Tiny amounts of rare radioisotopes, recovered during californium-252 production, in high demand for

[Marlin]

Tiny amounts of rare radioisotopes, recovered during californium-252 production, in high demand for research

https://www.ornl.gov/news/tiny-amounts-rare-radioisotopes-recovered-during-californium-252-production-high-demand

[Core Content]

Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers have improved the chemical recovery and purification processes for rare radioisotope byproducts obtained during californium-252 production campaigns. Technicians modified column separation steps to yield high-purity samples of berkelium, einsteinium, and fermium for external research.

These rare actinide materials are required by scientific institutions to study heavy elements on the periodic table and potentially discover new ones. Refining the extraction chemistry also reduces radiation exposure for laboratory workers handling the materials inside protective gloveboxes alongside highly radioactive californium.

ORNL technician Nathan Sims works on berkelium recovering in a protective glovebox. Credit: ORNL/U.S. Dept. of Energy

The Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is the Western world's only source for the neutron-emitting radioisotope californium-252 (Cf-252), which an industrial consortium uses to make sealed sources used for nuclear reactors startups, among other applications. The Cf-252 production work is coordinated and funded by the DOE's Office of Isotope R&D and Production (IRP), within the Office of Science.

Read the full article at ORNL:
https://www.ornl.gov/news/tiny-amounts-rare-radioisotopes-recovered-during-californium-252-production-high-demand