Production of 161Tb as a promising Auger electron emitter in Iran.

161Tb is a high-potential emerging radionuclide in targeted radionuclide therapy due to the high emission of Auger electrons. So, efforts to obtain 161Tb have begun in Iran. To obtain NCA 161Tb, the development of an effective Gd/Tb separation approach is necessary. In this case, an Ln-resin column was used to separate Tb from the Gd/Tb matrix using the extraction chromatography technique. The results demonstrated that the optimal separation conditions were achieved by separating gadolinium and terbium isotopes using 0.8 and 3N HNO3 solutions, respectively. The final 161Tb radionuclide has obtained 81% separation yield, more than 99% radionuclide purity, and 99% radiochemical purity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]