A method for preparation and purification of 234Th.

An improved method to recover 234Th from depleted uranium has been developed. The method is based on solvent extraction and ion-exchange separations. The final thorium fraction has a high specific activity, about 1-3 PBq/mol Th, which makes it well suited for investigations, where a low thorium concentration is essential. The method is comparably fast, with a total processing time of 2 days. Another advantage is that the uranium fraction can be used as a 234Th generator for several years.