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

A proof of concept study was undertaken where non-carrier added (186)gRe was produced from the cyclotron bombardment of (WC)-W-186. (WC)-W-186 was carbo-thermally generated from a novel precursor synthesized from (WO3)-W-186, 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 Re-186. An 18 mu A irradiation for 3 h and processing via thermo-chromatography, (WC)-W-186 yielded 0.93 mCi of (186)gRe which corresponds to 89% of the calculated theoretical yields. The radiochemical purity of the desired Re-186g species was found to be between 95 and 97% with small contaminants of (ReO2)-Re-186. 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 (WC)-W-186 back to (WO3)-W-186 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. (C) 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.