A high demand currently exists for Pm, namely 147Pm, which is used for ß batteries and thin-film measurements. Promethium-147 can be indirectly produced from the decay of neodymium-147, which is produced via (n,γ) reaction upon irradiation of enriched neodymium-146. Neodymium-147 has a 10.98-day half-life and decays to promethium-147 with a 2.6234-year half-life. Once a significant amount of 147Pm has grown-in, it can be separated from the Nd. However, current radioanalytical methods can make it difficult to determine the presence of 147Pm because 147Nd and 147Pm both exhibit a common γ-ray energy. This work explores alternative methods for confirming separation using spectrophotometry.

Analytical tools for measuring Nd and Pm for chemical separations

ACS Spring 2022

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