Gabriela Diaz

Chemistry 1010
March 30, 2018

Applications of Isotopes and Radioisotopes

Introduction
All atoms of a specific element are defined by their atomic number, or the number of
protons in their nucleus. The number of protons in the nucleus is therefore unique and specific to
each type of element and cannot be changed, The number of neutrons in the nucleus on the other
hand can vary giving way to isotopes, resulting in atoms with the same number of protons but
with different masses. Isotopes are therefore
defined as variants of an element with a
differing number of neutrons. The word
isotope was coined by Dr. Margret Todd in
1913, a combination of the Greek words
isos(same) and topos(place), referring to the
fact that all isotopes of an element maintain
the same place on the periodic table because
they are still the same element as determined by Figure 1-Naturally occurring isotopes of hydrogen
their atomic number. Dr. Todd suggested this to
family friend, Frederick Soddy who proved the existence of isotopes for some radioactive
elements. Isotopes, which can be found in nature or created in a lab can either be stable or
radioactive. Radioactive elements are unstable and eventually break down into more stable forms
during the process of radioactive decay. These radioactive isotopes, also known as radioisotopes
may be harmful to humans and other living animals and plant life, but alternatively they may
also have beneficial applications in medicine and other industries making both isotopes and
radioisotopes important in our society.
Industry
Although the use of carbon 14 in carbon dating is relatively well known especially for
archeological use, there are many more
applications of isotopes utilizing both
radioactive and stable isotopes in day to day
life. Americum-241 with a proton number
of 95, is used in smoke detectors and
according to the Nuclear Energy Agency is
the most utilized use of a radioactive
isotopes in a device with millions of smoke
Figure 2-DIagram of an smoke decctor using detectors in homes, businesses and publicly owned
Americum-241
buildings all over the world. Radioisotopes are also used in small amounts as tracers and help
detect problems or provide information about various industrial processes. These tracers can
highlight issues such as leaks in pipes or other systems that regularly carry large amounts of
materials or liquids. Tracers can also give information about mixing or flow rate, as well as
tracing pollutants in bodies of water. These tracers help fix problems, increase efficiency and
provide information beneficial to better production and processes on an industrial level.
Examples of tracers include Gold-198 and Technetium-96 which traces factory waste to
oceans as well as movements of sand in riverbeds. Hydrogen-3 is used to trace sewage and liquid
waste. Another important use of radioisotopes in industry is for inspection purposes and integrity
checks. Iridium-192 is used to locate defects or faults in metal components by way of gamma
radiography while krypton-85 is used for industrial gauging.
Medical applications
One of the most important applications of isotopes is the detection, prevention and
treatment of medical ailments. According the American Nuclear Society(ANS), in the United
States there are approximately sixteen million medical procedures utilizing nuclear medicine and
radioisotopes each year. Areas of medicine including new drug testing, medical imaging, therapy
and equipment sterilization all use isotopes under the umbrella of nuclear medicine.
Sterilization of medical equipment has historically been done using extreme heat to kill
off bacteria and although still used, Cobalt-60 is favored over this method because it can be used
to treat heat sensitive materials and medical products. This advantage means important powders,
ointments and certain skin graft preparation can
be sterilized. Low doses of Cesium-137 are used
to sterilize blood and blood pouches and are
especially important for immunodepressed
patients when giving blood transfusions.
The ANS reports that almost half of
patients with cancer will receive radiation at
some point in their treatment and 10% of all
medical treatments use radiation. Radioisotopes
such as Iodine-131 are used to treat thyroid Figure 3-PET Scan using F-18 to diagnose a tumor
cancer as well used for imaging. Xenon-133,
Galium-67, Indium-111 and Techtium-99 are all used for imaging and utilize gamma cameras to
locate signs of illness in the internal organs, while Fluorine-18 is used as a medical tracer with
PET scans. These are just a few examples of some of the many medical applications utilizing
radioisotopes. Many resources and research are continuing to be done on the medical uses of the
isotopes as well as in other industries such as agriculture, non-destructive testing and isotope
production.
 Works Cited
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotope
https://www.britannica.com/science/isotope
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_Todd_(doctor)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Soddy
https://www.ck12.org/book/CK-12-Physical-Science-Concepts-For-Middle-School/section/2.37/
(also used for figure 1 picture)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americium-241#Ionization-type_smoke_detector
https://www.oecd-nea.org/ndd/pubs/1999/787-beneficial-uses-isotopes.pdf
http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/non-power-nuclear-applications/radioisotopes-
research/radioisotopes-in-industry.aspx
https://opentextbc.ca/chemistry/chapter/21-5-uses-of-radioisotopes/ (also used for picture of
figure 2)
http://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/non-power-nuclear-applications/radioisotopes-
research/radioisotopes-in-medicine.aspx
www.nuclearconnect.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Medical_Use_of_Radioisotopes_web.pdf
http://www.radiopharmaceutical-science.ethz.ch/research/tumor-imaging.html (picture for figure
3)