Separation of no-carrier-added Bi and stable Bi from thallium

Abstract No carrier added 204,206 Bi radioisotopes were produced by alpha induced reaction on Tl 2 CO 3 target. Liquid liquid extraction method using 18-crown-6 dissolved in nitrobenzene and HClO 4 was developed for the separation of NCA 204,206 Bi from bulk Tl target. Bulk Tl was observed to be extracted by the organic phase at higher HClO 4 concentrations leaving NCA Bi radioisotopes in the aqueous phase. At 0.01 M 18-crown-6 concentration with 2 M HClO 4 , separation factor ( S Tl/Bi ) as high as 3.7 × 10 3 was achieved. The separation experiment was repeated with stable isotopes of Bi and Tl. The extent of separation was monitored by ICP-OES and the results corroborated with radiometric methods.