Preparation of no-carrier-added ²¹¹At solutions by a simple dry distillation method in the ²⁰⁹Bi(⁴He, 2n)²¹¹At reaction

²¹¹At was produced in the ²⁰⁹Bi(⁴He, 2n)²¹¹At reaction. The yield was separated from the irradiated bismuth target by a simple method, based on dry distillation. The optimized conditions of the method were studied by monitoring the astatine radioactivity with gamma-ray spectrometers. The no-carrier-added ²¹¹At solutions were prepared with eluents, namely distilled water, ethanol, methanol, or chloroform. Generally, the recovery yields obtained with the utilization of 1.6 mL of the eluent were 26-75%. The prepared ²¹¹At solutions were subjected to thin-layer chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography to identify the chemical species present. (author)