How Are Isotopes Used?

An isotope is one of two or more atoms that have the same atomic number but have different mass numbers. An isotope is a variation of an element with a difference in the normal number of neutrons. The increased mass of an isotope can cause the chemical reactions they are used in to progress more slowly than a reaction that does not use isotopes. Not all isotopes are radioactive and there are many uses for them.

Medical use:

Isotopes have a wide variety of uses in medicine. Iron-59 is used for studying how the spleen metabolizes iron. Copper-64 is used to study genetic problems with copper metabolism. Erbium-169 is used in the treatment of some forms of arthritis pain and Rhenium-186 is used for relieving bone cancer pain. Rhenium-188 is used for beta irradiation of arteries in angioplasty.

Palladium-103 is used in the treatment of prostrate cancer. Samarium-153 is used in the treatment of prostrate and breast cancer and can also be effective in pain relief of secondary cancers. Iodine-131 is used in the treatment of thyroid cancer and is also used for thyroid imaging. Iodine-123 is being used more in thyroid imaging as it does not have the beta radiation on Iodine-131.

Gallium-67 is used for tumor imaging. This is only a very small list of the numerous isotopes that are used medically in diagnosis and treatment of various diseases and conditions. More uses for isotopes are continually being found to improve health care and treatments.

Use in non-medical research:

Carbon-14 may be an isotope you are already familiar with. It contains trace amounts of all carbon found on earth. It is a radioactive isotope and is used to precisely determine the age of fossils or artifacts. This testing is commonly referred to as Carbon dating.

Isotopes are also being used in agriculture for soil management. Use of the isotopes can improve the agricultural output and also reduce the amount of nitrous oxide and methane emissions. Measurements of the amounts of isotopes in surface and ground water is being used to study watersheds. These studies can help to predict the effects of climate and land use and help with water resource management.

Fuel:

(235)U, or enriched Uranium, is used in nuclear energy. It is also used in nuclear weaponry. Helium-3, which is believed to exist in large quantities on the moon, is being investigated as a long term fuel source for fusion power reactors. Helium-3 is not a radioactive isotope.

MOX or mixed fuel oxide is the term used for recycling plutonium. Recycling plutonium even once can increase the energy obtained from the original uranium by approximately 12 percent. If the original uranium is also recycled up to 22 percent additional energy can be obtained. This recycling also reduces the waste that must be dealt with.

There are hundreds of isotopes already discovered or created and hundreds more yet to be found. With careful research we can hopefully find many more benefits from this area of chemistry.

References:

http://www.eoearth.org/article/Mixed_oxide_fuel_(MOX)
http://www.sahra.arizona.edu/programs/isotopes/ekwurzel.html
http://www.radiochemistry.org/nuclearmedicine/radioisotopes/ex_iso_medicine.htm
http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-an-isotope.htm