Evaluation of metallic Ti purity content for radiopharmaceutical applications

Currently, ⁴⁷Sc is considered a promising radiopharmaceutical due to its favorable characteristics for both radiotherapy treatments and imaging diagnostic applications (half-life = 3.35 days; energy γ = 159 keV). ⁴⁷Sc, among other methods, can be produced in nuclear reactors by irradiating Ti, whose formation reaction is ⁴⁷Ti(n, p) ⁴⁷Sc. However, if the Ti sample contains contaminants in its composition, other chemical elements present may become radioactive, subjecting the patient to an exposure that may induce deleterious effects to their health, if their purification is not effective. Therefore, for a radionuclide to be used as a radiopharmaceutical, it is necessary to ensure a high degree of purity, preventing radioactive contaminants from increasing the patient's exposure to radiation. The activity of a radionuclide used in nuclear medicine is directly proportional to the purity of the matrix used. Furthermore, in some cases, it is necessary to perform radiochemical separations to obtain the degree of purity suitable for medical applications. Given the importance of the quality of the matrix used in the formation of radioisotopes used in cancer treatments, the objective of this work is to determine the purity of the Ti metal sheet, marketed as high purity, using the instrumental technique of neutron activation analysis (INAA). Thus, studies can subsequently be carried out for the production of Sc via metallic Ti. (author)