Enrichment of germanium-73 with the magnetic isotope effect on the hydrogen abstraction reaction of triplet benzophenone with triethylgermane in an SDS micellar solution

The magnetic isotope effect was successfully used to enrich germanium-73 using the hydrogen abstraction reaction of triplet benzophenone with triethylgermane in an SDS micellar solution. The relaxation mechanism explains the magnetic field dependence of 73Ge enrichment. Enrichment of 73Ge at zero magnetic field was at 0.5% for the cage product (diphenyl(triethylgermyl)methanol). As magnetic field strength increased, enrichment also rose to a maximum of 5.3% at 500 G. This gradually declined at higher magnetic fields to 1.0% at 10 kG.