Improved production and processing of 89Zr using a solution target.

OBJECTIVE: The objectives of the present work were to improve the cyclotron production yield of (89)Zr using a solution target, develop a practical synthesis of the hydroxamate resin used to process the target, and develop a biocompatible medium for (89)Zr elution from the hydroxamate resin. METHODS: A new solution target (BMLT-2) with enhanced heat dissipation capabilities was designed by using helium-cooled dual foils (0.2 mm Al and 25 µ Havar) and an enhanced water-cooled, elongated solution cavity in the target insert. Irradiations were performed with 14 MeV protons on a 2M solution of yttrium nitrate in 1.25 M nitric acid at 40-µA beam current for 2 h in a closed system. Zirconium-89 was separated from Y by use of a hydroxamate resin. A one-pot synthesis of hydroxamate resin was accomplished by activating the carboxylate groups on a carboxymethyl cation exchange resin using methyl chloroformate followed by reaction with hydroxylamine hydrochloride. After trapping of (89)Zr on hydroxamate resin and rinsing the resin with HCl and water to release Y, (89)Zr was eluted with 1.2 M K2HPO4/KH2PO4 buffer (pH3.5). ICP-MS was used to measure metal contaminants in the final (89)Zr solution. RESULTS: The BMLT-2 target produced 349±49 MBq (9.4±1.2 mCi) of (89)Zr at the end of irradiation with a specific activity of 1.18±0.79 GBq/µg. The hydroxamate resin prepared using the new synthesis method showed a trapping efficiency of 93% with a 75 mg resin bed and 96-97% with a 100-120 mg resin bed. The elution efficiency of (89)Zr with 1.2M K2HPO4/KH2PO4 solution was found to be 91.7±3.7%, compared to >95% for 1 M oxalic acid. Elution with phosphate buffer gave very small levels of metal contaminants: Al=0.40-0.86 µg (n=2), Fe=1.22±0.71 µg (n=3), Y=0.29 µg (n=1). CONCLUSIONS: The BMLT-2 target allowed doubling of the beam current for production of (89)Zr, resulting in a greater than 2-fold increase in production yield in comparison with a conventional liquid target. The new one-pot synthesis of hydroxamate resin provides a simpler synthesis method for the (89)Zr trapping resin. Finally, phosphate buffer elutes the (89)Zrfrom the hydroxamate resin in high efficiency while at the same time providing a more biocompatible medium for subsequent use of (89)Zr.

Preparation and preliminary evaluation of 63Zn-zinc citrate as a novel PET imaging biomarker for zinc.

UNLABELLED: Abnormalities of zinc homeostasis are indicated in many human diseases. A noninvasive imaging method for monitoring zinc in the body would be useful to understand zinc dynamics in health and disease. To provide a PET imaging agent for zinc, we have investigated production of (63)Zn (half-life, 38.5 min) via the (63)Cu(p,n)(63)Zn reaction using isotopically enriched solutions of (63)Cu-copper nitrate. A solution target was used for rapid isolation of the (63)Zn radioisotope from the parent (63)Cu ions. Initial biologic evaluation was performed by biodistribution and PET imaging in normal mice. METHODS: To produce (63)Zn, solutions of (63)Cu-copper nitrate in dilute nitric acid were irradiated by 14-MeV protons in a low-energy cyclotron. An automated module was used to purify (63)Zn from (63)Cu in the target solution. The (63)Cu-(63)Zn mixture was trapped on a cation-exchange resin and rinsed with water, and the (63)Zn was eluted using 0.05 N HCl in 90% acetone. The resulting solution was neutralized with NaHCO3, and the (63)Zn was then trapped on a carboxymethyl cartridge, washed with water, and eluted with isotonic 4% sodium citrate. Standard quality control tests were performed on the product according to current good manufacturing practice, including radionuclidic identity and purity, and measurement of nonradioactive Zn(+2), Cu(+2), Fe(+3), and Ni(+2) by ion-chromatography high-performance liquid chromatography. Biodistribution and PET imaging studies were performed in B6.SJL mice after intravenous administration of (63)Zn-zinc citrate. (63)Cu target material was recycled by eluting the initial resin with 4N HNO3. RESULTS: Yields of 1.07 ± 0.22 GBq (uncorrected at 30-36 min after end of bombardment) of (63)Zn-zinc citrate were obtained with a 1.23 M (63)Cu-copper nitrate solution. Radionuclidic purity was greater than 99.9%, with copper content lower than 3 µg/batch. Specific activities were 41.2 ± 18.1 MBq/µg (uncorrected) for the (63)Zn product. PET and biodistribution studies in mice at 60 min showed expected high uptake in the pancreas (standard uptake value, 8.8 ± 3.2), liver (6.0 ± 1.9), upper intestine (4.7 ± 2.1), and kidney (4.2 ± 1.3). CONCLUSION: A practical and current good manufacturing practice-compliant preparation of radionuclidically pure (63)Zn-zinc citrate has been developed that will enable PET imaging studies in animal and human studies. (63)Zn-zinc citrate showed the expected biodistribution in mice.

