Uses of radioisotopes

2. Isotopes are atoms of an elements that have thesame
proton number
(Z) but a different nucleon
number
(A)
Unstable isotopes which decay and give out
radioactive emissions
Naturallyoccurring or artificiallyproduced

3. Emits radioactive radiationwhich
Have different penetrating ability with materials of
different thickness and densities
Kill cells
Cause cell mutation
Ionise molecules
Have the same chemical properties as non-
radioactive isotopes of the same element
Its activity decreases with time

4. Beryllium-7is produced when boron-10 captures
a proton
Magnesium-24 is bombardedby a neutron,
sodium-24 can be produced

5. Medicine
Agriculture
Archaeology
Industries

6. Uses radiation to provide information about the
function of the specific organs of a patient or to
treat disease
A radioisotope is taken in by a patient
The radiation emitted enables organs to be easily
imagedby imaging equipment

Disorderscan then be detected and treated

7. •Tracers
Thyroid gland
Iodine- 131 will be used
1/4 of the total amount of iodine in the body can be
stored in the thyroid gland
Amount of iodine entering the gland can be seen by
detecting the radioactive emitted from the
radioactive iodine
γ or βemitter with a short half- life is used.

8. Thrombosis
Sodium-24 is injected into the bloodstream to detect
the position of blood clots or thrombosis in the blood
vessels
Brain tumour
Can be detected and treated by using phosphorus- 32
Sterilisation
Radioisotope cobalt- 60 is used to sterelisemedical
equipments

9. Study the effectiveness of fertilisers
Nitrogen- 15 orphosphorus- 32 is added to soil
water
After the plant absorbed the soil water, the radioisotopes
can track uptake of fertiliserfrom root to leaves
Radioisotopes are used to kill pests and parasites
and to control the ripening of fruits
Induced genetic mutation in a plant
Better strain

Higher resistance against diseases

10. Carbon- 14 is a radioisotope with a half-life of
5730 yearsand decays by emitting beta particles
Living animals and plants have a known
proportion of carbon-14 in their tissues which
remains constant anddecreases when
they die
The amount of carbon-14 left in a decayed plant or
animal can be used to tell its age
K

11. The α -particles from polonium-210 is used to
neutralize static charge in photographic plates and
other materials
Water can be made radioactive by dissolving some
radioactive salt which contains sodium-24
The β –particles emitted are detected by a GM
tube
γ -rayscan be used to penetrate deep into
weldingsto detect faults

12. •Tracers
Underground pipe leaks
Tracer will be added to the
liquid in the pipe
Detector is moved along the
pipe
The count rate will increase
as there is large amount of
water
The radioactive source will
be a short half- life γemitter

13. K
•Thickness control
The manufacture of aluminium
foil
β emitter is placed above the
foil and a detector below it
Some βparticle will
penetrate the foil and the
amount of radiation is
monitored by the computer
The computer will send a
signal to the roller to make
the gap smaller or bigger
based on the count rate