Secondary standardisation of 95mTc

The radionuclide 95mTc, which has a half-life of 61(2) days and emits a number of γ-rays, may be used in radiochemical analysis as a yield tracer for the long-lived fission product 99Tc. In this work, we present (i) the production of 95mTc via an (α, 2n) reaction with stable 93Nb (a method which does not result in the production of any 97mTc, 98Tc or 99Tc), (ii) the chemical separation of 95mTc from niobium via coprecipitation, liquid–liquid extraction and liquid chromatography, and (iii) the secondary standardisation of 95mTc with high-resolution γ-ray spectrometry and an ionisation chamber system.