Feasibility study for production of 175Yb: a promising therapeutic radionuclide

Owing to its favourable decay characteristics 175Yb (T1/2 = 4.2 d, E beta(max) = 480 keV) can be regarded as a potential radionuclide for therapeutic applications. Production of 175Yb using (174Yb(n, gamma)175Yb) reaction by thermal neutron bombardment on natural ytterbium target is described. The activity of 175Yb produced as well as its radionuclidic purity under different irradiation conditions were determined by gamma-ray spectrometry using an HPGe 4 K MCA system and compared with theoretically calculated values. The radiochemical purity after chemical processing was determined by paper chromatography as well as paper electrophoresis techniques. It is found that 31 Ci/g (1145 GBq/g) of 175Yb can be produced with > 95% radionuclidic purity (with approximately 3% of 169Yb and approximately 2% of 177Lu) by irradiating natural Yb2O3 target at a thermal neutron flux of 3 x 10(13) n/cm2/s for a period of 5 d.