Worksheet 18

USING RADIOISOTOPES
Syllabus reference 9.2.5

1 a What properties would you consider to be necessary in a radioisotope used for each of
the following situations:
i a thickness gauge

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ii detecting leaks in a water pipe

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iii irradiating (and destroying) cancerous cells in cancer patients

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iv sterilising medical supplies

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v diagnosing blood-circulation problems in sick people

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Copyright 2007 McGraw-Hill Australia CONQUERINGCHEMISTRY HSC Module 1 WS 18

 vi a smoke detector

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b Explain how each of these devices or processes work and why the properties you listed
are necessary or desirable for that use.
i

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ii
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iii
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iv
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Copyright 2007 McGraw-Hill Australia CONQUERINGCHEMISTRY HSC Module 1 WS 18

 v

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vi
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c Using the table below select a suitable radioisotope for each of the above
purposes.

Some radioisotopes produced by the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology

Organisation (ANSTO)a

RADIOISOTOPE RADIATION HALF-LIFE USES

EMITTED
Technetium-99m 6h medical diagnosis for
heart, bone, lung,
brain, thyroid, blood
flow
iodine-131 , 8d treatment of diseases
of the thyroid
iridium-192 , 74 d used as an internal
radiotherapy source

Copyright 2007 McGraw-Hill Australia CONQUERINGCHEMISTRY HSC Module 1 WS 18

 fluorine-18 +b 1.8 h positron emission
tomography (PET) to
study brain function
and to diagnose
epilepsy, heart
diseases and certain
types of cancer

iodine-123 E.C.b, 13.2 h diagnosis of thyroid

diseases and some
cancers
cobalt-60 , 5.3 y gamma radiation for
cancer treatment
caesium-137 , 30 y thickness gauges in
industry
radiography of
machinery and welds
irradiation of food
(not in Australiayet)
americium-241c ~ 432 y smoke detectors

gold-198 , 2.7 d radioactive tracer to

follow movements of
sewage and other
wastes through
waterways
movement of sand in
river beds and ocean
floors (erosion)
zinc-65 and +b 244 d follow heavy metals
manganese-54 E.C.b 312 d in waste water from
(produced together) mining

a 18F and 123I are produced at the National Medical Cyclotron near the Royal Prince
Alfred Hospital, Sydney; the others are made at the Lucas Heights reactor by placing
substances under the reactor core.
b + is positron emission; E.C. is electron capture.
c Distributed but not made by ANSTO.

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Copyright 2007 McGraw-Hill Australia CONQUERINGCHEMISTRY HSC Module 1 WS 18

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2 Carbon-14 is used to date historical or archaeological specimens (from 500 to 50 000

years old) while potassium-40 is used to date geological specimens (time scales of
millions to billions of years).
a Why are those two isotopes suited to those particular scales?

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b Could you use carbon-14 for geological dating or potassium-14 for historical
dating? Explain.

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3 In scientific contexts, what is a radioactive tracer? Describe one example of the use of such
a tracer. What properties of the tracer make it suitable for that use? What are the hazards of
using such tracers? What precautions do scientists usually take to avoid these hazards?

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Copyright 2007 McGraw-Hill Australia CONQUERINGCHEMISTRY HSC Module 1 WS 18

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Copyright 2007 McGraw-Hill Australia CONQUERINGCHEMISTRY HSC Module 1 WS 18