While francium isotopes have been widely studied in nuclear physics because of their unique electronic and magnetic properties, the chemistry of francium has gone largely unstudied over the last 75 years. Nonetheless, Fr-221 is the first daughter of the much-lauded targeted alpha therapy isotope Ac-225. Though it only lasts for a few minutes before decaying, understanding the chemical behavior of francium in biological systems will enable better targeting agents for Ac-based cancer therapy. Using the isotope with the longest half-life (Fr-223, 21.8 min), it is possible to begin chemical characterization without the intervening variable of in situ production from Ac-225. We have developed a robust column separation procedure at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab to elute radio- and chemically-pure Fr-223 from its Ac-227 parent as frequently as every couple hours. With those elutions, tracer-level solution thermodynamics measurements are possible for chelators being investigated for Ac-225 targeted alpha therapy (HOPO, DOTA, DTPA), and various calixarenes, common chelators for Cs<sup>+</sup> ions.

Reinvigorating francium chemistry research to enable better understanding of targeted alpha therapy decay chains

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.