Chromatographic separation of Re-188 from reactor produced W-188 using Bio-Rex 5 anion exchange resin

Rhenium-188 (¹⁸⁸Re) is a β⁻emitting radionuclide with a significant potential for use in targeted radionuclide therapy. The current study set out to assess the possibility of producing ¹⁸⁸Re through double neutron capture on ¹⁸⁶W at the Egyptian Second Research Reactor (ETRR-2). Using the MCNPX2.7.0 code, the neutron activation of a naturally occurring tungsten target positioned at the highest thermal neutron flux was simulated. There was a little discrepancy between the calculated results and the experimental data. The feasibility of using Bio-Rex 5 anionic resin for developing an ¹⁸⁸W/¹⁸⁸Re chromatographic generator was investigated using static and dynamic studies. Our results showed that a high adsorption capacity of 240 mg/g towards WO₄²⁻ was attained. Additionally, more than 97.3 ± 0.6% of the ¹⁸⁸Re could be recovered from the generator in the first 3 mL, with high chemical, radiochemical, and radionuclidic purities adequate for radiopharmaceutical preparations as well as clinical applications.