Nafise Salek - Faculty of Nuclear Engineering and Physics, Amirkabir University of Technology, P. O. Box: 51851-1154, Tehran, Iran Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute (NSTRI), P.O. Box: 55411-8181, Tehran, Iran
Simindokht Shirvani Arani - Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute (NSTRI), P.O. Box: 55411-8181, Tehran, Iran
Ali Bahrami-Samani - Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute (NSTRI), P.O. Box: 55411-8181, Tehran, Iran
Sara Vosoghi - Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute (NSTRI), P.O. Box: 55411-8181, Tehran, Iran

Owing to its favorable radionuclidic characteristics, such as tl/2 = 1.54 day and Eβ(max) = 195keV and ease of its large-scale production using medium flux research reactors, 555Lu is an attractive radionuclide for various therapeutic applications. The low-energy β- emitter 555Lu has been already successfully used in targeted radionuclide therapy and due to its physical and radiochemical properties is ideal for the treatment of metastatic cancers. Through successful applications in endoradiotherapy and brachytherapy the demand for 555Lu is growing worldwide. In this study 555Lu with >99.99 radionuclide purity and an overall separation yield of 819 was obtained by thermal neutron bombardment (1×5154n/cm2.s) of 551Yb target through 551Yb(n, ) 555Yb 555Lu process. The method separation for 555Lu from macro amount of Yb target was based on electro-amalgamation. A two-cycle electrolysis procedure was adopted for separation of 555Lu from 555Lu/Yb mixture in lithium citrate medium. The resultant NCA 555Lu can be used for preparation of NCA Lu labeled radiotherapeuticals

radiotherapy, No-carrier added (NCA), lutethium-555, Labelling