How Isotopes are Used

There are three main ways isotopes can be used for medicine. Isotopes are a special species of atoms but have the same chemical element with the same spot in the periodic table, but they have different atomic masses and physical properties. They are either radioactive or stable. Firstly, radioactive Isotopes can be injected into a patient and the emitted energy can be recorded on film. The film is a lot of help because it is an important diagnostic tool. Medical isotopes can be injected into a tumor and it would destroy the cancerous cells. When the isotopes are used they can either kill or inhibit malfunctioning cells. The isotopes can be used to diagnose thyroid function and in the treatment of hyperthyroidism. Because the isotope would be used in the specific region of the thyroid the radioaction can be confined to that specific organ. Isotopes are also used to detect the effects of radiation of the human organism. Radioactive isotopes are tracers and make it possible to tell what is going on in the human body with organic or inorganic substances. If you were to use something else for that research you would not be able to see the same response you to with radioactive isotopes. Radioactive isotopes are also used for things like, measuring the thickness of plastic or metal sheets by measuring how much radiation they can stop. (AECL, 2009)

Radiation

Alpha, Beta, and Gamma are the three different types of radiation.

First off there is alpha radiation. Alpha radiation is a short range heavy particle that is an ejected helium nucleus. mostly all of alpha radiation cannot get thought human skin. alpha materials can hurt people if the materials are inhaled, swallowed or enter any open wounds. special instruments are used for measuring alpha radiation. Training is required to use the instruments accurately. a thin window Geiger-Mueller (GM) can pick up or detect alpha radiation. instruments cannot pick up alpha radiation even through a thing layer of water, dust, or paper. the reason if because alpha radiation doesn't penetrate anything. Alpha radiation travel up to a couple of inches through the air, but is not a hazard people. examples of alpha emitters are radium, radon, uranium, and thorium. Another type of radiation is Beta radiation. Beta radiation is an ejected electron that is light and short ranged. Beta radiation can get the the gremial layer (the layer of skin where skin cells are produced)of a humans skin. If the beta is left on the skin for a long period of time it may cause skin damage. Clothing can give people some protection from Beta radiation. Beta radiation is internally harmful. A survey instrument and a thin window of GM can detect most Beta radiation. Some Beta emitters have a low energy level and that makes it very hard to detect. Examples of that would be Hydrogen-3 (tritium), Carbon-14, and sulfur-35. Examples of pure beta emitters are strontium-90, carbon-14, and sulfur-35. The last type of radiation is Gamma and x radiation. They are highly penetrating electromagnetic radiation. Gamma and x radiation have no limit to how far it can travel into air or into human tissue. They can penetrate almost all materials. People have nick named it the "penetrating" radiation. It is also an electromagnetic radiation like visible light, radiowaves, and ultraviolet light. The electromagnetic radiation depends on how much energy there is. Heavy materials are needed to be sheild gamma radiation. clothing provides only a light sheild from the penetrating radiation, but will prevent the penetrating of skin for little gaps of time. Gamma radiation is detected by using survey meters with a sodium iodide detector probe. Examples of gamma emitters are iodine-131, celsium-137, cobait-60, radium-226, and technetium-99m. (Radiation Answers, 2009)

How Interactions Within an Atom Cause Change

There are three types of intermolecular force; covalent, ionic, and metallic. All of them cause a change in the atom. The type depends on the different types of atoms. Ionic bonding happens with metal and nonmetal. Metallic bonding happens with two metals. Covalent bonding lets atoms to share there electrons. The atoms either have to give away electrons or get some from another atom. This all depends on how fart he atom has to move to be in the right spot. Opposite charges pull atoms together and positive charges push atoms apart. (Science@Berkeley Labs, 2009)