Question

Some medical radioisotopes – nuclides that produce specific forms of radiation used for medical purposes – are obtained as fission products from thermal-neutron-induced fission of ²³⁵U. A particularly important example is technetium-99 m, 99 mTc, which is a meta stable nuclide with a half-life of only 6 h. Research the production and uses of 99mTc: how can be 99mTc produced, separated, transported and used when it has such a short half-life? Why is this particular nuclide well-suited to its application?

 

 

Answer 1

Technetium-99m is a synthetic radioisotope that is used to make radiopharmaceuticals, which are mostly used in nuclear medicine for diagnostic reasons.

 

Technetium-99 is a byproduct of nuclear weapons explosions and is created during nuclear reactor operating.

 

By hitting molybdenum 98Mo with neutrons, technetium-99m is created. The resulting 99Mo decays to the metastable state of Tc after a half-life of 66 hours. This method allows for the production of 99mTc for medicinal use.

 

At room temperature, five parts per million of technetium will protect carbon steels from corrosion. Tc-99m is a radioactive isotope that is used in medical therapy to scan the brain, bone, liver, spleen, kidney, and thyroid, as well as for blood flow studies. Tc-99m is the most often used radioisotope for medical diagnostics.

 

Every year, technetium-99m is utilized in more than 20 million diagnostic nuclear medical procedures. This isotope is used as a radioactive tracer in around 85% of nuclear medicine diagnostic imaging procedures.

 

The uranium-bearing targets are irradiated with thermal neutrons to create Mo-99. These neutrons can be absorbed by certain U-235 nuclei, causing them to fission. Fission fragments are produced when the U-235 nucleus splits into two, three, or more lower-mass nuclei.

 

Several techniques have been developed and verified for effectively separating 99mTc from 99Mo. However, most technologies have attracted little attention until recently due to the success of column chromatographic separation utilizing acidic alumina and high specific activity fission 99Mo for the manufacture of 99Mo/99mTc generators.

 

Because one or more protons and neutrons in Tc-99nucleus m's are excited, it is radioactive. After Mo-99 is manufactured, it is placed in a technetium generator, which is then transported to hospitals.

 

Technetium-99m is a medical diagnostic instrument that is a short-lived version of Tc-99. It has a 6-hour half-life in the body and does not survive long in the environment.

 

It's ideal for the role since it produces easily detectable gamma rays with energy of the photon is 140 keV and a half-life of 6.0058 hours for gamma emission.

 

With a photo peak of 140.5 keV for gamma-ray emission, technetium-99m has a very low risk of toxicity. The six-hour half-life and fast excretion from the body reduce harmful effects while providing enough time for diagnostic imaging, all while reducing the patient's radiation exposure.

 

Technetium-99m is typically used in the gastrointestinal system to diagnose Meckel's diverticulum.

Technetium-99m is typically used in the gastrointestinal system to diagnose Meckel's diverticulum.