Preemptive denaturing of 233U for more secure 225Ac production

<ns7:p> The nuclide <ns7:sup>225</ns7:sup> Ac is an alpha-emitting nuclide that can be used in targeted alpha therapy. The main production method for <ns7:sup>225</ns7:sup> Ac is the decay of <ns7:sup>233</ns7:sup> U produced by the neutron irradiation of <ns7:sup>232</ns7:sup> Th. Isotopically pure <ns7:sup>233</ns7:sup> U poses proliferation concerns, so production of <ns7:sup>225</ns7:sup> Ac in relevant quantities using this method requires denaturing (down-blending) of <ns7:sup>233</ns7:sup> U with natural or depleted uranium. Denaturing can be performed preemptively by directly mixing <ns7:sup>233</ns7:sup> Pa separated from a fuel or blanket material with an unirradiated uranium solution. This method minimizes the mass of highly enriched <ns7:sup>233</ns7:sup> U in the process stream at any time. </ns7:p>