Production and Radiochemical Separation of Arsenic Radionculides from Germanium

Abstract

Little effort has been made to evaluate arsenic containing compounds as potential radionuclidic labels for new radiopharmaceuticals. Chemically, arsenic may be substituted for either phosphorous or nitrogen, both of which are found in abundance in biologically active molecules. Furthermore, several As radionuclides are readily produced via proton irradiation of germanium. A joint research programme involving the Radiopharmacy group of the Department of Nuclear Medicine, Health Sciences Centre and the University of Manitoba Accelerator Centre is underway investigating methods for production and recovery of arsenic radionuclides.