Iran produces oxygen isotope with high purity at nuclear research reactor
Tehran (KNA) - Iranian scientists have managed to produce Oxygen-18, a natural isotope of oxygen, which has its uses in the medical industry, at a west-central nuclear research reactor.
The head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Ali-Akbar Salehi, announced the product during a ceremony in Markazi province on Monday, IRNA reported.
He said the isotope is produced at 97 percent purity, noting that by harnessing the technology at Khandab Research Reactor in the province, the Islamic Republic had broken the international monopoly of its production, which was previously held by only five countries.
Oxygen-18 is used as precursor for medical radioisotope Fluorine-18 production, which is used in PET (positron emission tomography). PET is a type of imaging test that helps reveal how tissues and organs are functioning.
Salehi said the research facility can now produce as much as 60 kilograms of the isotope per year, and could reach a 100-kilo yield.
The development has rendered Iran independent of foreign contribution as far as PET equipment was concerned, Salehi said. Previously, the country had to buy each kilo of the isotope at $30,000, he added.
It only remains for the product to undergo electrolysis, which, the official said, "is an easy process."
Source: PressTV