Kaustab Ghosh

Production and separation of 111In: an important radionuclide in life sciences: a mini review

Abstract111In is amongst the frequently used radionuclides in diagnostic nuclear medicine. Therefore its production and subsequent separation chemistry have been widely investigated since late 40s. 111In is commonly produced in proton or α-particle induced reactions on cadmium or silver targets. However, in recent past, various heavy ion (7Li, 11B, 12C etc.) activation routes have been proposed for its production. In this mini review, we have tried to portray the production routes of 111In and chemical separation methodologies reported so far in the literature in a concise form. A critical analysis presented in this review will be helpful to select suitable nuclear reaction and radiochemical method to produce high purity 111In for applications.

Separation of 195(m,g),197mHg from bulk gold target by liquid-liquid extraction using hydrophobic ionic liquids

Abstract The 195(m,g),197mHg radionuclides were produced in accelerator when natural Au foil was irradiated with 23 MeV protons. The no-carrier-added (NCA) Hg radioisotopes were separated from the bulk Au target by liquid-liquid extraction (LLX) employing hydrophobic RTILs 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphate([C4mim][PF6]) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide([bmim][Tf2N]) as extractant with HNO3 and HCl. In each case, bulk Au was extracted into the RTIL phase leaving NCA Hg-radionuclides in the aqueous phase. The RTILs were recovered by washing with 1 M K2S2O5 and freshly prepared 1 M FeSO4. The reported separation methods follow green chemistry approach as it does not involve any volatile reagents.