RADIOLABELING OF PHARMACEUTICAL DOSAGE FORMS BY NEUTRON-ACTIVATION OF SM-152

Samarium-152 can be activated in a neutron flux for the labelling of pharmaceutical dosage forms for evaluation by gamma scintigraphy. The samarium is incorporated as samarium oxide powder which is available with Sm-152 in its natural isotopic abundance or isotopically enriched. The yield of Sm-153 was reduced considerably following the neutron activation of the non-isotopically enriched oxide. This can be attributed to the high neutron capture by Sm-149 present in the non-isotopically enriched oxide. In order to keep the mass of the added oxide powder to the minimum and also to reduce the neutron irradiation time, it is recommended that samarium oxide enriched with Sm-152 should be used routinely when radiolabelling pharmaceutical dosage forms.