Methods for the purification of molybdenum-99 with phase transfer agents
AssigneeAbilene Christian University
InventorsKim Pamplin, Diego Zometa
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Abstract
The present invention is directed towards methods for isolating molybdenum compounds from a mixture of fission products. The mixture of fission products may be extracted from a molten salt reactor system. Utilizing a phase transfer agent, the molybdenum compounds may be extracted from an aqueous solution into an organic solution, thereby isolating the molybdenum compound from the mixture of fission products. Molybdate may then be isolated from the resulting organic solution and provided to a generator to facilitate transformation into technitum-99m.
Claims17
A method for isolating molybdate from a mixture of fission products comprising:
- introducing the mixture of fission products, including a molybdenum compound and a hydroxide source, to a first aqueous solution to produce a fission product aqueous solution;
- wherein the hydroxide source reacts with the fission products to produce fission product salts in the fission product aqueous solution;
- wherein the hydroxide source reacts with the molybdenum compound to produce a molybdate salt in the fission product aqueous solution;
- contacting an organic component comprising a phase transfer agent (PTA) and an organic solvent with the fission product aqueous solution;
- wherein the PTA reacts with the molybdate salt to produce a PTA-molybdate complex in the organic component;
- isolating the organic component from the fission product aqueous solution;
- and
- eluting the organic component to isolate the molybdate from the PTA-molybdate complex.
A method for isolating molybdate from a mixture of fission products comprising:
- introducing the mixture of fission products, including a molybdenum compound and a hydroxide source, to a first aqueous solution to produce a fission product aqueous solution;
- wherein the hydroxide source reacts with the fission products to produce fission product salts in the fission product aqueous solution;
- wherein the hydroxide source reacts with the molybdenum compound to produce a molybdate salt in the fission product aqueous solution;
- contacting an organic component comprising a phase transfer agent (PTA) and an organic solvent with the fission product aqueous solution;
- wherein the PTA reacts with the molybdate salt to produce a PTA-molybdate complex in the organic component;
- isolating the organic component from the fission product aqueous solution;
- and
- eluting the organic component to isolate the molybdate from the PTA-molybdate complex;
- and
- wherein the PTA is a compound having a formula of
- wherein X is a halide;
- and
- wherein R1, R2, R3, and R4 is an alkyl.
A method for isolating molybdate from a mixture of fission products comprising:
- introducing the mixture of fission products, including a molybdenum compound and a hydroxide source, to a first aqueous solution to produce a fission product aqueous solution;
- wherein the hydroxide source reacts with the fission products to produce fission product salts in the fission product aqueous solution;
- wherein the hydroxide source reacts with the molybdenum compound to produce a molybdate salt in the fission product aqueous solution;
- contacting an organic component comprising a phase transfer agent (PTA) and an organic solvent with the fission product aqueous solution;
- wherein the PTA reacts with the molybdate salt to produce a PTA-molybdate complex in the organic component;
- isolating the organic component from the fission product aqueous solution;
- and
- eluting the organic component to isolate the molybdate from the PTA-molybdate complex;
- and
- wherein the PTA is a quaternary ammonium compound.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.