Cyclotron produced 44gSc from natural calcium

44gSc was produced by 16 MeV proton irradiation of unenriched calcium metal with radionuclidic purity greater than 95%. The thick target yield at saturation for 44gSc was 213MBq/μA, dwarfing the yields of contaminants 43Sc,44mSc, 47Sc and 48Sc for practical bombardment times of 1–2 h. Scandium was isolated from the dissolved calcium target by filtration, and reconstituted in small volumes of dilute HCl. Reactions with the chelate 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA) indicated a reactivity of 54±14Gbq/μmol at end-of-bombardment.

► Unenriched Calcium metal is a variable target material for cyclotron production of 44gSc.
► The thick target yield for natCa(p,⁎)44gSc is 213MBq/μA (projected to saturation).
► For short 16.4 MeV proton irradiations of natural calcium, the radionuclidic purity of 44gSc exceeds 95%.
► Filtration separates radioscandium from near-neutral pH calcium matrices.
► The reactivity of cyclotron-produced, filteration-separated 44gSc with the bifunctional chelate DOTA is 54GBq/μmol.