Production and quality control of 66Ga radionuclide

The purpose of this study was to develop the required targetry and radiochemical methods for production of 66Ga, according to its increasing applications in various fields of science. The 66Zn(p,n)66Ga reaction was selected as the best choice for the production of 66Ga. The targets were bombarded with 15 MeV protons from cyclotron (IBA-Cyclone 30) at the Nuclear Research Center for Agriculture and Medicine (NRCAM) with a current of 180 mA for 67 min. ALICE and SRIM (Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter) nuclear codes were used to predict the optimum energy and target thickness. Targets were prepared by electroplating 95.73% enriched 66Zn on a copper backing. Chemical processing was performed by a no-carrier-added method consisting of ion exchange chromatography and liquid-liquid extraction. Anion exchange chromatography was also used for the recovery of target material. Quality control of the product was carried out in two steps of chemical and radionuclide purity control. The activity of 66Ga was 82.12 GBq at EOB and the production yield was 410.6 MBq/mAh. The radiochemical separation yield was 93% and the yield of chemical recovery of the target material was 97%. Quality control tests showed a radionuclide purity higher than 97% and the amounts of chemical impurities were in accordance with the United States Pharmacopoeiae levels.