US 12,191,046 B2
System and method for metallic isotope separation by a combined thermal-vacuum distillation process
Richard Ray Johnson, Vancouver (CA); William Z. Gelbart, Vancouver (CA); Brian Abeysekera, Burnaby (CA); Lidia Matei, Saskatoon (CA); and Glenn Mcrae, Ottawa (CA)
Assigned to BEST THERATRONICS LTD., (CA)
Filed by BEST THERATRONICS LTD., Ottawa (CA)
Filed on Feb. 5, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/168,672.
Application 17/168,672 is a division of application No. 15/502,332, granted, now 10,943,708, previously published as PCT/CA2015/050748, filed on Aug. 7, 2015.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/035,589, filed on Aug. 11, 2014.
Prior Publication US 2021/0158987 A1, May 27, 2021
Int. Cl. G21G 1/10 (2006.01); B01D 5/00 (2006.01); B01D 7/00 (2006.01); B01D 15/08 (2006.01); C01G 99/00 (2010.01); G21G 1/00 (2006.01); G21G 1/02 (2006.01); H05H 6/00 (2006.01); H05H 1/28 (2006.01)
CPC G21G 1/001 (2013.01) [B01D 5/0057 (2013.01); B01D 7/00 (2013.01); B01D 15/08 (2013.01); C01G 99/003 (2013.01); C01G 99/006 (2013.01); G21G 1/02 (2013.01); G21G 1/10 (2013.01); H05H 6/00 (2013.01); C01P 2006/80 (2013.01); G21G 2001/0042 (2013.01); H05H 1/28 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for separating a 99mTc isotope from a molybdenum target, the method comprising the steps of:
providing an initial multicomponent mixture of elements from the molybdenum target, said mixture containing 99mTc;
oxidizing said multicomponent mixture of elements with an oxidizing agent to oxidize the multicomponent mixture of elements, wherein the oxidation occurs at a temperature range of from about 800° C. to about 1200° C.;
sublimating said oxidized multicomponent mixture of elements to generate a vaporized compound containing a volatile oxide of 99mTc;
condensing the vaporized compound containing the volatile oxide of 99mTc in a condenser unit to form a condensed reaction product;
adding a base to the condensed reaction product to form a pertechnetate;
collecting said pertechnetate as a crude solution; and
purifying the crude pertechnetate solution using column chromatography to provide the 99mTc isotope as a radiochemical compound.