Target Development towards First Production of High-Molar- Activity Sc and Sc by Mass Separation at CERN-MEDICIS.

The radionuclides Sc, 44g/mSc, and Sc can be produced cost-effectively in sufficient yield for medical research and applications by irradiating natTi and natV target materials with protons. Maximizing the production yield of the therapeutic Sc in the highest cross section energy range of 24-70 MeV results in the co-production of long-lived, high-γ-ray-energy Sc and Sc contaminants if one does not use enriched target materials. Mass separation can be used to obtain high molar activity and isotopically pure Sc radionuclides from natural target materials; however, suitable operational conditions to obtain relevant activity released from irradiated natTi and natV have not yet been established at CERN-MEDICIS and ISOLDE.

The electron affinity of astatine.

One of the most important properties influencing the chemical behavior of an element is the electron affinity (EA). Among the remaining elements with unknown EA is astatine, where one of its isotopes, At, is remarkably well suited for targeted radionuclide therapy of cancer. With the At anion being involved in many aspects of current astatine labeling protocols, the knowledge of the electron affinity of this element is of prime importance.