Why technetium radioactive

Moreover, it's not just the ligand that can be switched. The technetiumm itself is merely the most versatile and commonly used of an entire suite of radioactive isotopes, each of which has a different half-life, and different radioactive and chemical properties, attuned to detecting particular diseases in the body.

Iodine - diagnosis, particularly of the thyroid, and of neurological disease such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Iodine - treating thyroid disease, including cancer. Fluorine - imaging malignant tumours. Thallium - monitoring the heart during exercise. Gallium - imaging tumours and locating inflammatory lesions. Indium - locating blood clots, inflammation and rare cancers. Xenon - inhaled for studying lung ventilation. Chromium - monitoring blood cells, diagnosing gastrointestinal bleeding.

Lutetium - diagnosing and treating small cancer tumours. Yttrium - treating cancer and relieving pain in arthritis. For a complete list, see the Radiochemistry Society.

The tricky bit, on which Sander's research is focused, is working out how to attach the radioactive atom to the ligand. But it's not just imaging that Sander hopes the chemicals she is developing can be used for. They might also in the future be used by pharmaceutical companies to research the effects of experimental medicines.

By attaching a radioisotope to a prototype drug, the researchers may be able to follow the path the drug takes through the body, helping them to decide at an early stage whether it has potential. And then there's radiotherapy. You can replace the technetium with something that emits far more powerful radiation that will destroy surrounding tissues, in particular cancer cells. We can use antibodies, and then it becomes very targeted.

That's the great hope for the future. Back in the here-and-now, there is a different challenge to deal with - making sure we don't run out of the stuff. To understand why, you need to follow the element back to its source. The technetium is produced by the decay of another radioactive isotope - molybdenum The UCL hospital keeps stocks of this parent isotope in canisters called "cows".

The molybdenum can be regularly "milked" by passing salty water over it, washing out the day's yield of technetium. Radiation Protection. Contact Us. Radionuclide Basics: Technetium On this page:. Technetium in the Environment Air, sea water, soils, plants and animals contain very low concentrations of Tc Technetium Sources Tiny amounts of Tc are part of the environment and are found in food and water.

Technetium and Health Technetium can pose a health risk when it enters the body. Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem. Skip to navigation Skip to content. This site is being redeveloped. For all the latest ABC Science content click here. Site Navigation Video Audio Photos.

Dr Ron Weiner was interviewed by Suzannah Lyons. Use these social-bookmarking links to share What's the story with technetium? Follow us. More Ask an Expert What will happen when this huge Antarctic ice shelf cracks? How the sun messes with your TV, radio and internet twice a year The science of earthquakes explained Are your 'sea legs' in your brain or your muscles?

Lightning, tornadoes and mice: the science of bushfires Latest Ask an Expert web feed. In , Josef Mattauch formulated a rule that says if two adjacent elements on the periodic table have isotopes with the same mass number isobars , one of the isotopes must be radioactive.

Molybdenum and ruthenium both have stable isotopes, so the corresponding isobars for technetium must be unstable. Neodymium and samarium both have stable isotopes, so the isobars for prometium must be unstable.

Although it holds true for technetium, there are exceptions for the Mattauch isobar rule. For example, both antimony and tellurium are stable. However, the rule can be applied to most of the periodic table to make predictions about isotope stability. Search for:. Related Posts.