Separation of ^99mTc from ⁹⁹Mo0₃. A high performance sublimation generator

At the present time 99mTc is widely used in nuclear medicine and its uses are increasing. It can be produced by various methods, and of those most frequently used today two have special features making them particularly applicable to the large-scale production of instant these are solvent extraction with methyl-ethyl--ketone and the sublimation methods.

This report presents a bibliographic review of these methods, their main performance parameters, and experience obtained from the development and operation of a sublimation generator. Separation of 99Tc from irradiated MoO3, was carried out with high yields (75-95%) after multiple repetitior of the separation process, with molybdenum trioxide heated for half an hour at a maximum temperature of 850-890°C in an air flow.

The activity ratio of molybdenum in the separated] 99mTc was of the order of 4 x 10-5.