Additional Product Information

Manufactured Isotopes

What is an isotope? An isotope is defined as any different forms, or species of atoms of a chemical element having the same atomic number, position in the Periodic Table, and virtually identical chemical behavior, but with different physical properties and atomic masses. Nearly every chemical element known has at least one known isotope. Some isotopes of each element occur naturally, and these, along with their manufactured counterparts, have many chemical, medical, and scientific applications for use. Isotopic labeling is perhaps the most common of these applications, and involves the use of more unusual isotopes as markers in chemical reactions, allowing these reactions to be more easily recognized and distinguished using mass or infrared spectroscopy.

 

Radiopharmaceuticals

A radiopharmaceutical is a radioactive compound that is used in radiotherapy or diagnosis. Many of these compounds are used in nuclear medicine as tracers in the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases, and in addition, radiopharmaceuticals are also used to create imaging sides of the brain and other body organs, as well as of tumors and cancers. Some radiopharmaceuticals that are currently being used to treat cancer include: Chromic phosphate P 32 for lung, ovarian, and prostate cancers, Sodium iodide I131 for certain types of thyroid cancer, Strontium chloride Sr 89 for treatment of cancerous bone tissue, and Sodium phosphate P 32 for the treatment of cancerous bone tissue and other types of cancers as well.