Extraction of Sr-82, Raw Material for Radiopharmaceutical Production

A method for producing strontium-82, which is used in nuclear medicine for the preparation of rubidium-82 generators that are used in positron-emission tomography (PET) diagnostics of cardiovascular diseases, was described. The method consisted of irradiation of natural rubidium metal in a proton beam of energies from 40 to 100 MeV followed by radiochemical extraction of the produced strontium-82. The method enabled the irradiated target to be processed safely with simultaneous disposal of the rubidium metal and will be used for strontium-82 production at IPPE (Obninsk).