Applications of Radioactivity

Radiocarbon dating is based on the radioactivity of which decays 

Carbon-14 is continuously produced in the atmosphere when high-energy neutrons from space collide with nitrogen-14. 

Just as carbon-14 is continuously produced by this process, it continuously decomposes through (3-particle production. Over the years, these two 

Because the half-life of is known to be 5730 years, a wooden bowl 

What must we assume about the atmospheric content of carbon-14 when using carbon dating  

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Another potential application of radioactive species is in food preservation (Figure 19.2, p. 518). It is well known that gamma rays can kill insects, larvae, and parasites such as... 

One hundred years after the discovery of radioactivity and fifty years after the dawn of the nuclear age, society continues to debate the benefits and costs of nuclear technology. Understanding nuclear transformations and the properties of radioactivity is necessary for intelligent discussions of the nuclear dilemma. In this chapter, we explore the nucleus and the nuclear processes that it undergoes. We describe the factors that make nuclei stable or unstable, the various types of nuclear reactions that can occur, and the effects and applications of radioactivity. 

One of the first chemical applications of radioactive tracers was a set of elegant experiments on photosynthesis performed in the 1950s by Melvin Calvin. His goal was to determine the set of reactions used by plants to transform atmospheric CO2 into carbohydrates. Calvin supplied growing plant cells with CO2 enriched with 14... 

Nelson, R. W., Reisenauer, A. E., Application of radioactive tracers in scientific groundwater hydrology, Radioisotopes in Hydrology, Tokyo Symposium 1963, p. 207-230, Inter. Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna. 

Robbins, J. A., Geochemical and Geophysical Applications of Radioactive Lead, In Nriagu, J. 0., ed., Biogeochemistry of Lead, Elsevier Scientific Publishers, Netherlands, 285-393 (1978). 

Even nowadays the application of radioactive isotopes is the most sensitive method for the analysis of biomolecules or their reaction products. Besides the low detection limits, the replacement of a naturally overbalancing stable isotope by its radioactive analogue does not interfere with the physical or chemical properties of the enzyme (with some exceptions for hydrogens). Figure 6 lists some frequently used radioactive isotopes and their half-life periods. 

Iwangoff P, Enz A, Meier-Ruge W. (1978). Incorporation, after single and repeated application of radioactive labelled DH-ergot alkaloids in different organs of the cat, with special reference to the brain. Gerontology. 24(suppl 1) 126-38. 

E = 137keV). The accompanying emission of 7-radiation can be used for scintigraphic imaging but also makes patient isolation necessary. The different half-lifes and /3 -energies allow individual therapeutic demands such as the pharmacokinetics of the tracer molecule, the linear energy transfer of the nuclides or the biodistribution and clearance of the radiolabeled drug to be met. The principles of the application of radioactive materials for therapy are summarized in an excellent review. ... 

The application of radioactive phenolic precursors—quinic acid and shikimic acid (52), phenylalanine (30,53), tyrosine (53), and cinnamic acid (30,31,53)—to infected wheat leaves led to a solvent- and alkali-resistant incorporation of radioactivity into hypersensitively reacting host cells suggesting lignin formation had occurred. 

The contributions of modern chemistry, including the availability of separated isotopes, the extension of the range of mass spectrometers, and the developments of new chemical methods, which make possible the determination of microgram quantities, have extended the range of application of radioactive age measurements. This extension has been either... 

LowenthaL G. and P. Alrey Practical Applications of Radioactivity and Nuclear Radiations, Cambridge University Press, New York, NY, 2001. 

Karzinkin, G.S. (1962) Application of Radioactive Isotopes to Fish Culture (In Russian). Pishchepromizdat, Moscow, 71 pp. 

Special properties of radioactive nuclides (isotopes of an element, Chapter 2) make them useful tracers for following complex processes. Radiochemistry is the branch of chemistry which involves the applications of radioactivity to chemical problems, as well as the chemical processing of radioactive substances. 

J. R. Grover, D. E. Malloy and J. B. A. Mitchell, Applications of Radioactive Molecular Beams (1) The Chemistry of Astatine (2) The Measurement of Absolute Differential Cross Sections, Brookhaven National Laboratory (U.S.) report 25416 (1979). 

Young, L., McCarter, J.A., Edson, M., Estok, E. (1944). Biochemical experiments with mustard gas prepared from radioactive sulphur. V. The systemic distribution of S at different times after application of radioactive mustard gas to the skin of the rat. University of Toronto, Canada, Report No. 17, C.P. 75. 

An example of the application of radioactive disequilibria for dating is the Th method. The chemical properties of U(VI) differ appreciably from those of Th(IV). Whereas 50 ions are found in natural waters, in particular in the oceans, in the form of [UO2 ((303)3]" " ions, Th" ions are completely hydrolysed and easily sorbed on particulates. With these they settle down in the sediments. On the other hand, corals and other inhabitants of the oceans form their skeletons by uptake of elements dissolved in the sea, e.g. U together with Ca, but no Th. In this way, " Th (daughter of and the long-lived Th are separated, and if the skeletons can be considered to be closed systems, the ingrowth of Th is a measure of the age. 

W. J. Whitehouse, J. L. Putman, Radioactive Isotopes - An Introduction to their Preparation, Measurement and Use, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1952 E. Broda, Th. Schonfeld, The Technical Applications of Radioactivity, Vol. 1, Pergamon, Oxford, 1966... 

One of the earliest experiments on the application of radioactive isotopes to the study of mechanisms of reactions of metal complexes was that of Ettle and Johnson (22). They added radiochloride ion to solutions of [Co(en)2012] and found that cis-trans isomerization in this system... 

The Application of Radioactive Tracers in the Water Industry, in Four Essay Reviews on Applications of Radiation Measurement in the Water Industry 1984, HMSO, in this series. 

A typical nuclear industry may consist of mining and milling of uranium ore, thorium extraction, fuel fabrication, nuclear reactor operation, and production and application of radioactive isotopes for various industrial medical and research purposes. Almost, in all these steps, waste is generated that needs proper management. Radioactive wastes differ from other industrial wastes due to its radiation exposure and its radiological toxicity to human beings and their environment. Management of radioactive wastes is an important step in a nuclear industry and the objective is to effectively isolate radionuclides from the... 

The following problems illustrate some of the applications of radioactive assays in the biochemical laboratory. 

One application of radioactive tracer techniques of considerable importance in solid state structural problems is the emanation method due to Hahn (21). The method has been employed widely and has been developed recently as a sensitive, quantitative method by Gregory (22), who has employed it for the investigation of structural changes and for the extraction of diffusion data. The procedure in outline is as follows A convenient amount of a radioactive element which decays to an isotope of radon (e.g., radiothorium) is ccprecipitated... 

Nuclear Regulatory Commission. (NRC). A federal agency established in 1975 to regulate all commercial uses of atomic energy, including construction and operation of nuclear power plants, nuclear fuel reprocessing plants, and research applications of radioactive materials. It is also responsible for safety and environmental protection. Its offices are at One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852-2738. 

Ritchie, J. C., and McHenry, J. R. (1990). Application of radioactive fallout cesium-137 for measuring soil erosion and sediment accumulation rates and patterns a review. J. Environ. Qual. 19, 215—233. 

Nuclear and radiochemistry deals with radioactive substances—from fundamental studies of atomic nuclei and chemical properties of radioactive elements to practical applications of radioactivity and nuclear technology. 

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