Production and separation of non-carrier-added 86Y from enriched 86Sr targets

The metallic radionuclide 86Y was produced by irradiation of enriched 86SrCO3 on a low-energy proton-only cyclotron. Irradiations up to 20 μA for 2 h were performed with 11 MeV protons using a water-cooled target mounting with circulating chilled helium. Experimental thick target yields of 26.7 mCi/μA yielded 24 mCi of 86Y in 2 h of bombardment at 10 μA. The difference in solubility products between Y(OH)3 and Sr(OH)2 allows the separation of 86Y from an alkaline strontium solution by using filter paper with an overall yield of 88±3%. The concentration of Sr in the final product was found to be on the order of 15 ppm when using 200 mg of target material as determined by ICP-MS analysis. The reactivity of 86Y was determined to be on the order of 1.5±0.8 Ci/μmol of DOTA. The enriched target material was recovered and converted to its original chemical form with an overall efficiency >90%.