An electro-amalgamation approach to produce 175Yb suitable for radiopharmaceutical applications

Abstract 175 Yb is a prospective reactor produced radionuclide suitable for preparation of therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals. However, a major restraint in the use of 175 Yb produced via the ( n, γ ) reaction, for therapeutic applications, is the presence of longer-lived 177 Lu impurity which is co-produced along with 175 Yb on irradiation of natural Yb 2 O 3 target. A radiochemical separation procedure adopting electro-amalgamation approach for the removal of 177 Lu impurity from 175 Yb has been critically evaluated. The experimental parameters such as applied potential, electrolysis time and the pH of the electrolyte, affecting the electrochemical separation process, were studied and optimized. The developed radiochemical procedure was extensively tested for purification of up to 15 GBq of 175 Yb. The purified 175 Yb could be obtained in HCl medium with ∼95% yield. The 177 Lu impurity could not be detected in the purified product and 175 Yb was found suitable for the preparation of potential radiotherapeutic agents.