| Article | |
| Title | Production and purification of molecular $^{225}$Ac at CERN-ISOLDE |
| Author(s) | Au, M (CERN ; U. Mainz, PRISMA) ; Nies, L (CERN ; Greifswald U.) ; Stegemann, S (CERN) ; Athanasakis-Kaklamanakis, M (CERN ; Leuven U. ; Imperial Coll., London) ; Cocolios, T E (CERN ; Leuven U.) ; Fischer, P (Greifswald U.) ; Giesel, P F (Greifswald U.) ; Johnson, J D (Leuven U.) ; Köster, U (CERN ; Laue-Langevin Inst.) ; Lange, D (Heidelberg, Max Planck Inst.) ; Mougeot, M (CERN ; Jyvaskyla U.) ; Reilly, J (Manchester U.) ; Schlaich, M (Denmark, Tech. U.) ; Schweiger, Ch (CERN ; Heidelberg, Max Planck Inst.) ; Schweikhard, L (Greifswald U.) ; Wienholtz, F (Denmark, Tech. U.) ; Wojtaczka, W (Leuven U.) ; Düllmann, Ch E (U. Mainz, PRISMA ; Darmstadt, GSI ; Helmholtz Inst., Mainz) ; Rothe, S (CERN) |
| Publication | 2024 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| In: | J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem. 334 (2025) 367-379 |
| DOI | 10.1007/s10967-024-09811-0 |
| Subject category | Nuclear Physics - Experiment |
| Accelerator/Facility, Experiment | CERN ISOLDE |
| Abstract | The radioactive nuclide $^{225}$Ac is one of the few promising candidates for cancer treatment by targeted-$\alpha$-therapy, but worldwide production of $^{225}$Ac faces significant limitations. In this work, the Isotope Separation On-Line method was used to produce actinium by irradiating targets made of uranium carbide and thorium carbide with 1.4-GeV protons. Actinium fluoride molecules were formed, ionized through electron impact, then extracted and mass-separated as a beam of molecular ions. The composition of the mass-selected ion beam was verified using time-of-flight mass spectrometry, $\alpha$- and $\gamma$-ray decay spectrometry. Extracted quantities of $^{225}\textrm{Ac}^{19}\textrm{F}_2^{+}$ particles per $\upmu$C of incident protons were $3.9(3)\times 10^7$ from a uranium carbide target and $4.3(4)\times 10^7$ for a thorium carbide target. Using a magnetic mass separator, the long-lived contamination $^{227}$ Ac is suppressed to $<5.47\times 10^{-7}$ (95% confidence interval) with respect to $^{225}$Ac by activity. Measured rates scale to collections of 108 kBq$\upmu$A$^{-1}$h$^{-1}$ of directly produced $^{225}\textrm{Ac}^{19}\textrm{F}_2^{+}$. |
| Copyright/License | publication: © 2024-2026 The Author(s) (License: CC-BY-4.0) |
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Record created 2025-03-27, last modified 2025-04-01
