Technetium-99m generator
Encyclopedia
A technetium-99m generator, or colloquially a technetium cow or moly cow, is a device used to extract the metastable isotope 99mTc
of technetium
from a source of decaying molybdenum
-99. 99Mo has a half-life
of 66 hours and can be easily transported over long distances to hospitals where its decay product technetium-99m (with a half-life of only 6 hours, inconvenient for transport) is extracted and used for a variety of nuclear medicine
diagnostic procedures, where its short half-life is very useful.
activation (n,γ reaction) of 98Mo in a high neutron flux
reactor. However, the most frequently used method requires a uranium
target with high enriched uranium-235 (up to 90% 235U) or low enriched uranium (less than 20% 235U). The target is irradiated with neutrons to form 99Mo as a fission product
http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/rp/factsheets/factsheets-pdf/fs32mo99.pdf. Molybdenum-99 is then separated from other fission products in a hot cell
.http://www.rertr.anl.gov/MO99/JLS.pdf
process) from the generator ("milking" the cow) is reasonably done as often as every 6 hours in a 99Mo/99mTc generator.
Most commercial 99Mo/99mTc generators use column chromatography
, in which 99Mo in the form of molybdate, MoO42- is adsorbed onto acid alumina (Al2O3). When the Mo-99 decays it forms pertechnetate
TcO4-, which because of its single charge is less tightly bound to the alumina. Pulling normal saline solution through the column of immobilized 99Mo elutes the soluble 99mTc, resulting in a saline solution containing the 99mTc as the pertechnetate, with sodium as the counterbalancing cation.
The solution of sodium pertechnetate may then be added in an appropriate concentration to the organ-specific pharmaceutical to be used, or sodium pertechnetate can be used directly without pharmaceutical tagging for specific procedures requiring only the 99mTcO4- as the primary radiopharmaceutical. A large percentage of the 99mTc generated by a 99Mo/99mTc generator is produced in the first 3 parent half-lives, or approximately one week. Hence, clinical nuclear medicine units purchase at least one such generator per week or order several in a staggered fashion.
Technetium-99m
Technetium-99m is a metastable nuclear isomer of technetium-99, symbolized as 99mTc. The "m" indicates that this is a metastable nuclear isomer, i.e., that its half-life of 6 hours is considerably longer than most nuclear isomers that undergo gamma decay...
of technetium
Technetium
Technetium is the chemical element with atomic number 43 and symbol Tc. It is the lowest atomic number element without any stable isotopes; every form of it is radioactive. Nearly all technetium is produced synthetically and only minute amounts are found in nature...
from a source of decaying molybdenum
Molybdenum
Molybdenum , is a Group 6 chemical element with the symbol Mo and atomic number 42. The name is from Neo-Latin Molybdaenum, from Ancient Greek , meaning lead, itself proposed as a loanword from Anatolian Luvian and Lydian languages, since its ores were confused with lead ores...
-99. 99Mo has a half-life
Half-life
Half-life, abbreviated t½, is the period of time it takes for the amount of a substance undergoing decay to decrease by half. The name was originally used to describe a characteristic of unstable atoms , but it may apply to any quantity which follows a set-rate decay.The original term, dating to...
of 66 hours and can be easily transported over long distances to hospitals where its decay product technetium-99m (with a half-life of only 6 hours, inconvenient for transport) is extracted and used for a variety of nuclear medicine
Nuclear medicine
In nuclear medicine procedures, elemental radionuclides are combined with other elements to form chemical compounds, or else combined with existing pharmaceutical compounds, to form radiopharmaceuticals. These radiopharmaceuticals, once administered to the patient, can localize to specific organs...
diagnostic procedures, where its short half-life is very useful.
Parent isotope source
99Mo can be obtained by the neutronNeutron
The neutron is a subatomic hadron particle which has the symbol or , no net electric charge and a mass slightly larger than that of a proton. With the exception of hydrogen, nuclei of atoms consist of protons and neutrons, which are therefore collectively referred to as nucleons. The number of...
activation (n,γ reaction) of 98Mo in a high neutron flux
Neutron flux
The neutron flux is a quantity used in reactor physics corresponding to the total length travelled by all neutrons per unit time and volume . The neutron fluence is defined as the neutron flux integrated over a certain time period....
reactor. However, the most frequently used method requires a uranium
Uranium
Uranium is a silvery-white metallic chemical element in the actinide series of the periodic table, with atomic number 92. It is assigned the chemical symbol U. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons...
target with high enriched uranium-235 (up to 90% 235U) or low enriched uranium (less than 20% 235U). The target is irradiated with neutrons to form 99Mo as a fission product
Fission product
Nuclear fission products are the atomic fragments left after a large atomic nucleus fissions. Typically, a large nucleus like that of uranium fissions by splitting into two smaller nuclei, along with a few neutrons and a large release of energy in the form of heat , gamma rays and neutrinos. The...
http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/rp/factsheets/factsheets-pdf/fs32mo99.pdf. Molybdenum-99 is then separated from other fission products in a hot cell
Hot cell
Shielded nuclear radiation containment chambers are commonly referred to as hot cells. The word "hot" refers to radioactivity.Hot cells are used in both the nuclear-energy and the nuclear-medicines industries....
.http://www.rertr.anl.gov/MO99/JLS.pdf
Generator function and mechanism
The half-life of the parent nuclide (99Mo) is much longer than that of the daughter nuclide (99mTc). 50% of equilibrium activity is reached within one daughter half-life, 75% within two daughter half-lives. Hence, removing the daughter nuclide (elutionElution
Elution is a term used in analytical and organic chemistry to describe the process of extracting one material from another by washing with a solvent ....
process) from the generator ("milking" the cow) is reasonably done as often as every 6 hours in a 99Mo/99mTc generator.
Most commercial 99Mo/99mTc generators use column chromatography
Column chromatography
Column chromatography in chemistry is a method used to purify individual chemical compounds from mixtures of compounds. It is often used for preparative applications on scales from micrograms up to kilograms.The main advantage of column chromatography is the relatively low cost and disposability...
, in which 99Mo in the form of molybdate, MoO42- is adsorbed onto acid alumina (Al2O3). When the Mo-99 decays it forms pertechnetate
Pertechnetate
The pertechnetate ion is an oxoanion with the chemical formula TcO4−. It is often used as a convenient water-soluble source of isotopes of the radioactive element technetium...
TcO4-, which because of its single charge is less tightly bound to the alumina. Pulling normal saline solution through the column of immobilized 99Mo elutes the soluble 99mTc, resulting in a saline solution containing the 99mTc as the pertechnetate, with sodium as the counterbalancing cation.
The solution of sodium pertechnetate may then be added in an appropriate concentration to the organ-specific pharmaceutical to be used, or sodium pertechnetate can be used directly without pharmaceutical tagging for specific procedures requiring only the 99mTcO4- as the primary radiopharmaceutical. A large percentage of the 99mTc generated by a 99Mo/99mTc generator is produced in the first 3 parent half-lives, or approximately one week. Hence, clinical nuclear medicine units purchase at least one such generator per week or order several in a staggered fashion.