Production of 89Zr via the 89Y(p,n)89Zr reaction in aqueous solution: effect of solution composition on in-target chemistry.

OBJECTIVE: The existing solid target production method of radiometals requires high capital and operational expenditures, which limit the production of radiometals to the small fraction of cyclotron facilities that are equipped with solid target systems. Our objective is to develop a robust solution target method, which can be applicable to a wide array of radiometals and would be simply and easily adopted by existing cyclotron facility for the routine production of radiometals. METHOD: We have developed a simplified, solution target approach for production of (89)Zr using a niobium target by 14 MeV energy proton bombardment of aqueous solutions of yttrium salts via the (89)Y(p,n)(89)Zr nuclear reaction. The production conditions were optimized, following a detailed mechanistic study of the gas evolution. RESULTS: Although the solution target approach avoided the expense and complication of solid target processing, rapid radiolytic formation of gases in the target represents a major impediment in the success of solution target. To address this challenge we performed a systematic mechanistic study of gas evolution. Gas evolution was found to be predominantly due to decomposition of water to molecular hydrogen and oxygen. The rate of gas evolutions varied >40-fold depending on solution composition even under the same irradiation condition. With chloride salts, the rate of gas evolution increased in the order rank Na

Reactivity of rhenium(V) oxo Schiff base complexes with phosphine ligands: rearrangement and reduction reactions.

The symmetric rhenium(V) oxo Schiff base complexes trans-[ReO(OH2)(acac2en)]Cl and trans-[ReOCl(acac2pn)], where acac2en and acac2pn are the tetradentate Schiff base ligands N,N'-ethylenebis(acetylacetone) diimine and N,N'-propylenebis(acetylacetone) diimine, respectively, were reacted with monodentate phosphine ligands to yield one of two unique cationic phosphine complexes depending on the ligand backbone length (en vs pn) and the identity of the phosphine ligand. Reduction of the Re(V) oxo core to Re(III) resulted on reaction of trans-[ReO(OH2)(acac2en)]Cl with triphenylphosphine or diethylphenylphosphine to yield a single reduced, disubstituted product of the general type trans-[Re(III)(PR3)2(acac2en)]+. Rather unexpectedly, a similar reaction with the stronger reducing agent triethylphosphine yielded the intramolecularly rearranged, asymmetric cis-[Re(V)O(PEt3)(acac2en)]+ complex. Reactions of trans-[Re(V)O(acac2pn)Cl] with the same phosphine ligands yielded only the rearranged asymmetric cis-[Re(V)O(PR3)(acac2pn)]+ complexes in quantitative yield. The compounds were characterized using standard spectroscopic methods, elemental analyses, cyclic voltammetry, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The crystallographic data for the structures reported are as follows: trans-[Re(III)(PPh3)2(acac2en)]PF6 (H48C48N2O2P2Re.PF6), 1, triclinic (P), a = 18.8261(12) A, b = 16.2517(10) A, c = 15.4556(10) A, alpha = 95.522(1) degrees , beta = 97.130(1) degrees , gamma = 91.350(1) degrees , V = 4667.4(5) A(3), Z = 4; trans-[Re(III)(PEt2Ph)2(acac2en)]PF6 (H48C32N2O2P2Re.PF6), 2, orthorhombic (Pccn), a = 10.4753(6) A, b =18.4315(10) A, c = 18.9245(11) A, V = 3653.9(4) A3, Z = 4; cis-[Re(V)O(PEt3)(acac2en)]PF6 (H33C18N2O3PRe.1.25PF6, 3, monoclinic (C2/c), a = 39.8194(15) A, b = 13.6187(5) A, c = 20.1777(8) A, beta = 107.7730(10) degrees , V = 10419.9(7) A3, Z = 16; cis-[Re(V)O(PPh3)(acac2pn)]PF6 (H35C31N2O3PRe.PF6), 4, triclinic (P), a = 10.3094(10) A, b =12.1196(12) A, c = 14.8146(15) A, alpha = 105.939(2) degrees , beta = 105.383(2) degrees , gamma = 93.525(2) degrees , V = 1698.0(3) A3, Z = 2; cis-[Re(V)O(PEt2Ph)(acac2pn)]PF6 (H35C23N2O3PRe.PF6), 5, monoclinic (P2(1)/n), a = 18.1183(18) A, b = 11.580(1) A, c = 28.519(3) A, beta = 101.861(2) degrees , V = 5855.9(10) A(3), Z = 4.