Excitation functions of deuteron induced reactions on 123Te: Relevance to the production of 123I and 124I at low and medium sized cyclotrons

Excitation functions were measured for (d,n) and (d,2n) reactions on isotopically enriched 123Te from their respective thresholds up to 12.5 MeV by the stacked-foil technique. The production yields of 123I and 124I over suitable energy ranges were deduced from the measured excitation functions. The results do not meet the expectation of producing 123I or 124I in high purity and with high yield via a deuteron induced reaction on 123Te. The data should, however, be useful in estimating the level of impurities in production processes involving (d,xn) reactions on 124Te or other isotopes of tellurium. A comparison of various routes for the production of both 123I and 124I at a small or medium-sized cyclotron is given.