Interest in α-emitting radionuclides for applications in Targeted Alpha Therapy (TAT) continues to grow. With its relatively short half-life (~7.2 h) and its rather simple decay scheme, At-211 is one of the most advantageous nuclides for this purpose. However, study of astatine chemistry has been limited due to the practical difficulties of having no long-lived isotopes to investigate. The K150 cyclotron at Texas A&M is capable of producing α-particle beams necessary to make At-211 via the Bi-209 (α,<i>2n</i>) reaction and is continuing an effort to establish the capability to routinely produce At-211. The availability of the short-lived species at Texas A&M provides an avenue to achieve systematic analysis of its chemical properties. The aim of this investigation is to perform a fast and efficient recovery of At-211 from a bombarded Bi target. Recent findings from At-211 extraction into a variety of solvents has resulted in new insights into the fundamental properties of At-211. From this enhanced understanding, the behavior of At-211 can be better controlled. This has led to the development of a separation system, based on extraction chromatography, which results in a high yield, high purity At-211 product. Details of the liquid-liquid extraction of At-211 and the separation system being developed will be discussed.

Fast and efficient recovery of At-211 at Texas A&M University: From fundamental insights of At chemistry to an applied separation system

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

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