Production and separation of 186gRe from proton bombardment of 186WC

A proof of concept study was undertaken where non-carrier added 186gRe was produced from the cyclotron bombardment of 186WC. 186WC was carbo-thermally generated from a novel precursor synthesized from 186WO3, aqueous ammonia and hexamethyltetramine. The inherent high electrical and thermal conductivity of this material, coupled with its high melting point, made it an ideal candidate for proton bombardment for production of 186Re. An18 μA irradiation for 3 h and processing via thermo-chromatography, 186WC yielded 0.93 mCi of 186gRe which corresponds to 89% of the calculated theoretical yields. The radiochemical purity of the desired 186gRe species was found to be between 95 and 97% with small contaminants of 186ReO2. The radiochemistry utility of the product was investigated using S-benzoyl-MAG3, and 100% complexation was achieved with stability being maintained for 96 h. The re-oxidation of 186WC back to186WO3 by oxygen in the thermo-chromatography method of processing ensured that the starting material was regenerated and recovered from the process in 94-98% yield.