Thermochromatographic separation of no-carrier-added 186Re or 188Re from tungsten targets relevant to nuclear medical applications

The thermochromatographic behavior of no-carrier-added rhenium isotopes and macroscopic tungsten was studied at different temperatures as well as in dry and watervapor containing (moist) atmospheres of oxygen or air. Due to the high thermal volatility of HReO4, 186/188Re can easily be separated from tungsten matrices in yields of 65 ± 15% free from tungsten in less than one hour and in minimum volumes of various solutions. After double neutron capture by 186W, this separation process can be applied to construct a 188W/188Re generator. In addition, the thermochromatographic separation process might be an option to separate no-carrier-added 186Re after a 186W(p,n) or a 186W(d,2n) reaction at a small cyclotron. (orig.)