Radiochemistry Commons^™

Chemical Effects Of Beta Decay Of Molybdenum-99-Labeled Molybdate, Jane A. Seck

Student Scholarship

This research investigates the chemical consequences of the beta decay of molybdenum-99 when in the form of the molybdate ion, specifically focusing on how these effects impact the efficiency of technetium-99m generators used in medical diagnostics. Technetium-99m is a vital radiopharmaceutical for tumor localization and brain scanning due to its short half-life and ideal gamma emission energy. However, clinical generators often fail to yield the theoretically calculated maximum amount of technetium, typically eluting only 60 to 80 percent of the activity. This study hypothesizes that the recoil energy produced during beta decay is sufficient to rupture metal-oxygen bonds, leading to …