Patent Number: 060569298
Section: claims

1. A method of removing .sup.125 I from the interior of a decay chamber in which said .sup.125 I is formed by decay of .sup.125 Xe, said decay chamber comprising an elongate housing having a valved closure at one end thereof and from which xexon is absent which comprises: attaching a needle to said valved closure,  immersing said needle in a body of degassed aqueous sodium hydroxide solution,  opening said valved closure and permitting agueous sodium hydroxide solution to pass through the opened valved closure in the interior of the housing,  closing said valved closure,  effecting reflux of said aqueous sodium hydroxide solution within said chamber with said elongate housing in a generally vertical orientation to evaporate water for a pool of said aqueous sodium hydroxide solution at a lower end of said elongate housing to condense evaporated water vapor on the internal walls of the chamber to dissolve .sup.125 I from the internal walls of said chamber and to flow condense back into said pool of aqueous sodium hydroxide solution to form an aqueous solution of .sup.125 I within said chamber, and thereafter  opening said valved closure and permitting said aqueous solution of .sup.125 I to flow by gravity through said needle to a storage vessel, thereby removing said solution of .sup.125 I from said chamber. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein said body of degassed aqueous sodium hydroxide solution is housed in an evacuated fill vessel, said aqueous sodium hydroxide solution is permitted to flow downwardly by gravity through said needle extending in a vertically upward direction into said chamber, and following said closing of said valved closure, inverting said elongate housing, whereby said needle extends in a vertically downward direction and said pool of aqueous sodium hydroxide is formed adjacent the valved closure. 3. The method of claim 2 wherein said storage vessel is an evacuated vial with a self sealing septum, said needle is penetrated through the septum before the opening of the valved closure to permit the aqueous solution of .sup.125 I to flow into the storage vessel, said valved closure thereafter is closed and the needle withdrawn from the self-sealing septum. 4. The method of claim 3, wherein said elongate housing is cooled following said refluxing step and prior to said recovery step to condense water vapor present in the housing.