Selective separation of Tc-99m from low specific activity Mo-99 in reverse generator system using novel extraction chromatography resins

Abstract Technetium-99m is widely used in diagnostic nuclear medicine, but alternative production routes provide low specific activity (LSA) 99 Mo, unsuitable for conventional generators. This study evaluates extraction chromatography resins for the selective separation of 99m Tc from bulk molybdenum in a reverse generator system. TK202 resin showed high selectivity for pertechnetate in 5 M NaOH and negligible molybdenum retention. Column experiments enabled efficient 99m Tc recovery, mostly within approximately 1 mL of water, while 99 Mo was quantitatively recovered for reuse. Repeated separation cycles confirmed stable performance, demonstrating that TK202 resin offers a simple, rapid, and potentially automatable approach for 99m Tc production from low specific activity 99 Mo.