USES OF RADIOISOTOPES

RADIOISOTOPES TO STUDY

Carbon – 14

Cobalt – 60

Iodine – 131

Iodine - 125

Determine the numbers of protons, electrons and neutrons in each of the radioisotopes.

RADIOISOTOPES

isotope protons electrons neutrons Carbon -14 6 6 8

Cobalt-60 27 27 33

Iodine – 131 53 53 78

Iodine – 125 53 53 72

IODINE-131

The half life is 8 days, it emits beta particles

IODINE-131

Used in medical imaging and the treatment of thyroid cancer.

IODINE-125 Iodine-125 is synthetic and is made in reactors

from an isotope of Xenon.

It has a half life of 59 days (80 according to the text book)

Uses: radiation therapy to treat prostate cancer and brain tumorsNuclear imaging in medicineimaging and scanning of the thyroid gland

More info: It decays by beta capture to an isotope of Te which then emits gamma radiation.

IODINE-125

Seeds to treat prostate cancer

This false-color image shows a mouse heart injected with an iodine-125 agent. In the tomographic reconstruction, the brighter colors correspond to more emission from that region of the heart wall.

RADIOCARBON DATING

Carbon-14 is taken up by living things and when they die, this intake stops.

Knowing that the half-life of carbon-14 is 5700 years, scientists can use carbon-14 to determine the age of fossils and artifacts.

RADIOCARBON DATING IS RELIABLE UP TO 50,000 YEARS*

* http://www.ehow.com/about_6128589_reliability-radiocarbon-dating.html

COBALT-60

The half life is 5.27 days and emits gamma rays

It is useful for radiotherapy of solid cancerous tumors