John W. Weidner

Proton-induced cross sections relevant to production of 225Ac and 223Ra in natural thorium targets below 200 MeV

Cross sections for (223,)(225)Ra, (225)Ac and (227)Th production by the proton bombardment of natural thorium targets were measured at proton energies below 200 MeV. Our measurements are in good agreement with previously published data and offer a complete excitation function for (223,)(225)Ra in the energy range above 90 MeV. Comparison of theoretical predictions with the experimental data shows reasonable-to-good agreement. Results indicate that accelerator-based production of (225)Ac and (223)Ra below 200 MeV is a viable production method.

225Ac and 223Ra production via 800 MeV proton irradiation of natural thorium targets

Cross sections for the formation of (225,227)Ac, (223,225)Ra, and (227)Th via the proton bombardment of natural thorium targets were measured at a nominal proton energy of 800 MeV. No earlier experimental cross section data for the production of (223,225)Ra, (227)Ac and (227)Th by this method were found in the literature. A comparison of theoretical predictions with the experimental data shows agreement within a factor of two. Results indicate that accelerator-based production of (225)Ac and (223)Ra is a viable production method.

Ac, La, and Ce radioimpurities in 225Ac produced in 40–200 MeV proton irradiations of thorium

Abstract Accelerator production of 225Ac addresses the global supply deficiency currently inhibiting clinical trials from establishing 225Acs therapeutic utility, provided that the accelerator product is of sufficient radionuclidic purity for patient use. Two proton activation experiments utilizing the stacked foil technique between 40 and 200 MeV were employed to study the likely co-formation of radionuclides expected to be especially challenging to separate from 225Ac. Foils were assayed by nondestructive γ-spectroscopy and by α-spectroscopy of chemically processed target material. Nuclear formation cross sections for the radionuclides 226Ac and 227Ac as well as lower lanthanide radioisotopes 139Ce, 141Ce, 143Ce, and 140La whose elemental ionic radii closely match that of actinium were measured and are reported. The predictions of the latest MCNP6 event generators are compared with measured data, as they permit estimation of the formation rates of other radionuclides whose decay emissions are not clearly discerned in the complex spectra collected from 232Th(p,x) fission product mixtures.

Cross sections from proton irradiation of thorium at 800 MeV

Nuclear formation cross sections are reported for 65 nuclides produced from 800-MeV proton irradiation of thorium foils. These data are useful as benchmarks for computational predictions in the ongoing process of theoretical code development and also to the design of spallation-based radioisotope production currently being considered for multiple radiotherapeutic pharmaceutical agents. Measured data are compared with the predictions of three MCNP6 event generators and used to evaluate the potential for 800-MeV productions of radioisotopes of interest for medical radiotherapy. In only a few instances code predictions are discrepant from measured values by more than a factor of two, demonstrating satisfactory predictive power across a large mass range. Similarly, agreement between measurements presented here and those previously reported is good, lending credibility to predictions of target yields and radioimpurities for high-energy accelerator-produced radionuclides.

Separation of 103Ru from a proton irradiated thorium matrix: A potential source of Auger therapy radionuclide 103mRh

Ruthenium-103 is the parent isotope of 103mRh (t1/2 56.1 min), an isotope of interest for Auger electron therapy. During the proton irradiation of thorium targets, large amounts of 103Ru are generated through proton induced fission. The development of a two part chemical separation process to isolate 103Ru in high yield and purity from a proton irradiated thorium matrix on an analytical scale is described herein. The first part employed an anion exchange column to remove cationic actinide/lanthanide impurities along with the majority of the transition metal fission products. Secondly, an extraction chromatographic column utilizing diglycolamide functional groups was used to decontaminate 103Ru from the remaining impurities. This method resulted in a final radiochemical yield of 83 ± 5% of 103Ru with a purity of 99.9%. Additionally, measured nuclear reaction cross sections for the formation of 103Ru and 106Ru via the 232Th(p,f)103,106Ru reactions are reported within.