Actinium radioisotope products of enhanced purity

• US 7,736,610 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2006
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Battelle Energy Alliance LLC (Battelle Memorial Institute)
• Original Assignee: Battelle Energy Alliance LLC (Battelle Memorial Institute)
• Inventors: Todd, Terry Allen, Tranter, Troy Joseph, Horwitz, E. Philip, Meikrantz, David Herbert
• Primary Examiner(s): Bos; Steven
• Application Number:
  US11/278,522
• Publication Number:
  US 20060213329A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,534 Days
• Field of Search: 423/8, 423/9, 423/10, 423/3, 423/249, 753/93, 376/189, 376/170, 376/125, 376/195, 424/1.11
• US Class Current: 423/249
• CPC Class Codes: C22B 3/26 by liquid-liquid extraction using organic compounds
• CPC Class Codes: C22B 30/06 Obtaining bismuth
• CPC Class Codes: C22B 60/00 Obtaining metals of atomic number 87 or higher, i.e. radioactive metals
• CPC Class Codes: C22B 60/0295 obtaining other actinides except plutonium
• CPC Class Codes: G21G 4/00 Radioactive sources producing neutrons or other subatomic particles, X- or gamma rays, in fusion reactors G21B, in nuclear reactors G21C, by cosmic radiation G21H7/00, in accelerators H05H; X-ray tubes H01J35/00; gamma masers H01S4/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 10/20 Recycling

Abstract

A product includes actinium-225 (²²⁵Ac) and less than about 1 microgram (μg) of iron (Fe) per millicurie (mCi) of actinium-225. The product may have a radioisotopic purity of greater than about 99.99 atomic percent (at %) actinium-225 and daughter isotopes of actinium-225, and may be formed by a method that includes providing a radioisotope mixture solution comprising at least one of uranium-233 (²³³U) and thorium-229 (²²⁹Th), extracting the at least one of uranium-233 and thorium-229 into an organic phase, substantially continuously contacting the organic phase with an aqueous phase, substantially continuously extracting actinium-225 into the aqueous phase, and purifying the actinium-225 from the aqueous phase. In some embodiments, the product may include less than about 1 nanogram (ng) of iron per millicurie (mCi) of actinium-225, and may include less than about 1 microgram (μg) each of magnesium (Mg), Chromium (Cr), and manganese (Mn) per millicurie (mCi) of actinium-225.

Claims

1. A product including a radioisotope mixture comprising:

a quantity of actinium-225;

a quantity of at least one daughter isotope of actinium-225; and

between about 1 nanogram and about 1 microgram of iron per millicurie of actinium-225.

2. The product of claim 1, wherein the product further comprises a volume of liquid, the actinium-225 being suspended in the volume of liquid.

3. The product of claim 1, wherein the product further comprises less than about 10 micrograms of calcium per millicurie of actinium-225.

4. The product of claim 3, wherein the product further comprises less than about 0.1 microgram of calcium per millicurie of actinium-225.

5. The product of claim 1, wherein the product further comprises less than about 1 microgram of each of magnesium, chromium, and manganese per millicurie of actinium-225.

6. The product of claim 5, wherein the product further comprises less than about 1 nanogram of each of magnesium, chromium, and manganese per millicurie of actinium-225.

7. The product of claim 1, wherein the product further comprises a quantity of at least one radioisotope in addition to actinium-225.

8. The product of claim 7, wherein the product has a radioisotopic purity that is greater than about 99.99 atomic percent actinium-225 and daughter isotopes of actinium-225.

9. A product including a radioisotope mixture having a radioisotopic purity of greater than about 99.99 atomic percent actinium-225 and daughter isotopes of actinium-225 and including between about 1 nanogram and about 1 microgram of iron per millicurie of actinium-225.

10. The product of claim 9, wherein the product comprises a liquid suspension.

11. The product of claim 9, wherein the product further comprises less than about 10 micrograms of calcium per millicurie of actinium-225.

12. The product of claim 11, wherein the product further comprises less than about 0.1 microgram of calcium per millicurie of actinium-225.

13. The product of claim 9, wherein the product further comprises less than about 1 microgram of each of magnesium, chromium, and manganese per millicurie of actinium-225.

14. The product of claim 13, wherein the product further comprises less than about 1 nanogram of each of magnesium, chromium, and manganese per millicurie of actinium-225.

15. The product of claim 9, wherein the product further comprises a quantity of at least one radioisotope in addition to actinium-225.

16. A product including a radioisotope mixture having a radioisotopic purity of greater than about 99.99 atomic percent actinium-225 and daughter isotopes of actinium-225 and including between about 1 nanogram and about 1 microgram of iron per millicurie of actinium-225, the product formed by a method including:

providing a radioisotope mixture solution comprising at least one of uranium-233 and thorium-229;

extracting the at least one of uranium-233 and thorium-229 into an organic phase;

substantially continuously contacting the organic phase with an aqueous phase;

substantially continuously extracting actinium-225 into the aqueous phase; and

purifying the actinium-225 from the aqueous phase.

17. The product of claim 16, wherein the product further comprises less than about 1 microgram of each of magnesium, chromium, and manganese per millicurie of actinium-225.