Cross-sections for (p,x) reactions on natural chromium for the production of 52,52m, 54Mn radioisotopes

The production of positron-emitting isotopes of manganese is potentially important for developing contrast agents for dual-modality positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance (PET/MR) imaging, as well as for in vivo imaging of the biodistribution and toxicity of manganese. The decay properties of (52)Mn make it an excellent candidate for these applications, and it can easily be produced by bombardment of a chromium target with protons or deuterons from a low-energy biomedical cyclotron. Several parameters that are essential to this mode of production—target thickness, beam energy, beam current, and bombardment time—depend heavily on the availability of reliable, reproducible cross-section data. This work contributes to the routine production of (52g)Mn for biomedical research by contributing experimental cross-sections for natural chromium ((nat)Cr) targets for the (nat)Cr(p,x)(52g)Mn reaction, as well as for the production of the radiocontaminants (52m,54)Mn.