1. Field
The invention relates to elution columns used for extracting technetium ions from radioactive titanium molybdate.
2. Description of the Related Art
Technetium-99m (m is metastable) is a radionuclide used in nuclear medical diagnostic imaging. Technetium-99m is injected into a patient which, when used with certain equipment, is used to image the patient's internal organs. However, technetium-99m has a halflife of only six (6) hours, therefore, readily available sources of technetium-99m are desired.
A method for obtaining technetium-99m uses a minimum of a two-step process. First, titanium molybdate is placed in a capsule, which is then irradiated in a nuclear reactor. Molybdenum-98 within the titanium molybdate absorbs a neutron during the irradiation process and becomes molybdenum-99 (Mo-99). Alternatively, molybdenum metal can be irradiated and titanium molybdate fainted after irradiation. Mo-99 is unstable and decays with a 66-hour half-life to technetium-99m. After the irradiation step, the radioactive titanium molybdate is removed from the capsule and placed in a column for elution. Subsequently, saline is passed through the radioactive titanium molybdate to remove the technetium-99m ions from the radioactive titanium molybdate.