Simple separation of technetium from molybdenum for tracer isotope production

A procedure for the separation of technetium isotopes from bulk molybdenum was developed in nitric acid media. After irradiation of ^natMo foils, and dissolution in H₂O₂, the solution is acidified to 2 M HNO_3, and anion exchange resin is used to separate technetium from molybdenum. The procedure is simple, requiring only basic laboratory equipment and, with a two-column separation, the technetium yield is high (~ 85%) with extremely high purity (< 0.1 ppm ^natMo). This is ideally suited for laboratory production of technetium tracer isotopes, particularly ^95mTc.