Production of 161Tb as a promising Auger electron emitter in Iran

Abstract

¹⁶¹Tb is a high-potential emerging radionuclide in targeted radionuclide therapy due to the high emission of Auger electrons. So, efforts to obtain ¹⁶¹Tb have begun in Iran. To obtain NCA ¹⁶¹Tb, the development of an effective Gd/Tb separation approach is necessary. In this case, an Ln-resin column was used to separate Tb from the Gd/Tb matrix using the extraction chromatography technique. The results demonstrated that the optimal separation conditions were achieved by separating gadolinium and terbium isotopes using 0.8 and 3N HNO₃ solutions, respectively. The final ¹⁶¹Tb radionuclide has obtained 81% separation yield, more than 99% radionuclide purity, and 99% radiochemical purity.