Separation and purification of radiomolybdenum from a fission product mixture using silver-coated carbon granules

A highly specific 99Mo separation and purification procedure has been developed which utilises silver-coated-charcoal (Ag-C) as the adsorbent. The Ag-C is prepared by contacting a silver nitrate solution with charcoal granules and then reducing the silver with sodium sulfite. This resin system selectively and quantitatively adsorbs molybdenum from a dilute H2SO4-fission product solution. Greater than 80% of the adsorbed 99Mo can be recovered from the adsorbent in a dilute NaOH eluant. The purity of the 99Mo solution from a single adsorption-desorption process is greater than 99%. (author)