Evaluation of Materials for the Separation of Germanium from Gallium, Zinc and Cobalt

In the past 68 Ge (Germanium-68) was purified with toxic organic solvents in liquid-liquid extractions making the product unacceptable by the FDA (food and drug Administration) for human use.The authors report initial studies utilizing three or four columns consisting of sequences of AG1, AG50, Chelex 100 and/or Sephadex G25 resins.Five purification methods were examined and a separation consisting of the sequence: AG1-Chelex100-Sephedex G25 provided 87% recovery of germanium.Fractionation of the elution resulted in high germanium concentrations.