Development of a dry distillation technology for the production of 131I using medium flux reactor for radiopharmaceutical applications

The present article describes the development of an indigenous technology for large scale production of 131I based on the neutron irradiation of TeO2 target followed by the separation of 131I using dry distillation technique. In one batch, typically 180 g of natural TeO2 was irradiated for a period of 21 days in a thermal neutron flux of ~5 × 1013 n cm−2 s−1, which after chemical processing provided ~1.85 TBq (50 Ci) of 131I. The suitability of 131I for medical application was evaluated scrupulously in order to ensure compliance with stipulated pharmacopoeia requirement.