Direct simultaneous production of [15O]water and [13N]ammonia or [18F]fluoride ion by 26 MeV proton irradiation of a double chamber water target.

A simple double liquid chamber target was developed to provide the option for simultaneous production of [15O]H2O and either 13N or 18F using a single proton beam. Irradiation of natural water in a thin aluminium front chamber produced [15O]H2O by the 16O(p, pn)15O reaction directly. Large (0.5-1.0 Ci) doses of sterile [15O]H2O (greater than 99.95% radionuclide purity) were routinely prepared in 1 min from end of 20 microA bombardments using this target and an in-line mixed bed ion exchange column purification. Water in the thin front chamber degraded proton energies on exit to 20-18 MeV. The rear silver liquid chamber was threefold thick to 17 MeV protons in water and it efficiently produced either 13N by the 16O(p, alpha)13N reaction or [18F]fluoride ion by the 18O(p, n)18F reaction. Both target chambers were overpressurized with at least 6 atm of gas to minimize boiling/cavitation of water at high beam currents. Using hydrogen as the overpressure gas on the back chamber and an in-line anion exchange column radionuclidic cleanup process, high yields of sterile, aqueous [13N]NH3 (40-200 mCi; 20 microA) were produced directly from the back chamber at the same time that [15O]H2O was being produced from the front chamber. The combination of this target system with a cyclotron capable of generating 26-30 MeV protons provides great flexibility and simplicity for rapid, high volume production of the three best validated and most widely used radiopharmaceuticals at the present time in clinical positron emission tomography: [15O]H2O, [13N]NH3 and [18F]FDG.