Copper-64 compositions and purification processes for the preparation of novel copper-64 compositions

A process for preparing copper-64 (64Cu) from nickel-64 (64Ni), the process comprising:

• (a) bombarding a cyclotron target comprising 64Ni with a proton beam to generate a bombarded target;
• (b) stripping the bombarded target with a volume of hydrochloric acid (HCl) having a molarity of about 6 M to about 12.1 M to form a strip solution comprising 64Ni, 64Cu, 61Co, and one or more other metals;
• and
• (c) purifying the 64Cu from the strip solution by:
• (i) passing the strip solution through a first column comprising an extraction resin connected in series to a second column comprising an ion exchange resin such that the one or more other metals binds to the extraction resin in the first column, 64Cu and 61Co bind to the ion exchange resin in the second column, and 64Ni passes through the first and second columns as a first flow-through fraction;
• (ii) rinsing the first and second columns with a volume of HCl having a molarity of about 6 M to about 12.1 M to elute residual 64Ni as a second flow-through fraction;
• (iii) rinsing the second column with a volume of HCl having a molarity of about 3 M to about 6 M to elute 61Co as a first waste fraction;
• (iv) rinsing the second column with a volume of sodium chloride (NaCl) having a molarity of about 3 M to about 6 M in HCl having a molarity of about 0.01 M to about 3 M to elute residual 61Co as a second waste fraction, or rinsing the second column with a volume of HCl having a molarity of about 3 M to about 6 M to elute residual 61Co as a second waste fraction;
• and
• (v) adding a volume of HCl having a molarity of about 0.01 M to about 3 M to the second column to elute the 64Cu as a product fraction comprising 64Cu.