Separation of Fr-221 from (225)AC using diglycolamide solid extractants

This work is focused on the separation of a daughter radionuclide Fr-221 from medicinal Ac-225 to provide a source of pure 221Fr fraction for other studies. To achieve such a goal, diglycolamide extraction agents were immobilized on polymer matrix and tested in extraction chromatography experiments. Particularly experiments with N,N,N',N'tetrakis2-ethylhexyldiglycolamide in nitric acid medium provided promising results and the material was further studied in column experiments. The chosen conditions of separation provided Fr-221 in yields over 65% with Ac-225 contamination under 1% in less than 5 min, which is a sufficient proof of concept suitable for further studies.