Dissolution of Molybdenum in Hydrogen Peroxide: A Thermodynamic, Kinetic and Microscopic Study of a Green Process for (99m)Tc Production

(99m)Tc-based radiopharmaceuticals are the most commonly used medical radioactive tracers in nuclear medicine for diagnostic imaging. Due to the expected global shortage of (99)Mo, the parent radionuclide from which (99m)Tc is produced, new production methods should be developed. The SORGENTINA-RF (SRF) project aims at developing a prototypical medium-intensity D-T 14-MeV fusion neutron source specifically designed for production of medical radioisotopes with a focus on (99)Mo. The scope of this work was to develop an efficient, cost-effective and green procedure for dissolution of solid molybdenum in hydrogen peroxide solutions compatible for (99m)Tc production via the SRF neutron source. The dissolution process was extensively studied for two different target geometries: pellets and powder. The first showed better characteristics and properties for the dissolution procedure, and up to 100 g of pellets were successfully dissolved in 250–280 min. The dissolution mechanism on the pellets was investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. After the procedure, sodium molybdate crystals were characterized via X-ray diffraction, Raman and infrared spectroscopy and the high purity of the compound was established by means of inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy. The study confirmed the feasibility of the procedure for production of (99m)Tc in SRF as it is very cost-effective, with minimal consumption of peroxide and controlled low temperature.