Recently, there has been an interest in acquiring more accurate nuclear reaction data by performing direct neutron reaction measurements with targets of radioactive nuclei to improve computational models used in nuclear validation applications and to predict the outcomes of astrophysical phenomena such as stellar nucleosynthesis. 48V (t1/2 = 15.9735 d) has been identified as an isotope that requires improved nuclear data for the Stockpile Stewardship program. One possible method to produce 48V in the required high isotopic purity for accurate nuclear reaction measurements is via the 45Sc(α, n)48V reaction. However, the lack of experimental data for the 45Sc(α, γ)49V reaction impedes the ability to accurately predict the attainable purity. Therefore, we set out to irradiate two natSc foil stacks with 24.3 MeV alpha particles at the Institute for Structure and Nuclear Astrophysics at the University of Notre Dame. Upon returning to Michigan State University, one of the foil stacks was used to optimize the radiochemical separation method for V and Sc. There were two separation methods we examined: one involving the use of a single large N,N,N’,N’-tetra-n-octyldiglycolamide (DGA) column and the other involving the use of an AG 1-X8 anion exchange column in the hydroxide form and a small DGA column (An-+DGA) sequentially. In both cases, we successfully separated 48V from natSc, achieving 48V recoveries of 96(5)% and 92(4)% for DGA and An-+DGA respectively. The method utilizing only one DGA column yielded more favorable recovery yields with faster separation times, so we used it to extract radiovanadium from the other foil stack. Fractions containing 48V/49V from this last foil stack were used to produce samples for liquid scintillation counting to determine the actual 48V/49V ratio and the viability of this production method to produce radioisotopically pure 48V.

Production and purification of 48V from alpha-irradiated natSc foil

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