Germanium-68 Separation
68Ga demand has led to an increase in the demand of 68Ga/68Ge generators. Production of 68Ge can be performed by irradiation of targets such as GaNi or GaCo [1].
The separation of Ge from the target material may be performed using DGA Resin [1] after dissolution of the target in concentrated HNO3 followed by rinsing with concentrated HNO3 and elution in water.
An alternative is the use of ZR Resin which may be loaded from HNO3, H2SO4 or HCl of elevated (typically 2 – 4M) concentration. Ge may be eluted after further purification by rinsing with mineral acids under alkaline conditions. The obtained Ge may then directly be loaded onto an anion exchange column. After further purification by with dilute alkaline solution and water it may finally be eluted with 1M HNO3.
References:
[1] F. Valdovinosa, S. Graves, T. Barnhart, R.J. Nickles. Simplified targetry and separation chemistry for 68Ge production. Proceedings of the 15th International Workshop on Targetry and Target Chemistry, 2015, ISBN 978-3-941405-18-9, 77 – 81