The Use of Isotopes in Medicine
The work is to be 6 pages with three to five sources, with in-text citations and a reference page. Because of this, radioactive isotopes have a tendency for spontaneous decomposition, a reaction that involves the release of radiation. During the decomposition of a radioactive isotope, a helium nucleus is released, a process that leads to the stabilization of the isotope. On the other hand, a stable isotope does not have a tendency for spontaneous decomposition and as a result, these isotopes resist various forms of chemical alterations. Radioactive has been used widely used in medicine as agents of diagnostic processes. This essay gives a critical analysis ad discussion of the various uses or applications of isotopes in the field of medicine.Many chemical elements contain isotopes. Radioisotopes are often products of artificial combinations of protons and neutrons. Artificial production of radioisotopes often employs protons and neutrons which do not exist in nature (Ruth, 2009, p. 536). There are a total of 1800 radioisotopes including those which arise from the decay of thorium and uranium in their primordial states. There are a variety of ways in which radioisotopes can be produced or manufactured artificially. These include neutron activation which is the commonest way of producing radioisotopes. This is done within a nuclear reactor. In addition, some radioisotopes are produced within a cyclotron in which a deficiency of neutrons within a nucleus is achieved through the artificial introduction of protons (Bodamer and Halliday (2001, p. 445). The artificial manufacture of radioisotopes is aimed at meeting their application in medicine. The radioisotopes used in medicine are known as radiopharmaceuticals. The following section describes three major applications of radioisotopes in medicines with the justification of why specific radioisotopes are used in the management of various medical processes. The disadvantages associate with the use of isotopes is also provided later in the essay.
