Alice predictions on the accelerator production of molybdenum-99

The ALICE code was used to calculate the excitation functions for proton in duced reactions on Mo-100 that lead to the production of Nb, Mo and Tc isot opes. The ALICE code predicts a maximum cross section of the order of 100 m b for the Mo-100(p,pn)Mo-99 nuclear reaction. ALICE predicts that the produ ction of a few Curies of 99Mo is feasible if high intensity (mA) protons ar e degraded from 50-->30 MeV in a target of highly isotopically enriched Mo- 100. The ALICE code cannot be used to predict the cross sections for the is omeric states for the Mo-100(p,2p)Nb99m+g-->Mo-99 reactions. However, the p redicted cross section for protons on Mo-100 to yield Nb-99 suggests that t he (p,2p) reaction channel does not contribute significantly to the thick t arget yield of Mo-99. Several considerations suggest that accelerator produ ction of Mo-99-->Tc-99m generators is not a practical economic alternative to fission produced Mo-99. Considerations for the cyclotron production of T c-99m are discussed. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.