Development Of A Radiochemistry Laboratory For The Production Of Tc 99 M Using Neutron Activation

Many health care professionals increasingly rely on the use of radiopharmaceuticals in diagnosis and therapy. 99m Tc is the world’s most widely used radioisotope in nuclear diagnostic imaging. A small amount of 99m Tc is incorporated in a carrier molecule and injected into the patient’s blood stream which is then used for imaging. Selective accumulation of the 99m Tc in specifically targeted internal organs is achieved through the design of the carrier molecule. Traditionally it is produced from fission of uranium to produce 99 Mo which then decays to 99m Tc. The goal of this work is to set up a comprehensive graduate radiochemistry laboratory to isolate 99m Tc using the neutron activation of stable ammonium molybdenate. Included in the laboratory is an overview of the nuclear medicine information of 99m Tc, the radiation dose received for specific medical diagnoses, and the construction of an efficiency curve for a germanium detector that can be used for activity measurements of other medical isotopes produced.