positron emitting tracer imaging system (PETIS) were performed. We obtained clear images in PET and PETIS studies. The results of this study indicate that 64Cu can be utilized as a biomedical tracer for the molecular imaging both in animals and plants.

The determination of reactor neutron spectrum-averaged cross-sections in miniature neutron source reactor facility

A comparator method based on the resonance integral of 197Au(n, γ) 198Au reaction has been used to determine fast neutron spectrum-averaged cross-section data of some dosimetry reactions in a miniature neutron source reactor (MNSR) facility. Target materials of low- and medium-mass nuclei, which are of interest in reactor dosimetry and NAA were investigated. Irradiation was performed under Cd cover in an inner irradiation channel of the Nigeria Research Reactor-1 (NIRR-1) currently fueled with highly enriched uranium (HEU). Spectrum-averaged cross-section data were calculated on the basis of the epithermal neutron flux monitored by the Al–0.1%Au foil irradiated along with the target materials. Results of (n,p) reaction on 27Al, 28Si, 29Si, 46Ti, 47Ti, 56Fe, 58Ni, and (n, α) reaction on 30Si were found to be in good agreement with recommended data within standard deviation. However, data obtained for the 27Al(n, α) 24Na and 64Zn (n,p) 64Cu reactions using the Al–0.1%Au foil as the flux monitor for both the comparator approach and the conventional method are higher than recommended data from the literature by over 25%.

Production of 67Cu via the 68Zn(p,2p)67Cu reaction and recovery of 68Zn target

The radionuclide 67Cu was produced via the 68Zn(p,2p)67Cu reaction by irradiating enriched 68Zn targets with 70 MeV proton beam. Copper-67 was chemically separated from the zinc target by ion-exchange chromatography using Chelex-100 chelating ion-exchange resin. Procedure for recovery of the enriched 68Zn was developed. The target recovery yield of this method was evaluated to be more than 97%.

Development of a primary standard for calibration of 64Cu activity measurement systems

A 64Cu national primary standard, was developed by the National Institute for Ionising Radiation Metrology (INMRI) of the ENEA (ENEA-INMRI) using the CIEMAT/NIST method of 4 πβ liquid scintillation spectrometry with 3H-standard efficiency tracing. Relatively short 64Cu half-life is required for the work to be performed at the production site. It was produced at the Scanditronix MC40 Cyclotron of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission (Ispra, Italy) through the 64Zn(d,2p) 64Cu reaction. Significant efforts were made to identify and quantify the impurities of 61Cu and 65Zn in the mother solution, which were activated through the 64Zn(d, αn) 61Cu and 64Zn(d,p) 65Zn reactions, respectively. To this purpose, a new procedure for the determination of pure β-emitter impurities by the CIEMAT/NIST method has been applied. A transfer standard portable well-type ionisation chamber was also calibrated with minimum uncertainty.