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When a radioactive tracer is used why is it best to use a radioactive isotope that decays into a stable isotope?
Wiki User
∙ 9y ago
The principle behind the use of radioactive tracers is that an atom in a chemical compound is replaced by another atom, of the same chemical element. The substituting atom, however, is a radioactive isotope. This process is often called radioactive labeling.
Wiki User
∙ 9y ago
Wiki User
∙ 9y agoWell...they DON'T use that kind of isotope. They use an isotope (Technetium-99) which decays into the slowly-decaying radioisotope Technetium-98...and they use this because, with a medically-useful half-life of a little over six hours, the patient is exposed to radiation for only as long as he or she needs to be.
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What are the ideal properties of a radioactive isotope used as a medical tracer?
Positron Emission, Metabolic Activity, Detection, "short" physical half-life
What is a trackable isotope?
It is called a tracer
What kind of stuff is astatine used for?
It's being studied for potential use in nuclear medicine (the isotope astatine-211).
Which isotope can be used as a tracer to study the age of organic material?
Carbon-14
What body problem to find iodine 131 radio isotope is used as a tracer?
thyroid
Does carbon behave chemically the same even when radioactive?
yes it does. the chemical behavior of a radioactive isotope is essentially the same as that of the stable isotopes of an element. When you have the addition of a small quanity of radioactive isotope, it becomes a tracer, which traces molecular changes. (look up the Melvin Calvin experiment for more help)
What are the ideal properties of a radioactive isotope used as a medical tracer?
Positron Emission, Metabolic Activity, Detection, "short" physical half-life
What is a trackable isotope?
It is called a tracer
What kind of stuff is astatine used for?
It's being studied for potential use in nuclear medicine (the isotope astatine-211).
How does radioactive tracer get into the body?
They dissolve it in a liquid and the patient drinks it
Which isotope can be used as a tracer to study the age of organic material?
Carbon-14
What body problem to find iodine 131 radio isotope is used as a tracer?
thyroid
What isotope of polonium should be used for tracer experiment?
Polonium isotopes are not used as tracers.
Radioactive isotopes that can be followed through a chemical reaction or a industrial process is?
tracer
How much radioactive tracer is injected into the vein for a typical bone scan?
About 1 Mg.
What are some ways that technetium is used?
The isomer Tc-99m is largely used as tracer for radiodiagnostic.The isotope Tc-99 is used to make standardized beta emitter sources.Technetium has useful properties but it is difficult to be used in other fields of technology because is radioactive.
What is the only difference between ELISA and RIA?
RIA measures scintillation due to decay of radioactive tracer. ELISA measures a color change due to an enzyme tracer.
