An overview of copper radionuclides and production of 61Cu by proton irradiation of natZn at a medical cyclotron

In this article, production methods and applications of copper radionuclides are overviewed with special attention toward Cu-61, due to its interesting nuclear properties. Selection of production parameters for Cu-61 including: appropriate nuclear reaction, proton beam energy, target thickness and targetry method are discussed for NRCAM 30 MeV medical cyclotron. Zn-64(p,alpha)Cu-61 was selected as the best reaction and Cu-61 was produced by 22 MeV proton bombardment of a 80 mu m thick natural zinc target. After 180 mu Ah irradiation, the resultant activity of Cu-61 was 6.006 Ci (12.015 mCi/mu Ah). The chemical separation method was easy, quick and efficient (> 95%) and yielded a no carrier added product with high chemical and radionuclidic purity (> 99%). Detailed comparison with previous production methods confirms that our results are superior to other reports published to date. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.