Radioisotopes Essay

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Radioisotope assessment Definition and conditions of a radioisotope A radioisotope is a naturally or artificially produced radioactive isotope of an element. The conditions that make a radioisotope unstable: * Too many neutrons in the nucleus compared to the number of protons, in this case a neutron is altered into a proton and an electron, the electron is then known as negative beta particle. Eg cobalt-60 * Too many protons compared to neutrons, a proton changes to a neutron and a positron, with the emitted positron being known as a positive beta particle. Eg Sodium-22 * Too many protons and neutrons make the nucleus too heavy, it then emits two protons and two neutrons from the nucleus as a helium nucleus or an alpha particle. Eg Radon Medicine Name and symbol of radioisotope The radioisotope that is used in medicine is Technetium-99m and the chemical symbol for that radioisotope is Tc-99. How Technetium-99m is produced Technetium-99m is produced by bombarding molybdenum (Mo-98) with neutrons. The resultant Mo-99 decays with a half-life of 66 hours to Tc. Since Mo-99 is a fission product of U-235 fission, it can be separated from the other fission products and used to generate Tc-99m. Its properties and uses Technetium-99m is a silver-gray, radioactive metal. Its melting point is 2172 degrees Celsius and boiling point 4877 degrees Celsius. It is a very dense material. Its half-life of only about 6 hours. It dissolves in nitric acid, aqua regia and hot concentrated sulphuric acid. Its uses are medical and research purposes like evaluating the medical condition of the heart, kidneys, lungs, liver, spleen, and bone. Benefits and risks associated with its use Benefits: * It is used for medical purposes, evaluating condition of the heart kidneys and other important body parts. * It is also used to diagnose cancer Risks: * You

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