Separation of Eu Radioisotopes Impurity from Irradiated Natural Sm Target for Purification of 153Sm

The 153Sm production by neutron bombardment of a natural samarium target produces 154,155,156Eu impurities. Therefore, it is important to investigate amount of impurities and their separation methods. In this study, 153Sm was separated from Eu radioisotopes by ion exchange chromatography. Natural Sm2O3 powder was dissolved in HNO3 and encapsulated in aluminum foils. The target was irradiated by the Tehran 5MW Research Reactor with the neutron flux of 5´1013 n cm-2 s-1. The irradiated target was dissolved in HCl and was injected into a chromatography column that was packed with Dowex-50Wx8, 200-400 mesh resin. As a result, 153Sm was separated with the recovery yield of more than 65% with a purity better than 99.8% from Eu impurities.