UZ0001502 SEPARATION OF GERMANIUM - 68 FROM ZINC TARGET IRRADIATED BY ALPHA PARTICLES Khujaev S., Egamediev S.KIi. Institute o/NuJear Physics, Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences, Tashkent 6 68 • The radioactive nuclide \ie (Ti/2 = 288 days) decays to Ga (T|/2 = 68.1 min) bv electron capture, and 68Ga units positrons with a branching ratio of 90 % and weak y - rays. This 68Ge nuciide is a useful generator of positron emitters. The 68Ge nuclide can be produced with a classical cyclotron by the 69Ga (p, 2n) 6*Ge and ^Zn (a, 2n) 68Ge reactions. The present report is devoted to the development of separation method of the carrier-free o8Ge by extraction chromatography enabling, at the same time, the deep purification of the germanium-68 radionuclide and separation it from macroquantities of elements of the target (Zn, Ga, Cu, Ni) and side radionuclides (57Co, 65Zn) forming by nuclear reactions (p, xn; a, xn) As a rule, determination and choice of the optimum conditions for separation of c>clotron nidionuclide depends on the properties of a medium in which a cyclotron target is dissolved. Taking this into consideration, extraction of germanium-68 from mixed solutions HC1 + HNO3 by using benzene, xylene, CCU has been studied. The obtained results are shown in table Table The distribution coefficients of 6*Ge (contact time is 15 mir. At temperature 18°C) Com position of Extraetsmt aquaeous phase benzene xylene CCl4 8 M HC1 + 0 5 M HNO3 25 ± 2 0 21 ± 1.45 18 ± 1.4 8 MHC1+ l.OMHNOj 34 ± 2.4 37 ± 3.0 35 ±2.8 . 8 M HC1 + 2 0 M HNO3 69 ±52 86 ±6 9 39 ±3 1 8 MHCI+ 3,0MHNOj 80 ± 6.4 85 ±6 2 39 ±2 7 8 M HC1 + 4.0 M HNOj 8215 6 87 ±6.5 39 ±3.2 The extraction chromatographic method of separation of carrier-free germanium-68 fioin zinc target irradiated with cx-particles by using a mixture CCU - xylene (I 4) as a stationary phase has been developed. The optimization of the radiochemicai yield of germanium-68 was carried out with a real solution of an irradiated /me target To avoid losing the germanium-68 due to it volatilization, it is proposed cooling the mobile phase by adding the preliminarily cooled concentrated HC1 to the target solution. The efution of germinium-68 is shown to be provided by solution of hydrochloric acid 0 00} + 3 M, the 85-90 % of 68Ge being eluted in the volume equal to a half of the column's free volume The measurement of material balance shows that the technological yield of germamum-68 is amounted to 85-87 %. The main losses of germanium-68 are connected with sorption of 68Ge on glass surfaces of the applied equipment and are within KM 2% 16.