THEORETICAL YIELDS OF ~(198)Au AND ~(199)Au AND THE SELECTION OF IRRADIATION CONDITIONS

The preferable reactor irradiation conditions in the production of 198Au are discussed, based on the theoretical calculation of the l98Au and 199Au yields. The results suggest that, contrary to what most countries in the world are doing, high neutron flux and short irradiation time should be applied in order to obtain a given specific radioactivity of 198Au with minimum content of 199Au, which is produced by a second neutron capture reaction from the gold target.