抄録
A solution irradiation method is proposed as a new production technique for 99Mo, which is the parent nuclide of 99mTc used as a radiopharmaceutical. In this new technique, an aqueous molybdenum solution is irradiated with neutrons in a nuclear reactor, and an efficient and low-cost 99Mo production method compared with conventional 99Mo production methods can be realized by using the 98Mo (n, γ) 99Mo reaction and a high-performance adsorbent for (n, γ) 99Mo. In the present research, some tests under unirradiation and gamma-ray irradiation were carried out using two kinds of aqueous molybdate solutions as candidates for the irradiation target of the new technique, and the corrosivity for structural materials, the chemical stability, the radiolysis, and the gamma heating of the solutions were investigated. As a result, it was found that the solutions are a promising target and that stainless steel can be used as the structural material of capsules and pipes.
