Separation of no-carrier-added rhenium from bulk tantalum by the sodium malonate-PEG aqueous biphasic system

The aqueous biphasic system (ABS) involving sodium malonate-polyethylene glycol (PEG) phases has been applied for the first time for separation of no-carrier-added 183Re (T1/2=70 d) from α-particle irradiated bulk tantalum target. The various ABS conditions were applied for investigating the separation by varying pH, temperature, PEG-molecular weight, concentration of salt. The extraction pattern was hardly affected by change in pH and the molecular weight of PEG. One step separation of nca 183Re from Ta was achieved at the optimal conditions of (i) 50% (w/w) PEG-4000-2 M sodium malonate, 40 °C and (ii) 50% (w/w) PEG-4000-3 M sodium malonate, room temperature (27 °C).