ISOTOPE SEPARATION

IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO THE PRODUCTION OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS

IMPROVEMENTS IN OR RELATING TO THE PRODUCTION OF CHEMICAL COMPOUNDS

Plant cells containing intra-cellular chemical compounds are induced to excrete the compounds by maintaining the cells in a sufficiently high cell density. A sufficiently high cell density is preferably maintained by immobilizing the cells in a modified polyacrylamide gel containing polyacrylamide and a minor amount of xanthan gum or sodium alginate. Vinca plant cells can be immobilized to produce the chemical compounds, ajmalicine and serpentine. Alternative to immobilizing the cells, a sufficiently high cell density can be provided by maintaining the cells in a permeable enclosure such as a woven nylon bag.

Isotope separation

... <195m>Au for medical usage is separated from <195m>Hg in a solution containing ions of <195m>Hg by contacting the solution with an adsorbing agent to abdorb <195m>Hg thereon, followed by selective elution of <195m>Au generated by radioactive decay of the <195m>Hg. The adsorbing agent comprises a composite material in the form of an inert porous inorganic substrate (e.g. Kieselguhr), the pores of which are occupied by a hydrogel of a polysaccaride (e.g. agarose) carrying terminal thiol groups for binding Hg ions.

Composite materials having thiol groups

A composite material having thiol groups comprises a rigid support material. The composite material may comprise a deformable gel (eg agarose) having thiol groups retained within the pore structure of a porous rigid support material (e.g. Kieselghur). The particles of composite material are used to prepare a radioactive gold isotope from a mercury "parent" isotope.

COMPOSITE MATERIALS HAVING THIOL GROUPS