Engineering topics

Sorensen, Maxwell

Publications and source records attributed to Sorensen, Maxwell.

5 records

DOE OSTI2023

Production, isolation, and shipment of clinically relevant quantities of astatine-211: A simple and efficient approach to increasing supply

The alpha emitter astatine-211 ( 211 At) is a promising candidate for cancer treatment based on Targeted Alpha (α) Therapy (TAT). A small number of facilities, distributed across the United States, are capable of accelerating α-particle beams to produce 211 At. However, challenges remain regarding strategic methods for shipping 211 At in a form adaptable to advanced radiochemistry reactions and other uses of the radioisotope. Purpose: Our method allows shipment of 211 At in various quantities in a form convenient for further radiochemistry. Procedures: For this study, a 3-octanone impregnated Amberchrom® CG300M resin bed in a column cartridge was used to separate 211 At from the bismuth matrix on site at the production accelerator (Texas A&M) in preparation for shipping. Aliquots of 6 M HNO 3 containing up to ≈2.22 GBq of 211 At from the dissolved target were successfully loaded and retained on columns. Exempt packages (<370 MBq) were shipped to a destination radiochemistry facility, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, in the form of a convenient air-dried column. Type A packages have been shipped overnight to University of Alabama at Birmingham. Main findings: Air-dried column hold times of various lengths did not inhibit simple and efficient recovery of 211 At. Solution eluted from the column was sufficiently high in specific activity to successfully radiolabel a model compound, 4-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolan-2-yl)aniline (1), with 211 At. The method to prepare and ship 211 At described in this manuscript has also been used to ship larger quantities of 211 At a greater distance to University of Alabama at Birmingham. Principal conclusions: The successful proof of this method paves the way for the distribution of 211 At from Texas A&M University to research institutions and clinical oncology centers in Texas and elsewhere. Finally, use of this simple method at other facilities has the potential increase the overall availability of 211 At for preclinical and clinical studies.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

DOE OSTI2023

Behavior of astatine and bismuth in non-conventional solvents: Extraction into imidazolium-based ionic liquid and methyl anthranilate with active pharmaceuticals binary mixtures from nitric acid media

Astatine is one of the least chemically studied elements and its behavior in the presence of non- conventional solvents has not been investigated before. This work considers both hydrophobic ionic liquids and binary mixtures as alternatives to conventional solvents. The study is based on the extraction of astatine and bismuth (target material required to produce astatine) into imidazolium-based ionic liquid, and binary mixtures formed by active pharmaceuticals (ibuprofen, lidocaine) and a food grade ingredient (methyl anthranilate). It is shown that both the ionic liquid and binary mixtures can successfully extract At from nitric acid media, but extraction of Bi into the ionic liquid is very inefficient, resulting in a good separation factor for these two elements in the entire studied acidity range. Extraction of At into binary mixtures is very efficient, having distribution ratio values as high as 1000, while the behavior of Bi under these conditions depends on the composition of the mixture. Furthermore, a mathematical model has been developed to fit both At and Bi experimental data and applied to determine corresponding thermodynamic extraction constants.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2023

Ion exchange behavior of astatine and bismuth

Astatine and bismuth sorption on several ion exchange resins from nitric acid media has been studied. This work covers commercially available resins Dowex 50 × 4, MP thiol, Dowex 1 × 8, and TEVA. One of the main advantages of using ion exchangers for astatine separation and purification is the absence of any organic media in the effluent in comparison with extraction chromatography resins. The behavior of the above-mentioned metals was investigated in up to 4 M HNO 3 solutions. The determined distribution coefficients are greater than 1 for all the resins studied, reaching 10 4 for MP thiol and TEVA resins. The interaction of nitric acid with an anion exchanger in Cl-form results in an exchange reaction, where AtO + chloro complexes can form. To understand the astatine behavior under these conditions, stability constants of AtOCl and AtOCl 2 – complexes have been reevaluated and discrepancy in the literature values has been eliminated. For each resin a thermodynamic model has been developed to suggest a possible mechanism of astatine sorption. Literature and new experimental data on bismuth sorption by studying resins in nitric acid media have been reviewed and a mathematical model to describe its behavior has been suggested. Furthermore, a ratio of corresponding fit functions of At and Bi assigned to the same resin and acidity has been used to estimate the separation factors of these elements.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2023

Mechanism of astatine and bismuth sorption on extraction chromatography resins from nitric acid media

Systematic study of astatine (At) sorption on extraction chromatography resins from nitric acid media has been performed at Texas A&M University. This work covers commercially available resins such as LN, TK400, SR, TRU, and UTEVA. Acquiring an understanding of At behavior in up to 4 M HNO 3 solutions is a key step to develop a rapid and reliable system for At separation and purification. The determined distribution coefficients are greater than 20 for all the resins studied, reaching 400 for TRU and UTEVA resins. The sorption uptake decreases in the order: TRU ≳ UTEVA >TK400 ≳ SR >LN. For each resin a thermodynamic model has been developed to suggest a possible mechanism of At sorption and corresponding sorption constants have been estimated. Literature data along with new results on bismuth (Bi) sorption by studied resins in nitric acid media have been reviewed and a mathematical model to describe its behavior has been suggested. A ratio of corresponding fit functions of At and Bi assigned to the same resin and acidity has been used to estimate separation factors of these elements. Furthermore, only the TRU resin is not suitable for efficient At isolation from Bi, while the other four resins demonstrate promising results.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2020

Isoscaling and nuclear reaction dynamics

Isoscaling parameters α and β have been explored as a function of breakup angle in binary excited projectile-like fragment decays produced in collisions of 70 Zn+ 70 Zn and 64 Zn+ 64 Zn at 35 MeV per nucleon. In this analysis, focus was placed on isoscaling the second heaviest fragment with 4 ≤ Z L ≤ 8 emitted from the excited projectile-like fragment in events that contained a heavy fragment with Z H ≥ 12. The breakup orientation θ prox was defined as the angle between the heavy and light fragments’ center-of-mass velocity and the fragment pairs’ relative velocity. Breakups between 0° < θ prox ≤ 80° have been shown to be dominated by dynamical contributions, while break-up angles of θ prox > 100° are predominantly statistical. Historically, isoscaling has often been understood and applied in a statistical context, assuming that the fragments are produced after statistical equilibrium is achieved. Finally, studying isoscaling parameters as a function of θ prox reveals the sensitivity of α and β to the mechanism of fragment production.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