Table of Contents
Can you stabilize a radioactive isotope?
ELECTRON CAPTURE A proton becomes a neutron, so the atomic number decreases but the atomic mass stays the same. An example of electron capture is the decay of beryllium-7.
What is the neutron bombardment of cobalt-60?
Cobalt-60 is produced by neutron bombardment of stable cobalt in a nuclear reactor. Small nickel-plated slugs of the radioactive metal are loaded into a sealed alloy cylinder typically 10 × 450 mm and doubly encapsulated in a corrosion-resistant steel pencil.
How does co60 decay?
Cobalt-60 decays to Nickel-60 plus an electron and an electron antineutrino. The decay is initially to a nuclear excited state of Nickel-60 from which it emits either one or two gamma ray photons to reach the ground state of the Nickel isotope. It is involved in the radioactive fallout from nuclear weapons.
What happens when an isotope loses a neutron?
Loss of a neutron gives a different isotope of the same element. The atomic number (number of protons, determining the element) remains the same but the atomic mass reduces by about 1 amu.
What can radioactive isotopes be used to treat?
In radiotherapy, radioisotopes typically are employed to destroy diseased cells. Radiotherapy commonly is used to treat cancer and other conditions involving abnormal tissue growth, such as hyperthyroidism.
How do you know if an isotope is stable or radioactive?
Stable isotopes do not decay into other elements. In contrast, radioactive isotopes (e.g., 14C) are unstable and will decay into other elements.
How does neutron bombardment work?
Neutron Bombardment In order to initiate fission, a high-energy neutron is directed towards a nucleus, such as 235U. The resulting fission process often releases additional neutrons, which can go on to initiate other 235U atoms, forming a chain reaction.
Why is cobalt-60 used to sterilize medical equipment?
Cold Process Sterilization The reason why Cobalt-60 is the most suitable for radiation processing is because of the relatively high energy of their gamma rays and fairly long half-life which is 5.27 years.
Is NB 92 radioactive?
Naturally occurring niobium (41Nb) is composed of one stable isotope (93Nb). The most stable radioisotope is 92Nb with a half-life of 34.7 million years. Most of these have half-lives that are less than two hours, except 95Nb (35 days), 96Nb (23.4 hours) and 90Nb (14.6 hours).
What is carbons half-life?
5,730 years
C has a half-life of 5,730 years. In other words, after 5,730 years, only half of the original amount of 14C remains in a sample of organic material.
Which radioactive isotope is used for the treatment of Leukaemia?
The correct answer is Cobalt – 60. Cobalt – 60 radioisotopes are used in the treatment of blood cancer [leukemia].